GENERATION, REQUESTING, AND/OR RECEPTION, AT LEAST IN PART, OF TOKEN

• US 20100250949A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Torino, Maria E., Da Cruz Pinto, Juan M., Morin, Ricardo A., Walker, Jesse
• Application Number:
  US12/415,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250949A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

An embodiment may include circuitry to at least one of generate at least in part, receive at least in part, and request at least in part, a token. The token may identify, at least in part, a device to an entity. The token, as received by the entity, may be encrypted, at least in part, based at least in part upon the entity'"'"'s public key. The token may be generated by an authorized provider of the token based at least in part upon an identifier of the device and a signature. The signature may be generated based at least in part upon the provider'"'"'s private key and the identifier. The token, as received by the entity, may be capable of being decrypted at least in part, based at least in part upon the entity'"'"'s private key. The entity'"'"'s private key may be maintained in secrecy from the device and provider.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

circuitry to at least one of generate at least in part, and receive at least in part, and request at least in part, a token to identify, at least in part, a device to an entity, the token, as received by the entity, being encrypted, at least in part, based at least in part upon a public key of the entity, the token being generated by an authorized provider of the token based at least in part upon an identifier of the device and a signature, the signature being generated based at least in part upon a private key of the authorized provider of the token and the identifier, the token, as received by the entity, being capable of being decrypted at least in part, based at least in part upon a private key of the entity, the private key of the entity being maintained in secrecy from the device and the authorized provider.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the signature is capable of being authenticated, at least in part, based at least in part upon a public key of the authorized provider; and

the identifier comprises at least in part at least one of a random number and a pseudorandom number generated at least in part by the authorized provider.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the private key of the authorized provider is maintained in secrecy from the device and the entity; and

the token is also generated based at least in part upon information indicative, at least in part, of a trust reputation of the device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

the information indicates, at least in part, a last reset time and a reset count, the last reset time indicating when the device last requested that the provider reset the token, the reset count indicating a number of times that the device has requested resetting of the token by the provider; and

the token is also generated based at least in part upon a cryptographic operation involving at least in part the identifier and the public key of the entity.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the device comprises a circuit board that comprises a host processor and a microcontroller coupled to a chipset, the microcontroller being to perform one or more cryptographic operations; and

the entity is to issue to the device one or more instructions and a request that comprises a nonce, the public key of the entity, and another signature, the one or more instructions to be executed, at least in part, by the device to result in the microcontroller generating, at least in part, a third signature based at least in part upon the nonce and a private key of the device, the request being to request identification of the device to the entity, the another signature being generated based at least in part upon the private key of the entity and the nonce.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the device is to issue to the authorized provider the request and the third signature; and

the authorized provider is to authenticate, respectively, the another signature based at least in part upon the nonce and the public key of the entity, and the third signature based at least in part upon the nonce and a public key of the device.

7. A method carried out at least in part by circuitry, the method comprising:

at least one of generating at least in part, and receiving at least in part, and requesting at least in part, a token to identify, at least in part, a device to an entity, the token, as received by the entity, being encrypted, at least in part, based at least in part upon a public key of the entity, the token being generated by an authorized provider of the token based at least in part upon an identifier of the device and a signature, the signature being generated based at least in part upon a private key of the authorized provider of the token and the identifier, the token, as received by the entity, being capable of being decrypted at least in part, based at least in part upon a private key of the entity, the private key of the entity being maintained in secrecy from the device and the authorized provider.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the signature is capable of being authenticated, at least in part, based at least in part upon a public key of the authorized provider; and

the identifier comprises at least in part at least one of a random number and a pseudorandom number generated at least in part by the authorized provider.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the private key of the authorized provider is maintained in secrecy from the device and the entity; and

the token is also generated based at least in part upon information indicative, at least in part, of a trust reputation of the device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the information indicates, at least in part, a last reset time and a reset count, the last reset time indicating when the device last requested that the provider reset the token, the reset count indicating a number of times that the device has requested resetting of the token by the provider; and

the token is also generated based at least in part upon a cryptographic operation involving at least in part the identifier and the public key of the entity.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the device comprises a circuit board that comprises a host processor and a microcontroller coupled to a chipset, the microcontroller being to perform one or more cryptographic operations; and

the entity is to issue to the device one or more instructions and a request that comprises a nonce, the public key of the entity, and another signature, the one or more instructions to be executed, at least in part, by the device to result in the microcontroller generating, at least in part, a third signature based at least in part upon the nonce and a private key of the device, the request being to request identification of the device to the entity, the another signature being generated based at least in part upon the private key of the entity and the nonce.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the device is to issue to the authorized provider the request and the third signature; and

the authorized provider is to authenticate, respectively, the another signature based at least in part upon the nonce and the public key of the entity, and the third signature based at least in part upon the nonce and a public key of the device.

13. Computer-readable memory storing one or more instructions that when executed by a machine result in execution of operations comprising:

at least one of generating at least in part, and receiving at least in part, and requesting at least in part, a token to identify, at least in part, a device to an entity, the token, as received by the entity, being encrypted, at least in part, based at least in part upon a public key of the entity, the token being generated by an authorized provider of the token based at least in part upon an identifier of the device and a signature, the signature being generated based at least in part upon a private key of the authorized provider of the token and the identifier, the token, as received by the entity, being capable of being decrypted at least in part, based at least in part upon a private key of the entity, the private key of the entity being maintained in secrecy from the device and the authorized provider.

14. The memory of claim 13, wherein:

the signature is capable of being authenticated, at least in part, based at least in part upon a public key of the authorized provider; and

the identifier comprises at least in part at least one of a random number and a pseudorandom number generated at least in part by the authorized provider.

15. The memory of claim 14, wherein:

the private key of the authorized provider is maintained in secrecy from the device and the entity; and

the token is also generated based at least in part upon information indicative, at least in part, of a trust reputation of the device.

16. The memory of claim 15, wherein:

the information indicates, at least in part, a last reset time and a reset count, the last reset time indicating when the device last requested that the provider reset the token, the reset count indicating a number of times that the device has requested resetting of the token by the provider; and

the token is also generated based at least in part upon a cryptographic operation involving at least in part the identifier and the public key of the entity.

17. The memory of claim 13, wherein:

the device comprises a circuit board that comprises a host processor and a microcontroller coupled to a chipset, the microcontroller being to perform one or more cryptographic operations; and

the entity is to issue to the device one or more additional instructions and a request that comprises a nonce, the public key of the entity, and another signature, the one or more additional instructions to be executed, at least in part, by the device to result in the microcontroller generating, at least in part, a third signature based at least in part upon the nonce and a private key of the device, the request being to request identification of the device to the entity, the another signature being generated based at least in part upon the private key of the entity and the nonce.

18. The memory of claim 17, wherein:

the device is to issue to the authorized provider the request and the third signature; and

the authorized provider is to authenticate, respectively, the another signature based at least in part upon the nonce and the public key of the entity, and the third signature based at least in part upon the nonce and a public key of the device.