Apparatus and method for storing data

• US 20060072763A1
• Filed: 10/06/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: You, Yong-kuk, Choi, Yun-ho, Kim, Chi-hurn
• Application Number:
  US11/244,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20060072763A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/277
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus and method for storing data. The apparatus includes a directory key generator generating a directory key required for encrypting and decrypting the data by inputting a device-specific key to a key generating function, the device-specific key being unique information allocated to the device and stored in a secure region of the device. The data is stored in at least one directory, and the directory key is used in encrypting and decrypting the data in units of directories. Accordingly, it is possible to minimize consumption of resources required to encrypt and decrypt the data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for storing data in a device, the apparatus comprising:

a directory key generator generating a directory key required for encrypting and decrypting the data by inputting a device-specific key to a key generating function, the device-specific key being unique information allocated to the device and stored in a secure region of the device,

wherein the data is stored in at least one directory, and

the directory key is used in encrypting and decrypting the data in units of directories.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an encryption unit encrypting the data using the directory key; and

a storage unit storing the encrypted data in units of directories.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the directory key generator generates the directory key by inputting the device-specific key and directory information, which specifies the directory, into the key generating function when the device requests the data.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the directory information comprises at least one of the name of the directory, the storing capacity of the directory, the name of the data stored in the directory, and a time when the data is stored in the directory.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the directory key is obtained by performing an XOR operation on the device-specific key and the directory information.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the directory key is obtained by encrypting the directory information using the device-specific key.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a decryption unit generating decrypted data by reading the encrypted data from the storage unit and decrypting the encrypted data using the directory key when the device requests the data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the directory key is obtained using a device key allocated to the device during broadcast encryption.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the device-specific key is a unique device key allocated to the device, and the unique device key is selected from device keys allocated using broadcast encryption.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein whether the device-specific key matches the device is determined at an after-sales service center,

wherein an encryption key for the directory is extracted at the after-sales service center using the device-specific key when the device is replaced with another device.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data is content information regarding content to be reproduced by the device, and

the content information comprises at least one of a content key and usage rules of the content which are required to encrypt and decrypt the content.

12. A method of storing data in a device, comprising:

generating a directory key by inputting a device-specific key into a key generating function, the directory key used to encrypt and decrypt the data, the device-specific key allocated to the device and stored in a secure region of the device,

wherein the data is stored in at least one directory, and

the directory key is used to encrypt and decrypt the data in units of directories.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the generation of the directory key comprises when the device requests the data, generating the directory key by inputting the device-specific key and directory information, which specifies the directory, into the key generating function.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the directory information comprises at least one of the name of the directory, the storing capacity of the directory, the name of the data stored in the directory, and time when the data is stored in the directory.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the generation of the directory key comprises performing an XOR operation on the device-specific key and the directory information.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the generation of the directory key comprises encrypting the directory information using the device-specific key.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising when the device requests the data, generating decrypted data by decrypting the encrypted data using the directory key.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the directory key is generated using a device key allocated to the device during broadcast encryption.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the device-specific key is a unique device key peculiarly allocated to the device, and the unique device key is selected from device keys allocated using broadcast encryption.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the data is content information regarding content to be reproduced by the device, and the content information comprises at least one of a content key used to encrypt and decrypt the content, and usage rules of the content.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein whether the device-specific key matches the device is determined at an after-sales center,

wherein an encryption key for the directory is extracted at the after-sales center using the device-specific key when the device must be replaced with another device.

23. A computer readable recording medium storing a program for executing the method of claim 12 using a computer.

13. The method of clam 12, further comprising:

generating encrypted data by encrypting the data using the directory key; and

storing the encrypted data in units of directories.