Systems and methods for transparent configuration authentication of networked devices

• US 20040083369A1
• Filed: 07/25/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Anderson, Darrell, Erlingsson, Ulfar, Boyen, Xavier, Gray, Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 8,090,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/608 Watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for providing secure transmissions across a network comprising a transmitting device and a receiving device. At the transmitting device, a stream of watermark bits is generated. Next, a plurality of watermarks is generated, each of the plurality of watermarks comprising an index number and a portion of the stream of watermark bits. The watermarks are inserted into each header of a plurality of outgoing packets. At the receiving device, the plurality of outgoing packets are received and it is determined if a received packet is valid based on the watermark in the header of the received packet. The stream of watermark bits may be generated using a stream cipher such as RC4, a block cipher such as 3DES in CBC mode, or other equivalent pseudo-random stream generating techniques.

Claims

1. A method for providing secure transmissions across a network comprising a transmitting device and a receiving device, the method comprising:

at the transmitting device, generating a stream of watermark bits;

generating a plurality of watermarks, each of the plurality of watermarks comprising an index number and a portion of the stream of watermark bits;

inserting at least one of the plurality of watermarks into each header of a plurality of outgoing packets;

receiving, at the receiving device, the plurality of outgoing packets; and

determining if a received packet is valid based on the watermark in the header of the received packet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the stream of watermark bits includes generating a stream of watermark bits from an authorization and sychronization packet previously exchanged between the transmitting device and the receiving device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising activating a session by exchanging an authorization and synchronization packet between the transmitting device and the receiving device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

discarding the packet, if the watermark is not valid.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if a received packet is valid comprises:

comparing the watermark of the received packet to a first and a second window, each of the windows comprising a set of expected watermarks; and

accepting the watermark as valid if the received watermark matches one of the expected watermarks in the first or second windows.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of expected watermarks are generated from an authorization and sychronization packet previously exchanged between the transmitting device and the receiving device.

7. The method of claim 5, comprising:

discarding the packet, if the watermark does not match one in the first or second windows.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein comparing the watermark further comprises:

maintaining at the server a record of a pivotal index number representing the index number of the highest-numbered valid watermark received from the transmitting device;

comparing the watermark of the received packet to a first and a second window, each of the windows comprising a set of expected watermarks and wherein the first window represents expected watermarks whose index numbers precede the pivotal index number and the second window represents expected watermarks whose index numbers immediately supercede the pivotal index number.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising:

increasing the pivotal index number if a match is found in the second window and deleting the matching expected watermark from the second window.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the stream of watermark bits is generated by a stream cipher.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting at least one of the plurality of watermarks includes determining whether a valid session exists and inserting the at least one of the plurality of watermarks only if the valid session exists.

12. A system for providing secure transmissions across a network, the comprising:

a transmitting device for

generating a stream of watermark bits;

generating a plurality of watermarks, each of the plurality of watermarks comprising an index number and a portion of the stream of watermark bits;

inserting at least one of the plurality of watermarks into each header of a plurality of outgoing packets; and

transmitting the outgoing packets to a receiving device; and

a receiving device for

receiving the plurality of outgoing packets; and

determining if a received packet is valid based on the watermark in the header of the received packet.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the stream of watermark bits are generated from an authorization and synchronization packet previously exchanged between the transmitting device and the receiving device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein inserting at least one of the plurality of watermarks includes determining whether a valid session exists and inserting the at least one of the plurality of watermarks only if the valid session exists.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the receiving device further discards the packet, if the watermark is not valid.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the receiving device further determines if a received packet is valid by the watermark of the received packet to a first and a second window, each of the windows comprising a set of expected watermarks;

and

accepting the received watermark as valid if the received watermark matches one of the expected watermarks in the first or second windows.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the receiving device further discards the packet, if the received watermark does not match any expected watermarks in the first or second windows.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein comparing the watermark further comprises:

maintaining at the server a record of a pivotal index number representing the index number of the highest-numbered valid watermark received from the transmitting device;

comparing the watermark of the received packet to a first and a second window, each of the windows comprising a set of expected watermarks and wherein the first window represents expected watermarks whose index numbers precede the pivotal index number and the second window represents expected watermarks whose index numbers immediately supercede the pivotal index number.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the receiving device increases the pivotal index number if a match is found in the second window and deletes the matching expected watermark from the second window.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the stream of watermark bits is generated by a stream cipher.

21. A system for providing secure transmissions across a network, the system comprising:

means for generating a stream of watermark bits;

means for generating a plurality of watermarks, each of the plurality of watermarks comprising an index number and a portion of the stream of watermark bits;

means for inserting at least one of the plurality of watermarks into each header of a plurality of outgoing packets; and

means for transmitting the outgoing packets to a receiving device capable of determining if a received packet is valid based on the watermark in the header of the received packet.