Secret information record medium, secret information protection method, secret information protective storing method, and system for reporting emergency such as theft or confinement when secret information is accessed

• US 20040053654A1
• Filed: 01/24/2003
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mnemonic Security Limited
• Original Assignee: Mnemonic Security Limited
• Inventors: Kuriyama, Masayuki, Kokumai, Hitoshi, Masuno, Ryuhei
• Application Number:
  US10/333,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20040053654A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2127 Bluffing

Abstract

Disclosed are protection of secret information including an encryption key and a system for reporting an emergency such as theft or confinement when secret information is accessed. Secret information includes a large quantity of decoy data and a piece/pieces of true and correct data mixed into the decoy data. The secret data including the decoy data and the true and correct data is two-dimensional code data the code of which is composed of groups of cells having different areas. The positions and order of storage of the true and correct data dispersedly mixed in the decoy data are determined and reported to the user. The user adds a predetermined alerting signal when inputting the password to tell that the user is under control of a third party. The system can detect the alerting signal and know that the user is in an abnormal state, performs normal identification procedures, and takes protection/preservation measures. Part of decoy data is specified as confinement report data and added to the true and correct data. Consequently at least a piece of confinement report data is included and therefore the user himself is judged to be under control of the third party. Then the user is identified and a confinement report alert is issued.

Claims

1. A secret information record medium,

wherein a single item of true data is interspersed among numerous items of false data and the false and true data are composed of two-dimensional code data in plural groups having different areas, and

wherein the location of the item of true data interspersed among the numerous items of false data is determined and presented to a user.

3. A secret information record medium according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the user refers to illustrations or graphics composed of the numerous items of false data and true data as auxiliary means, in determining and selecting the locations and the reading order of the items of true data among the numerous items of false data from the user'"'"'s own memory.

4. A secret information record medium according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the user also refers to illustrations or graphics which exist in the background to the numerous items of false data and true data, in determining and selecting the locations and the reading order of the items of true data among the numerous items of false data from the user'"'"'s own memory.

2. A secret information record medium,

wherein plural items of true data are interspersed among numerous items of false data and the false and true data are composed of two-dimensional code data in plural groups having different areas, and

wherein the locations and storing order of the items of true data interspersed among the numerous items of false data are determined and presented to a user.

5. A secret information protection method,

wherein a single item of true data encrypted by applying two-dimensional codes to secret information with cryptographic keys for entrant-limited and/or operator-limited control is interspersed among numerous items of false data, and

wherein the location of the item of true data with respect to the numerous items of false data is held in a user'"'"'s memory for memory authentication to prevent any unauthorized person from decrypting the secret information.

7. A secret information protection method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said false and true data are printed on a paper card so that they can be read by an optical reader for data reproduction.

6. A secret information protection method,

wherein plural items of true data encrypted by applying two-dimensional codes to secret information with cryptographic keys for entrant-limited and/or operator-limited control are interspersed among numerous items of false data, and

wherein the locations and storing order of the items of true data with respect to the numerous items of false data are held in a user'"'"'s memory for memory authentication to prevent any unauthorized person from decrypting the secret information.

8. A secret information protective storing method,

wherein items of true data indicating decryption keys for encrypted secret information are interspersed among numerous items of false data for concealment and the locations and reading order of the items of true data interspersed among the numerous items of false data are held in a user'"'"'s memory.

9. A secret information protective storing method,

wherein true information is divided into plural items and interspersed among numerous items of false information to conceal the true information,

wherein numerous items of true data indicating the locations of the items of true information and numerous items of false data indicating the locations of the items of false information are provided, and

wherein the locations and storing order of the items of true data interspersed among the numerous items of false data are determined from a user'"'"'s memory.

10. A secret information protective storing method according to claim 9,

wherein true information is divided into plural items and interspersed among numerous items of false information to conceal the true information,

wherein numerous items of true data indicating the locations of the items of true information and numerous items of false data indicating the locations of the items of false information are provided, and

wherein the locations and storing order of the items of true data interspersed among the numerous items of false data are determined from a user'"'"'s memory by referring to a graphic sheet which includes coloring, illustrations, graphics, and landscapes to specify portions of the graphic sheet.

