Cryptographic security module method and apparatus

• US 20050157881A1
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: nCipher Corporation Limited (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: nCipher Corporation Limited (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Van Someren, Nicholas Benedict
• Application Number:
  US11/012,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20050157881A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/286
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3265 using certificate chains, trees or paths; Hierarchical trust model

Abstract

A cryptographic security module holds a cryptographic key having a private part and a public part. The private part is held within the module and is usable only to sign messages generated within the module. The public part can be extracted from the module and is usable by a warranting authority to generate a warrant for the module. The module may be used to generate a new key and the private part of the cryptographic key used to generate a key-generation certificate by signing a key-generation message containing information by which the new key can be identified.

Claims

1. A cryptographic security module, in which a private part of a cryptographic key is held and from which a public part of the cryptographic key can be extracted, and in which the module can generate a new key, the private part of the cryptographic key being usable to generate a key-generation certificate by signing, either directly or indirectly through one or more levels of indirection, a key-generation message containing information by which the new key can be identified.

2. A security module according to claim 1, in which the cryptographic key is a warrantable key, the private part of the cryptographic key being usable only to sign messages generated within the module and the public part being usable by a warranting authority to generate a warrant.

3. A security module according to claim 1, in which the private part of the cryptographic key can be used to sign a status message containing information sufficient to identify, either directly or indirectly, a key for signing the key-generation message.

4. A security module according to claim 1, in which the key-generation certificate additionally contains information pertaining to parameters used for generating the new key.

5. A security module according to claim 1, in which the key-generation certificate additionally contains information pertaining to parameters used for generating access-control parameters attached to the new key.

6. A security module according to claim 1, implemented as a hardware security module.

7. A security module according to claim 1, implemented as a tamper-proof software security module.

8. A method for operating a security module, comprising the steps of;

holding a private part of a cryptographic key in the module;

using the module to generate a new key;

generating a key-generation message pertaining to the generation of the new key; and

generating a key-generation certificate by using the private part of the cryptographic key to sign the key-generation message, either directly or indirectly through one or more levels of indirection.

9. A method according to claim 8, in which the cryptographic key is a warrantable key and the private part of the cryptographic key is usable only to sign messages generated within the module, further comprising the steps of;

extracting a public part of the cryptographic key from the module; and

generating a warrant as evidence that the module contains the warrantable key.

10. A method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of using the private part of the cryptographic key to sign a status message containing information sufficient to identify, either directly or indirectly, a key for signing the key-generation message.

11. A key-generation certificate generated by a method as defined in claim 8.

12. A method for warranting a cryptographic security module, comprising the steps of;

ascertaining that the module holds a warrantable key, comprising a private part held within the module and only usable to sign messages generated within the module, and a public part which is extractable from the module;

generating a warrant message identifying the public part of the warrantable key and the module; and

signing the warrant message using a private part of a warranting key to generate a warrant.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of authenticating the module against a predetermined standard, the generation of the warrant indicating that the module meets the predetermined standard.

14. A method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of using a public part of the warranting key to validate the warrant.

15. A method according to claim 12, in which the steps of ascertaining that the module holds a warrantable key, and generating and signing the warrant message are carried out by a warranting authority.

16. A warrant generated according to a method as defined in claim 12.

17. A method for verifying that a cryptographic key has been generated by a predetermined cryptographic security module, being either a specific, identifiable module or a module of a predetermined type or complying with a predetermined standard, comprising the steps of;

receiving a key-generation certificate purportedly (i) generated in the predetermined module, (ii) containing information from which the key can be identified and (iii) signed by a private part of a warrantable key held in the predetermined module;

receiving a warrant identifying a public part of a warranted key and warranting that it was extracted from a module which has been inspected by a warranting authority; and

verifying that the public part of the warranted key validates the key-generation certificate.

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of;

receiving a public part of a warranting key; and

verifying that it validates the warrant.

19. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of;

issuing a certificate certifying that the key-generation certificate has been validated.

20. A method according to claim 18, further comprising the step of;

issuing a certificate certifying that the key-generation certificate and the warrant have been validated.

21. A cryptographic key validation certificate generated by a method as defined in claim 19.

22. A cryptographic key validation certificate generated by a method as defined in claim 20.

23. A method for verifying the origin of a cryptographic key purportedly generated by a predetermined cryptographic security module, comprising the steps of;

receiving a certificate certifying that the key was generated by the module, the certificate having been generated by the following steps;

inspecting the module and ascertaining that it holds a warrantable key, comprising a private part held within the module and only usable to sign messages generated within the module, and a public part which is extractable from the module;

generating a warrant message identifying the public part of the warrantable key and the module;

signing the warrant message using a private part of a warranting key to generate a warrant;

receiving a key-generation certificate generated in the module, containing information from which the key can be identified and signed by the private part of the warrantable key;

receiving the warrant identifying the public part of the warrantable key and warranting that it was extracted from the module after inspection by a warranting authority;

verifying that a public part of the warranting key validates the warrant;

verifying that the public part of the warrantable key validates the key-generation certificate; and

issuing the certificate.

24. A cryptographic security module, in which a private part of a warrantable key is held and from which a public part of the warrantable key can be extracted, the private part being usable only to sign messages generated within the module and the public part being usable by a warranting authority to generate a warrant.

25. A security module according to claim 24, in which the module can generate a new key, and the private part of the warrantable key can be used to generate a key-generation certificate by signing, either directly or indirectly through one or more levels of indirection, a key-generation message containing information by which the new key can be identified.

26. A method for operating a security module, comprising the steps of;

holding a private part of a warrantable key in the module, the private part being usable only to sign messages generated within the module;

extracting a public part of the warrantable key from the module; and

generating a warrant as evidence that the module contains the warrantable key.

27. A method according to claim 26, further comprising the steps of;

using the module to generate a new key;

generating a key-generation message pertaining to the generation of the new key; and

generating a key-generation certificate by using the private part of the warrantable key to sign the key-generation message, either directly or indirectly through one or more levels of indirection.

28. A cryptographic security module comprising:

a first memory region that stores a private part of a cryptographic key;

a second memory region that stores a public part of the cryptographic key;

logic that generates a new key, the private part of the cryptographic key being usable to generate a key-generation certificate by signing, either directly or indirectly through one or more levels of indirection, a key-generation message containing information by which the new key can be identified.

29. The security module according to claim 28, in which the cryptographic key is a warrantable key, the private part of the cryptographic key being usable to sign messages generated within the module and the public part being usable by a warranting authority to generate a warrant.

30. The security module according to claim 28, in which the private part of the cryptographic key signs a status message containing information sufficient to identify, either directly or indirectly, a key for signing the key-generation message.

31. The security module of claim 28 wherein the first memory region is a hardware memory.

32. The security module of claim 28 wherein the first memory region is a firmware memory.

33. The security module of claim 28 wherein the first memory region is a software memory.