SECURED STORAGE DEVICE

• US 20090164804A1
• Filed: 12/25/2007
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Pomerantz, Yitzhak, MARDIKS, EITAN
• Application Number:
  US11/964,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20090164804A1
• 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 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority

Abstract

A method of preventing unauthorized access to digital content includes obtaining from a trusted entity a public key of a public-private key pair, encrypting content being received by a storage device using the public key, and storing the encrypted content on the storage device. The public-private key pair includes the public key and a corresponding private key. The content is encrypted on the storage device using the public key so as to be decipherable using a corresponding private key. Access to the corresponding private key is restricted to the trusted entity alone and encrypted content may be decipherable by the trusted entity, only after an indication of authorization for use of the corresponding private key is provided to the trusted entity. Also provided is a method of controlling access to encrypted content that is stored on a storage device operating as a secure storage device.

Claims

1. A method of preventing unauthorized access to digital content using a storage device, the method comprising:

obtaining from a trusted entity a public key of a public-private key pair; and

encrypting content being received to a storage device, using the public key; and

storing the encrypted content on the storage device,

the content being encrypted using the public key so as to be decipherable by the trusted entity, only by using a corresponding private key of the public-private key pair,

wherein access to the corresponding private key is restricted to a trusted entity alone, and

wherein the encrypted content becomes decipherable by the trusted entity, only after an indication of authorization for use of the corresponding private key is being provided to the trusted entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of authorization is an instruction from an authorized entity, including a legal or government entity, to provide reading access to the encrypted content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the trusted entity is at least one entity other than owner, dealer, and/or manufacturer of the storage device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining from a plurality of trusted entities a plurality of public keys of a plurality of corresponding public-private key pairs, to thereby enable the encrypted content to become decipherable by any of the plurality of trusted entities, only after an indication of authorization for use is provided thereto.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising authorizing the storage device as a secured device.

6. A method of controlling access to encrypted content that is stored on a storage device, the method comprising:

generating a public-private key pair having a public key and a corresponding private key, by a trusted entity; and

providing the public key while restricting access of the corresponding private key to the trusted entity alone, the public key being used by a storage device for encrypting content, such that the encrypted content is stored on the storage device,

wherein the encrypted content becomes decipherable by the trusted entity, only upon an indication of authorization for use of the corresponding private key is being provided to the trusted entity.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the indication of authorization is an instruction from an authorized entity, including a legal or government entity, to provide reading access to the encrypted content.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving the encrypted content, by the trusted entity; and

decrypting the encrypted content by the trusted entity, only upon receiving the indication for authorization.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the trusted entity is at least one entity other than owner, dealer, and/or manufacturer of the storage device.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the public key is used with a plurality of storage devices.

11. A storage device comprising:

an encryption unit operative to encrypt content using a public key of a public-private key pair, the content being encrypted so as to be decipherable by the trusted entity, only by using a corresponding private key of the public-private key pair; and

a non-volatile memory operative to store content which is encrypted,

wherein access to the corresponding private key is restricted to a trusted entity alone, and

wherein the encrypted content becomes decipherable by the trusted entity, only after an indication of authorization for use of the corresponding private key is provided to the trusted entity.

12. The storage device of claim 11 wherein the indication of authorization is an instruction from an authorized entity, including a legal or government entity, to provide reading access to the encrypted content.

13. The storage device of claim 11, wherein the trusted entity is at least one entity other than owner, dealer, and/or manufacturer of the storage device.

14. The storage device of claim 11, wherein the non-volatile memory is a flash memory.

15. The storage device of claim 11, wherein the encrypted content is stored on the non-volatile memory with a plurality of symmetric keys corresponding to a plurality of public keys of a plurality of public-private key pairs.

16. The storage device of claim 15, wherein the encrypted content may become decipherable, by any of a plurality of trusted entities, only after an indication of authorization for use is provided thereto.

17. The storage device of claim 11, further comprising a unique identification that is operative to authorize the storage device as a secure storage device.

18. A trusted entity system comprising:

a computing unit operative to generate a public-private key pair having a public key and a corresponding private key, the public key being used by a storage device for encrypting content; and

a memory area operative to store the corresponding private key, such that access to the corresponding is restricted to the trusted entity alone,

wherein the encrypted content becomes decipherable by the trusted entity, only after an indication for authorization for use of the corresponding private key is being received thereto.

19. The trusted entity system of claim 18, wherein the indication of authorization is an instruction from an authorized entity, including a legal or government entity, to provide reading access to the encrypted content.

20. The trusted entity system of claim 18, wherein the trusted entity is at least one entity other than owner, dealer, and/or manufacturer of the storage device.