11. A system for reporting emergency such as theft or conferment when secret information is accessed,

wherein during the input of a password upon user authentication in an internet transaction, a user adds an alarm signal that is set in advance for informing that he or she is placed under the control of an unauthorized person, and the system detects that the user is under an abnormal condition by detecting the alarm signal, whereupon the system performs a protection/preservation measure.

12. A system for reporting emergency such as theft or conferment when secret information is accessed,

wherein during the input of a password upon user authentication in an internet transaction, a user adds an alarm signal that is set in advance for informing that he or she is placed under the control of an unauthorized person, and the system detects that the user is under an abnormal condition by detecting the alarm signal, whereupon the system performs a normal user authentication procedure as well as performs a protection/preservation measure.

13. A system for reporting emergency such as theft or conferment when secret information is accessed,

wherein during the input of a password upon user authentication in an internet transaction, a user deletes an alarm signal that is set in advance in a password for informing that he or she is placed under the control of an unauthorized person, and the system detects that the user is under an abnormal condition by detecting the alarm signal, whereupon the system performs a protection/preservation.

14. A system for reporting emergency such as theft or conferment when secret information is accessed,

wherein the number of items of matching data to be recorded on a recording medium is selected to include a single item of true data and plural items of false data to provide a user authentication data recording medium which has the matching data interspersed with the single item of true data and the plural items of false data,

wherein in recording secret information with cryptographic keys on said user authentication data recording medium, one of the numerous items of matching data is determined to be the true data and the remaining items of matching data are determined to be the false data,

wherein information indicated by the single item of true data is determined to be authentication data indicating the secret information with the cryptographic keys on the user authentication data recording medium,

wherein in using the user authentication data recording medium to enter the authentication data, the single item of true data is selected from the user authentication data recording medium, thereby determining that the true authentication data is selected and validating the user authentication, and

wherein in selecting the single item of true data from the user authentication data recording medium during the input operation by means of the user authentication data recording medium, if at least one item of false data is included in the input data, it is determined that a theft-causing unauthorized access is attempted and then the user authentication is invalidated with a theft alarm generated.

15. A system for reporting emergency such as theft or conferment when secret information is accessed,

wherein the number of items of matching data to be recorded on a recording medium is selected to include plural items of true data and plural items of false data to provide a user authentication data recording medium which has the matching data interspersed with the plural items of true data and the plural items of false data,

wherein in recording secret information with cryptographic keys on said user authentication data recording medium, several ones of the numerous items of matching data are determined to be the true data by specifying the locations or features and order, the remaining items of matching data are determined to be the false data, and information indicated by the plural items of true data is determined to be authentication data indicating the secret information with the cryptographic keys on the user authentication data recording medium,

wherein during the input operation by means of the user authentication data recording medium, the plural items of true data are selected from the user authentication data recording medium in a correct order, thereby determining that the true authentication data is selected and validating the user authentication,

wherein in selecting the plural items of true data from the user authentication data recording medium during the input operation by means of the user authentication data recording medium, if the number of items of false data included in the input data is equal to or more than a predetermined number, it is determined that a theft-causing unauthorized access is attempted and then the user authentication is invalidated with a theft alarm generated, and

wherein a control center which detects the generated theft alarm prevents subsequent use of said user authentication data recording medium.

16. A system for reporting emergency such as theft or conferment when secret information is accessed,

wherein the number of items of matching data to be recorded on a recording medium is selected to include a single or plural items of true data and plural items of false data to provide a user authentication data recording medium which has the matching data interspersed with the single or plural items of true data and the plural items of false data,

wherein in recording secret information with cryptographic keys on said user authentication data recording medium, one or several ones of the numerous items of matching data are determined to be the true data with a reading order determined, the remaining items of matching data are determined to be the false data, information indicated by the single item of true data or the plural items of true data in the correct reading order is determined to be authentication data indicating the secret information with the cryptographic keys on the user authentication data recording medium, and some of the false data is determined to be confinement informing data,

wherein during the input operation by means of the user authentication data recording medium, the single or plural items of true data from the matching data on the user authentication data recording medium and the reading order are selected and said confinement informing data is added, thereby determining that the true authentication data is selected and validating the user authentication, and

wherein if at least one item of confinement informing data is included in addition to the true data, it is determined that the user is placed under the control of an unauthorized person and a control center validates the user authentication with a confinement informing alarm generated.