Two-Factor Content Protection

• US 20070300080A1
• Filed: 06/22/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Brown, Michael K., Adams, Neil, Brown, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US11/425,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20070300080A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0825 using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage

Abstract

A system for providing two-factor content protection includes a first device that is enabled with content protection, and a second device that is used to authenticate users of the first device. The first device uses the public key (K_PUBLIC) of a public/private key pair belonging to the second device to encrypt its content protection key.

Claims

1. A method for protecting content stored in a first device, the method comprising:

encrypting a content protection key belonging to the first device using a public key of a public/private key pair belonging to a second, different, device, wherein the second device is an authentication device that is used to limit use of the first device solely to authorized users.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the content protection key using random data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the encrypted content protection key in a memory belonging to the first device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the encrypted content protection key to the second device for decryption by the second device using the private key of the pair.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second device requires a password for use of the private key, and sending the encrypted content protection key to the second device for decryption comprises providing the password to the second device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein sending the encrypted content protection key to the second device occurs via a wireless communication link.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving the decrypted content protection key from the second device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

temporarily storing the decrypted content protection key transparently in random access memory or flash memory of the first device.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

10. A first device enabled with content protection, comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory; and

a communication interface coupled to the processor through which the first device is able to communicate with a second device that has a public/private key pair and that is used to authenticate users of the first device,

wherein the memory is able to store code, which, when executed by the processor, is arranged to generate a content protection key and to encrypt the content protection key using the public key of the second device.

11. The first device of claim 10, wherein the code, when executed by the processor, is arranged to generate the content protection key using random data.

12. The first device of claim 10, wherein the code, when executed by the processor, is arranged to send the encrypted content protection key to the second device for decryption using the private key of the second device.

13. The first device of claim 12, further comprising:

a user input interface for entering a password to use the private key.

14. A system for providing content protection, comprising:

a first device with content protection capability, wherein the content protection capability, when enabled by a user, is arranged to generate a content protection key used to protect data in the first device; and

a second device with a public/private key pair, wherein the public/private key pair is used to encrypt and decrypt the content protection key in order to provide two-factor content protection.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first device is arranged to generate the content protection key using random data.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first device is arranged to send the encrypted content protection key to the second device for decryption using the private key of the second device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the second device requires a password for use of the private key, and the first device is arranged to provide a password to the second device with the encrypted content protection key.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first device further comprises a user input interface for entering a password to use the private key.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the second device is arranged to verify that the password received from the first device is correct before decrypting the encrypted content protection key.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the second device is arranged to decrypt the encrypted content protection key and to send the decrypted content protection key to the first device.