Application security in an interactive media environment

• US 20070005758A1
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Arrouye, Yves, Hughes, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,941,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries

Abstract

A security system is described which controls the access of applications to system resources in the field of interactive multimedia. The system establishes a framework for application security, including a signature system, and further provides file formats that support security. Signed applications are afforded high access privileges, while unsigned applications are afforded low access privileges. The combination of signed and unsigned applications on, e.g., a disk, provides for low access privileges for all applications, signed and unsigned.

Claims

1. A method for ensuring security of an application in an interactive multimedia environment, comprising:

a. receiving an application implementing interactive video and frame-synchronous graphics;

b. detecting the signature status of the application;

c. if the signature status is signed, then giving permission access to a source of local storage and a network resource;

d. if the signature status is unsigned, then denying permission access to a source of local storage and a network resource.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the signature status is signed, then giving permission access to file I/O and security and diagnostic APIs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises reading a manifest file associated with the application, and determining if the manifest is signed with an author'"'"'s signature and certificate.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the application contains an archive which houses the manifest file and at least one resource file, and wherein the manifest file is the first file in the archive.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the archive has a format such that the archive may be streamed efficiently.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the signature status is signed, then the application includes a signed root certificate, a content revocation list, or an author identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the source of local storage is a directory keyed to the author identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the signature status is unsigned, then denying permission access to file I/O and security and diagnostic APIs.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the signature status is unsigned, then giving permission access to utilization of a markup language and utilization of the objects consisting of:

XML without I/O functionality, globalization, drawing functions, and user input operations.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising if the signature status is unsigned, and the application is received from an optical disk, then running the application only from the optical disk.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a. receiving another application;

b. detecting the signature status of the another application;

c. if the signature status of the application or the another application is unsigned, then denying permission access for both applications to both a source of local storage and a network resource;

or

d. if the signature status of the application and the another application are both signed, then granting permission access for both applications to both a source of local storage and a network resource.

12. A method for ensuring security of a media disk, comprising:

a. receiving a media disk in a playback system, the media disk containing one or more applications whereby the applications implement interactive video-frame-synchronous graphics in an interactive multimedia environment;

b. detecting the signature status of each application on the media disk;

c. if the signature status of all the applications is signed, then giving high permission access to each application to a source of local storage and a network resource;

d. if the signature status of any of the applications is unsigned, then denying to any of the applications high permission access to a source of local storage and a network resource.

13. A multimedia playback system for applications whereby the applications implement interactive video-frame-synchronous graphics in an interactive multimedia environment, comprising:

a network resource;

a source of local storage;

a device to receive an application incorporating interactive graphics and video;

a processor to detect the signature status of the application;

wherein if the application is signed, the application is given permission access to the source of local storage and the network resource; and

wherein if the application is unsigned, the application is denied permission access to the source of local storage and the network resource.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor detects the signature status of the application by reading a manifest file associated with the application, and determining if the manifest is signed with the author'"'"'s signature and certificate.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the application contains an archive which houses the manifest file and at least one resource file, and wherein the manifest file is the first file in the archive.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein if the signature status is signed, then the application includes a signed root certificate, a content revocation list, or an author identifier.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the source of local storage is a directory keyed to the author identifier.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein if the signature status is signed, then the application is given permission access to file I/O and security and diagnostic APIs.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein if the signature status is unsigned, then the application is:

a. denied permission access to file I/O and security and diagnostic APIs;

or

b. given permission access to utilization of a markup language and utilization of the objects consisting of;

XML without I/O functionality, globalization, drawing functions, and user input operations

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to detect the signature status of another application, and wherein

a. if the signature status of the application or the another application is unsigned, then permission access is denied for both applications to both a source of local storage and a network resource;

or

b. if the signature status of the application and the another application are both signed, then permission access is granted for both applications to both a source of local storage and a network resource.

21. The system of claim 13, further comprising if the signature status of the application is unsigned, and the application is received from an optical disk, then the application is only run from the optical disk.

22. A method of authoring secure applications, comprising:

developing an application implementing interactive video-frame-synchronous graphics in an interactive multimedia environment;

converting the application into an archive file format having a manifest file and at least one resource file;

disposing within the manifest file a certificate containing a signature; and

disposing the manifest file at the beginning of the archive file.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising burning or saving the application onto a disk.