Method for Controlling Information Supplied from Memory Device

• US 20080022413A1
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sandisk Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Holtzman, Michael, Jogand-Coulomb, Fabrice, Barzilai, Ron
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00

Abstract

A memory storing public and confidential information is removably connected to a host device. General information on data stored in memory devices is accessible to the host device without authentication. Only a portion of confidential information stored in the memory device is accessible through the host device to an authenticated entity, where the entity has access rights to such portion. The entity is not able to access other portions of confidential information to which it has no rights. The public and confidential information is stored in a non-volatile storage medium, and a controller controls the supply of information. Preferably, the non-volatile storage medium and the controller are enclosed in a housing.

Claims

1. A method for supplying information from a memory device that stores public and confidential information and that includes a control structure controlling access to the confidential information by different authenticated entities so that access by an authenticated entity is restricted to only a portion of the confidential information, comprising:

(a) removably connecting said memory device to a host device;

(b) in response to a general information query sent by an individual one of the entities from the host device, the memory device supplying said public information; and

(c) in response to a discreet information query sent by an individual authenticated entity of the entities from the host device, the memory device supplying only the portion of said confidential information that such authenticated entity is allowed to access by the control structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said public information is supplied in step (a), irrespective of whether the entity that sent the general information query has been authenticated or not.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said confidential information comprises a shared portion and an unshared portion, the shared portion being supplied in step (a) only to an individual authenticated entity of the entities and not to unauthenticated ones of the entities.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said memory device stores therein software applications having life cycle states, and said shared portion of said confidential information includes names of software applications and their life cycle states.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said control structure comprises at least one sub-control structure each controlling access to the shared portion of the confidential information by at least one authenticated entity, said shared portion that is supplied in response to the general information query includes a list of said at least one sub-control structure.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said at least one sub-control structure comprises at least one root access control record, said shared portion supplied in response to the general information query including a list of said at least one root access control record.

7. The method of claim 5, said at least one sub-control structure comprising at least one children sub-control structure, wherein said confidential information supplied in response to a discreet information query from an authenticated entity includes at least one of the following:

names and access rights to partitions, names and access rights to keys and software applications, at least one children sub-control structure, secure data objects and identity objects.

8. The method of claim 7, said at least one sub-control structure comprising at least one root access control record, said at least one children sub-control structure comprising at least one child access control record and access control record groups that comprise the at least one child access control record.

9. The method of claim 1, said public information supplied in response to the general information query including a list of software applications on the device and their running states.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said public information and confidential information are supplied in at least one groups of information objects, with one of the groups sent in response to each query in a sequence of queries.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each group of information objects comprises not more than 512 bytes.