Employing cyclic redundancy checks to provide data security

• US 20050193193A1
• Filed: 12/17/2003
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Skovira, Joseph F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,523,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/160
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/34 Encoding or coding, e.g. Huffman coding or error correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0662 with particular pseudorandom sequence generator
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials

Abstract

The security of data is enhanced by the use of cyclic redundancy checks. Data is encoded with one or more cyclic redundancy checks and then transmitted by a transmitter to a receiver. The receiver receives the encoded data and decodes it in order to use the one or more cyclic redundancy checks to determine whether the data was sent by an authorized user.

Claims

1. A method of providing data security, said method comprising:

obtaining data, said data including one or more cyclic redundancy checks (CRCs); and

using the one or more cyclic redundancy checks to determine the security of the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises receiving by a receiver the data from a transmitter coupled to the receiver, and wherein the receiver uses the cyclic redundancy checks to determine the security of the data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the transmitter is remote from the receiver.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the transmitter is in wireless communication with the receiver.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiver includes a control system receiving one or more commands from the transmitter, the transmitter including a field communications device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises receiving the data from a transmitter, said transmitter including a transmitter CRC generator to add the one or more cyclic redundancy checks to the data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a plurality of cyclic redundancy checks are added, and wherein the transmitter CRC generator includes one or more horizontal generators to provide one or more horizontal cyclic redundancy checks and at least one vertical generator to provide at least one vertical cyclic redundancy check.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the transmitter CRC generator is coupled to a random number generator used to select one or more CRC polynomials used to generate the one or more cyclic redundancy checks.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises receiving the data by a receiver, said receiver including a receiver CRC generator to decode the data to retrieve the one or more cyclic redundancy checks used in determining the security of the data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the receiver CRC generator comprises one or more horizontal generators and at least one vertical generator used in retrieving the one or more cyclic redundancy checks from the data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the receiver CRC generator is coupled to a random number generator used to select one or more CRC polynomials used to retrieve the one or more cyclic redundancy checks from the data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the random number generator coupled to the receiver CRC generator is maintained in step with a random number generator coupled to a transmitter CRC generator used to encode the data with the one or more cyclic redundancy checks, said random number generator coupled to the transmitter CRC generator used to select one or more CRC polynomials used to generate the one or more cyclic redundancy checks.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the transmitter CRC generator is a component of a transmitter, said transmitter transmitting the data to the receiver.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the security of the data includes authentication of a transmitter of the data.

15. A system of providing data security, said system comprising:

means for obtaining data, said data including one or more cyclic redundancy checks (CRCs); and

means for using the one or more cyclic redundancy checks to determine the security of the data.

16. A system of providing data security, said system comprising:

a receiver to obtain data, said data including one or more cyclic redundancy checks (CRCs); and

the receiver to use the one or more cyclic redundancy checks to determine the security of the data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the receiver receives the data from a transmitter, said transmitter including a transmitter CRC generator to add the one or more cyclic redundancy checks to the data.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein a plurality of cyclic redundancy checks are added, and wherein the transmitter CRC generator includes one or more horizontal generators to provide one or more horizontal cyclic redundancy checks and at least one vertical generator to provide at least one vertical cyclic redundancy check.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the receiver includes a receiver CRC generator to decode the data to retrieve the one or more cyclic redundancy checks used in determining the security of the data.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the receiver CRC generator comprises one or more horizontal generators and at least one vertical generator used in retrieving the one or more cyclic redundancy checks from the data.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the receiver CRC generator is coupled to a random number generator used to select one or more CRC polynomials used to retrieve the one or more cyclic redundancy checks from the data.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the random number generator coupled to the receiver CRC generator is maintained in step with a random number generator coupled to a transmitter CRC generator used to encode the data with the one or more cyclic redundancy checks, said random number generator coupled to the transmitter CRC generator used to select one or more CRC polynomials used to generate the one or more cyclic redundancy checks.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the transmitter CRC generator is a component of a transmitter, said transmitter transmitting the data to the receiver.

24. An article of manufacture comprising:

at least one computer usable medium having computer readable program code logic to provide data security, the computer readable program code logic comprising;

obtain logic to obtain data, said data including one or more cyclic redundancy checks (CRCs); and

use logic to use the one or more cyclic redundancy checks to determine the security of the data.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein the obtain logic comprises receive logic to receive the data from a transmitter, said transmitter including a transmitter CRC generator to add the one or more cyclic redundancy checks to the data.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein a plurality of cyclic redundancy checks are added, and wherein the transmitter CRC generator includes one or more horizontal generators to provide one or more horizontal cyclic redundancy checks and at least one vertical generator to provide at least one vertical cyclic redundancy check.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein the obtain logic comprises receive logic to receive the data by a receiver, said receiver including a receiver CRC generator to decode the data to retrieve the one or more cyclic redundancy checks used in determining the security of the data.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27 wherein the receiver CRC generator comprises one or more horizontal generators and at least one vertical generator used in retrieving the one or more cyclic redundancy checks from the data.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the receiver CRC generator is coupled to a random number generator used to select one or more CRC polynomials used to retrieve the one or more cyclic redundancy checks from the data.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 29, wherein the random number generator coupled to the receiver CRC generator is maintained in step with a random number generator coupled to a transmitter CRC generator used to encode the data with the one or more cyclic redundancy checks, said random number generator coupled to the transmitter CRC generator used to select one or more CRC polynomials used to generate the one or more cyclic redundancy checks.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 29, wherein the transmitter CRC generator is a component of a transmitter, said transmitter transmitting the data to the receiver.