Method and Apparatus for Encryption and Pass-Through Handling of Confidential Information in Software Applications

• US 20090307482A1
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetSecure Innovations, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetSecure Innovations, Inc.
• Inventors: McCann, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 8,452,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/153
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/20 Manipulating the length of blocks of bits, e.g. padding or block truncation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for securely transmitting sensitive information to a remote device at the request of an application program are provided. The application program generates a request to a secure channel provider to make a transmission to a remote device. A first message is passed from the from the application program to the secure channel provider containing insertion point codes indicating locations within the first message where the sensitive information should be inserted. Sensitive information is obtained from a source outside of the application program and the sensitive information is inserted into the first message at the locations in the first message indicated by the insertion point codes to form a second message containing the sensitive information. The second message is encrypted and this encrypted message is transmitted to the remote device. The sensitive information is unaccessed by the application program during the execution of the method.

Claims

1. A method of securely transmitting sensitive information to a remote device at the request of an application program, the method comprising:

generating a request, with the application program, to a secure channel provider to make a transmission to a remote device;

passing a first message from the application program to the secure channel provider, the first message containing insertion point codes indicating locations within the first message where the sensitive information should be inserted, when the secure channel provider receives the first message;

obtaining the sensitive information from a source outside of the application program;

inserting the sensitive information into the first message at the locations in the first message indicated by the insertion point codes to form a second message containing the sensitive information;

encrypting the second message to form an encrypted unit; and

transmitting the encrypted unit to the remote device,

wherein the sensitive information is unaccessed by the application program during execution of the method.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the secure channel provider establishes a connection to the remote device and passes the first message to a cryptographic service provider, the sensitive information is inserted in the first message by the cryptographic service provider forming the second message and the cryptographic service provider encrypts the second message to form the encrypted unit before passing the encrypted unit to the secure channel provider to be transmitted to the remote device and wherein only the cryptographic service provider has access to the sensitive information in an unencrypted form.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensitive information is inserted in the first message by the secure channel provider to form the second message before passing the second message to a cryptographic service provider where the second message is encrypted to form the encrypted unit and passing the encrypted unit to the secure channel provider to be transmitted to the remote device and wherein only the secure channel provider and the cryptographic service provider have access to the sensitive information in an unencrypted form.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the secure channel provider passes the first message to the cryptographic service provider before the sensitive information is inserted into the first message to form the second message, and the cryptographic service provider inserts the sensitive information in the first message at the locations indicated by the insertion point codes to form the second message before calculating a message authentication code for the second message and passing the message authentication code to the secure channel provider before encrypting the second message and the message authentication code.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of passing the second message to the cryptographic service provider to determine a message authentication code for the second message before encrypting the second message and the message authentication code and after the sensitive information is inserted in the first message to form the second message.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the application program, the secure channel provider and the cryptographic service provider are located on a single data processing system.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the application program and the secure channel provider are resident on a single data processing system and the cryptographic service provider is resident on a peripheral device and wherein the sensitive information is present on the single data processing system only in an encrypted form.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the application program is resident on a single data processing system and the secure channel provider and the cryptographic service provider are resident on a peripheral device and wherein the sensitive information is present on the single data processing system only in an encrypted form.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the application program, secure channel provider and cryptographic service provider are resident on a data processing system and the sensitive information is passed to the cryptographic service provider on the data processing system from a peripheral device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensitive information is encrypted by the peripheral device before the encrypted sensitive information is passed to the cryptographic service provider on the data processing system and wherein the cryptographic service provider decrypts the encrypted sensitive information before inserting it into the first message to form the second message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the insertion point codes are inserted in the first message by the application program.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the insertion point codes are inserted in the first message after the first message passes out of the application program and before the first message is passed to the secure channel provider.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the source is a card reader operative to read the sensitive information off of a card.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the source is a RFID card and reader.

27. A The method of claim 1, wherein computer readable memory has statements and instructions recorded on the computer readable memory for execution by a data processing system.

15. A method of securely transmitting sensitive information to a remote device at the request of an application program, the method comprising:

generating a request to transmit data and a first message, with the application program located on a data processing system, to a secure channel provider located on the data processing system, to make a transmission to a remote device;

inserting insertion point codes in the first message, the insertion point codes indicating locations within the first message where sensitive information should be inserted;

passing the first message to the secure channel provider;

passing the first message to a cryptographic service provider located on a peripheral device;

in response to the cryptographic service provider receiving the first message, obtaining the sensitive information from a card reader on the peripheral device and inserting the sensitive information into the first message at the locations in the first message indicated by the insertion point codes to form a second message containing the sensitive information and determining a message authentication code for the second message;

passing the message authentication code from the cryptographic service provider to the secure channel provider;

in response to the secure channel provider receiving the message authentication code, appending the message authentication codes to the first message to form a first unit containing the first message and the message authentication code;

passing the first unit to the cryptographic service provider;

in response to the cryptographic service provider receiving the first unit, obtaining the sensitive information and inserting the sensitive information into the second message contained in the first unit at the locations in the data indicated by the insertion point codes to form the second message containing the sensitive information and forming a second unit containing the second message and the message authentication code before encrypting the second unit containing the sensitive information to form an encrypted unit;

passing the encrypted unit to the secure channel provider; and

in response to the secure channel provider receiving the encrypted unit, transmitting the encrypted unit to the remote device,

wherein only the cryptographic service provider has access to the sensitive information in an unencrypted from during the execution of the method.

