Digital video authenticator

• US 20040022523A1
• Filed: 01/16/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Original Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Inventors: Karls, Michael A., Duerr, Thomas E., Higbie, James H., Barrett, George R., Beser, Nicholas D., Costello, Cash J., Paulhamus, Donna C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,197,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/94
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/122 involving the detection of an identification or authentication mark record carriers indicating unauthorised or prior use G11B23/28
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00123 the record carrier being identified by recognising some of its unique characteristics, e.g. a unique defect pattern serving as a physical signature of the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00173 wherein the origin of the content is checked, e.g. determining whether the content has originally been retrieved from a legal disc copy or another trusted source
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/28 Indicating or preventing prior or unauthorised use, e.g. cassettes with sealing or locking means, write-protect devices for discs write-protect devices for tapes G11B23/042, G11B23/08714; dummy cassettes for locking in the drive G11B33/005
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure

Abstract

The Digital Video Authenticator (DVA) addresses law enforcement concerns for a means to authenticate digital video (DV) so that it will be admissible and trusted as evidence in court. The DVA is a peripheral device attached to a commercial digital video recording device whose purpose is to generate and record authentication data simultaneously as DV is recorded by the video recording device. Verification of the authenticity of a DV sample will be accomplished using non-real-time software tools. The DVA system and method reads digital video (DV) data from a digital video recording device; parses the DV data into elements representing video, audio, control and timing data; and creates digital signatures that can be used to validate the original DV tape. The combination of secure digital signatures and repeatability of the DV data stored on tape provides the basis for proving the original video has not been modified.

Claims

1. A system for recording digital signatures associated with recorded digital video wherein the digital signatures are used to authenticate the recorded digital video, the system comprising:

a digital video authenticator (DVA) device adapted to receive digital video from the digital video recording device on a real time frame-by-frame basis; and

a security token including an RSADSA private key and an agent certificate, the agent certificate comprising information identifying an agent and an RSADSA public key,

wherein

prior to recording digital video,

the security token and digital video recording device are operably connected to the DVA;

an ECDSA public/private key pair is created within the DVA using the security token;

an integrity certificate including the ECDSA public key is created and stored on a digital signature removable storage medium within the DVA; and

while the digital video recording device records digital video to its own storage medium, the DVA;

receives and buffers the digital video being recorded by the digital video recording device on a real time frame-by-frame basis;

parses each frame of the buffered digital video into a video block, an audio block, a digital video recording device control block, and a DVR control block;

generates a digital signature for each digital video block of data using the ECDSA private key; and

records the digital signatures to the removable storage medium within the DVA.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the digital video recording device control block of data is comprised of a timecode parameter, a clock parameter, a calendar parameter, and a digital video recording device identification parameter.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the DVA control block of data is comprised of a DVA clock parameter and a digital video recording device status parameter.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising an independent processing device operably connectable with the DVA removable storage medium for authenticating digital signatures associated with recorded digital video wherein the independent processing device:

accesses the agent certificate and authenticates the integrity certificate using the RSADSA public key included in the agent certificate;

receives and couples with the DVA removable storage medium containing the integrity certificate and digital signatures generated by the DVA;

authenticates the digital signatures on the DVA removable storage medium using the ECDSA public key included in the integrity certificate; and

performs a frame-by-frame comparison with the associated digital video recorded by the digital video recording device thereby verifying the authenticity of the recorded digital video.

