Software Security for Gaming Devices

• US 20090233709A1
• Filed: 05/22/2009
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gtech Austria GmbH (GTECH German Holdings Corp. GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Atronic International GmbH (Gauselmann AG)
• Inventors: Tuchler, Gerhard, Falvey, Grahame M., Koller, Christian, Kopesky, Gregor
• Granted Patent: US 8,100,764 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof

Abstract

A secure smart card or other secure modular memory device is plugged into (or otherwise connected to) a port of a game controller board internal to a gaming machine, where it is not accessible to a player. The smart card is programmed to detect an encrypted “challenge” message from the host CPU and output an encrypted “response.” If the host CPU determines that the response has the expected properties, then the host CPU verifies that the game program (an application program) is also is authentic, and the game can be played. The challenge/request exchange may be performed periodically to ensure the smart card is still installed. If the response is improper, then the host CPU will issue a halt command to halt play of the game.

Claims

1. A verification method for software in a computing device, the computing device having a housing containing a host processing system for running an application program, the method comprising:

a. providing an authorized first circuit entirely housed within the computing device'"'"'s housing, the first circuit being a secure dongle having terminals connected to an internal port of the computing device, whereby data stored in the first circuit is protected by security features, the first circuit being in communication with the host processing system;

b. running the application program by the host processing system;

c. while running the application program, generating a challenge code by the host processing system, the challenge code being for determining if the first circuit is an authorized first circuit;

d. receiving the challenge code by the first circuit;

e. performing a mathematical function on the challenge code by the first circuit to generate a response code by the first circuit, the response code being uniquely determined by the function performed on the challenge code;

f. determining by the host processing system if the response code was a proper response code by comparing the response code generated by the first circuit to the proper response code;

g. if the response code was determined to be a proper response code, then determining that the first circuit is an authorized first circuit and continuing to run the application program, the application program being carried out, after determining that the first circuit is an authorized first circuit, independently of the first circuit,

wherein, after it is determined that the first circuit is an authorized first circuit, the application program continues to be executed without further involvement by the first circuit until a next challenge code is transmitted by the host processing system to the first circuit;

h. if the response code was determined to not be a proper response code, then determining that the first circuit is not an authorized first circuit and preventing the application program being further carried out by the computing device; and

i. repeating the steps b through h at various times while the application program is running to ensure the first circuit is still in communication with the host processing system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the application program is provided on a mass storage device, completely internal to the housing, such that the application program is not accessible by a user of the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first circuit is a smart card.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the response code is an encrypted version of the challenge code.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first circuit contains one or more keys for encrypting and decrypting data between the host processing system and the first circuit.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first circuit is a smart card, the method further comprising inserting the smart card into a smart card reader inside the housing.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first circuit contains cryptographic keys for decrypting the challenge code and encrypting the response code.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the challenge code and generating the response code are performed each time the application program is run.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the challenge code and generating the response code are also performed at start-up of the computing device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the challenge code is initiated by the application program.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first circuit contains one or more keys for encrypting and decrypting data between the host processing system and the first circuit, the first circuit also containing a processor for performing a cryptographic function on data generated by the first circuit.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the response code is obtained by performing a hash function on the challenge code.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the application program is a game program.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device is an electronic gaming machine.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising controlling distribution of the authorized first circuit such that a computing device running an unauthorized copy of the application program will not be able to carry out the application program without an authorized first circuit.