16. A data processing system for securely transmitting sensitive information to a remote device at the request of an application program, the data processing system comprising:

at least one processing unit;

at least one memory storage device operatively coupled to the at least one processing unit; and

a program module stored in the at least one memory storage device operative for providing instructions to the at least one processing unit, the at least one processing unit responsive to the instructions of the program module, the program module operative to;

invoke an application program and a secure channel provider;

generate a request with the application program, to the secure channel provider to make a transmission to a remote device;

pass a first message from the application program to the secure channel provider, the first message containing insertion point codes indicating locations within the first message where the sensitive information should be inserted when the secure channel provider receives the first message;

obtain the sensitive information from a source outside of the application program;

insert the sensitive information into the first message at the locations in the first message indicated by the insertion point codes to form a second message containing the sensitive information;

encrypt the second message to form an encrypted unit; and

transmit the encrypted unit to the remote device with the secure channel provider,

wherein the sensitive information is unaccessed by the application program during the execution of the method.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the program module is further operative for:

invoke a cryptographic service provider; and

pass the first message to the cryptographic service provider so that the sensitive information is inserted in the sensitive message by the cryptographic service provider to form a second message and encrypting the second message to form the encrypted unit using the cryptographic service provider,

wherein only the cryptographic service provider has access to the sensitive information in an unencrypted form.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the program module is further operative to:

invoke a cryptographic service provider; and

passing the second message to the cryptographic service provider, after the sensitive information is inserted in the first message by the secure channel provider to form the second message, and encrypting the second message using the cryptographic service provider to from the encrypted unit, before passing the encrypted unit to the secure channel provider to be transmitted to the remote device,

wherein only the secure channel provider and the cryptographic service provider have access to the sensitive information in an unencrypted form.

19. The data processing system of claim 17, wherein the program module is further operative to:

pass the first message to the cryptographic service provider before the sensitive information is inserted in the first message to form the second message;

insert the sensitive information in the first message at the locations indicated to form the second message, using the cryptographic service provider, before calculating a message authentication code for the second message and passing the message authentication code from the cryptographic service provider to the secure channel provider;

in response to the secure channel provider receiving the message authentication code, append the message authentication code to the first message to form a first unit containing the first message and the message authentication code, using the secure channel provider, before passing the first unit to the cryptographic service provider for encryption.

20. The data processing system of claim 18, wherein the program module is further operative to:

after the sensitive information is inserted in the first message to form the second message, pass the second message to the cryptographic service provider to determine a message authentication code for the second message before encrypting the second message and the message authentication code.

21. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the source is the at least one memory storage device and the sensitive information is stored as data on the at least one memory storage device.

22. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the source is a peripheral device operatively connected to the data processing system and operative to pass the sensitive information to the cryptographic service provider on the data processing system.

23. The data processing system of claim 22, wherein the peripheral device encrypts the sensitive information before passing it to the cryptographic service provider on the data processing system, and the cryptographic service provider decrypts the encrypted sensitive information before inserting the sensitive information into the first message to form the second message.

24. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the insertion point codes are inserted in the first message by the application program.

25. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein the insertion point codes are inserted in the first message after the first message passes out of the application program and before the first message is passed to the secure channel provider

26. The data processing system of claim 16, wherein padding elements are added to the first message to allow the sensitive information to be of varied lengths.

28. A system for securely transmitting sensitive information to a remote device at the request of an application program, the system comprising:

a peripheral device operative to receive input containing the sensitive information; and

a data processing system, operatively coupled to the peripheral device and operative to receive data from the peripheral device, the data processing system having;

at least one processing unit;

at least one memory storage device operatively coupled to the processing unit; and

a program module stored in the at least one memory storage device operative for providing instructions to the at least one processing unit, the at least one processing unit responsive to the instructions of the program module, the program module operative for;

invoke an application program and a secure channel provider;

generate a request with the application program, to the secure channel provider to make a transmission to a remote device;

pass a first message from the application program to the secure channel provider, the first message containing insertion point codes indicating locations within the first message where the sensitive information should be inserted when the secure channel provider receives the first message;

transmit the first message to the periphery device;

in response to receiving an encrypted unit from the periphery device, transmitting the encrypted unit to the remote device,

wherein the peripheral device is operative to;

invoke a cryptographic service provider;

in response to receiving the second message from the data processing system;

obtain the sensitive information from a source;

insert the sensitive information into the first message at the locations in the first message indicated by the insertion point codes to form a second message containing the sensitive information;

encrypt the second message to form an encrypted unit; and

transmit the encrypted unit to the data processing system,

wherein the sensitive information is unaccessed by the application program during the execution of the method.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the peripheral device calculates a message authentication code for the second message, before the second message is encrypted, passes the message authentication code to the data processing system where the secure service provider appends the message authentication code to the first message and passes the first message and message authentication code to the peripheral device to be encrypted.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the peripheral device contains a card reader and the card reader is used as the source of the sensitive information.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the peripheral device contains a RFID tag reader and the RFID tag reader is used as the source of the sensitive information.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the peripheral device contains a keypad and the keypad is used as the source of the sensitive information.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein the peripheral device contains a memory and the memory is used as the source of the sensitive information.

34. A peripheral device for securely encoding sensitive information in a message passed to the peripheral device from a data processing system operatively connected to the peripheral device, the device comprising:

at least one processing unit;

memory operatively coupled to the processing unit; and

a program module stored in the memory operative for providing instructions to the at least one processing unit, the at least one processing unit responsive to the instructions of the program module, the program module operative to;

in response to receiving a first message from the data processing system,

obtain the sensitive information from a source;

insert the sensitive information into the first message at the locations in the first message indicated by the insertion point codes to form a second message containing the sensitive information; and

pass the second message to the data processing system.

35. The device of claim 34, wherein the device is further operative to encrypt the second message before passing it to the data processing system.

36. The device of claim 34, wherein the device further comprises a card reader as the source and obtains the sensitive information from a card.

38. The device of claim 35, wherein the source is the memory and the sensitive information is obtained from the memory.

37. (canceled)

39. (canceled)