5. A method of recording and authenticating digital video comprising:

a pre-recording process comprised of;

provisioning a security token with an RSADSA public/private key pair; and

generating an agent certificate on the security token, the agent certificate comprising information identifying an agent and the RSADSA public key;

operably connecting the security token with a digital video authenticator (DVA) device;

generating an ECDSA public/private key pair within the DVA;

generating an integrity certificate including the ECDSA public key;

a recording process comprised of;

operably connecting a digital video recording device to the DVA and while the digital video recording device records digital video to its own storage medium, the DVA is;

receiving and buffering the digital video being recorded by the digital video recording device on a real time frame-by-frame basis;

parsing each frame of the buffered digital video into a video block, an audio block, a digital video recording device control block, and a DVR control block;

generating a digital signature for each digital video block of data using the ECDSA private key; and

recording the digital signatures to a storage medium within the DVA; and

a post-recording process for authenticating the digital video recorded by the digital video recording device comprised of;

using the RSADSA public key included in the agent certificate, authenticating the integrity certificate;

using the ECDSA public key included in the integrity certificate, authenticating the digital signatures; and

performing a frame-by-frame comparison with the associated digital video recorded by the digital video recording device thereby verifying the authenticity of the recorded digital video.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the digital video recording device control block of data is comprised of a timecode parameter, a clock parameter, a calendar parameter, and a digital video recording device identification parameter.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the DVA control block of data is comprised of a DVA clock parameter and a digital video recording device status parameter.

8. A digital video authenticator (DVA) apparatus that is connectable to a digital video recording device that records digital video (DV) and a security token, the DVA comprising:

a shared memory communications module (SMCM) for providing a common communications capability;

a digital video capture module (DVCM) having a hardware interface for coupling with the digital video recording device, the DVCM further coupled with the SMCM for monitoring the digital video recording device receiving and buffering DV generated by the digital video recording device;

a digital signature module (DSM) coupled with the SMCM for parsing DV frame data, generating ECDSA public/private key pairs, creating an integrity certificate, and creating digital signatures of elements of a DV frame using the ECDSA private key;

a digital signature output module (DSOM) coupled with the SMCM for storing data generated by the DVA; and

a graphical user interface executive module (GUIEM) including a hardware interface for receiving and communicating with the security token, the GUIEM coupled with the SMCM for monitoring and managing the DVCM, DSM, and DSOM modules, said GUIEM capable of receiving and displaying data and issuing commands to the DVCM, DSM, and DSOM modules.

9. The DVA apparatus of claim 8 wherein the security token includes an RSADSA public/private key pair and an agent certificate including an RSADSA public key and data pertaining to an agent, the security token used in conjunction with the DVA to create the integrity certificate prior to DV collection, the integrity certificate including the ECDSA public key.

10. The DVA apparatus of claim 8 wherein, for each frame of DV, the DSOM stores to a removable storage medium DV metadata, a DVA time stamp, and the ECDSA digital signatures created by the DSM for each parsed frame of DV.

11. A system for recording and authenticating digital video comprising:

means for provisioning a security token with an RSADSA public/private key pair; and

means for generating an agent certificate on the security token, the agent certificate comprising information identifying an agent and the RSADSA public key;

means for operably connecting the security token with a digital video authenticator (DVA) device;

means for generating an ECDSA public/private key pair within the DVA;

means for generating an integrity certificate including the ECDSA public key;

means for operably connecting a digital video recording device to the DVA and while the digital video recording device records digital video to its own storage medium, the DVA is;

means for receiving and buffering the digital video being recorded by the digital video recording device on a real time frame-by-frame basis;

means for parsing each frame of the buffered digital video into a video block, an audio block, a digital video recording device control block, and a DVR control block;

means for generating a digital signature for each digital video block of data using the ECDSA private key; and

means for recording the digital signatures to a storage medium within the DVA; and

means for using the RSADSA public key included in the agent certificate, authenticating the integrity certificate;

means for using the ECDSA public key included in the integrity certificate, authenticating the digital signatures; and

means for performing a frame-by-frame comparison with the associated digital video recorded by the digital video recording device thereby verifying the authenticity of the recorded digital video.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the digital video recording device control block of data is comprised of a timecode parameter, a clock parameter, a calendar parameter, and a digital video recording device identification parameter.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the DVA control block of data is comprised of a DVA clock parameter and a digital video recording device status parameter.