Cryptographically signed network identifier

• US 20060251253A1
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Dubal, Scott P., Kappler, Elizabeth M.
• Application Number:
  US11/095,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20060251253A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/255
• 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

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a network controller to communicate with a network. The apparatus may also include a storage device that is coupled to the network controller to store a cryptographically signed unique network identifier.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a network controller to communicate with a network; and

a storage device coupled to the network controller to store a cryptographically signed unique network identifier.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network identifier is a media access control address.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network identifier corresponds to a unique network interface device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a driver module coupled to the network controller to verify an authenticity of the cryptographically signed network identifier in accordance with a public key.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network controller verifies an authenticity of the cryptographically signed network identifier in accordance with a public key.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage device stores a public key corresponding to the cryptographically signed network identifier.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network controller and the storage device are implemented in a network interface device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the network interface device is selected from a group comprising an internal network interface device and an external network interface device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the internal network interface device is selected from a group comprising a device coupled to a PCI bus, a device coupled to a PCI Express hub, and a device implemented on a motherboard.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage device is a nonvolatile storage device selected from a group comprising a flash memory device and a ROM device.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage device is an EEPROM.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer network is selected from a group comprising a wired network and a wireless network.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network controller is a general-purpose processor.

14. A method comprising:

providing a network controller to communicate with a network; and

coupling the network controller to a storage device to store a cryptographically signed unique network identifier.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the network identifier is a media access control address.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising verifying an authenticity of the signed network identifier in accordance with a public key.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the verifying act is performed by an item selected from a group comprising the network controller and a driver module stored on a computer-readable medium.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising signing the network identifier with a private key.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising disabling a network interface device corresponding to the network controller if the signed network identifier is inauthentic.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining that a private key utilized to sign the network identifier is compromised if a validly signed network identifier lacks a corresponding random number stored in a storage device.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising registering the network identifier and a corresponding random number with a network interface device provider.

22. A system comprising:

a volatile storage device coupled to a computing device to store data; and

a nonvolatile storage device coupled to a network controller to store a cryptographically signed unique network identifier.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising a display device coupled to the computing device.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the volatile storage device is selected from a group comprising RAM, DRAM, and SDRAM memory devices.