ENCRYPTION/DECRYPTION OF DIGITAL DATA USING RELATED, BUT INDEPENDENT KEYS

• US 20110013777A1
• Filed: 10/08/2009
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Teerlink, Craig N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,811,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/286
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1744 using compression, e.g. sparse files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/005 Statistical coding, e.g. Huffman, run length coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/30 Compression, e.g. Merkle-Damgard construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/34 Encoding or coding, e.g. Huffman coding or error correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/972 Partitioning

Abstract

Methods and apparatus involve two keys to decode data that are generated during original encoding of the data. The keys are stored on computing devices separate from one another, and the encrypted data, which maintains security until such time as the original data requires decoding. Because the keys can be relatively large, its stored form may have padding bits to align with the file form of the encoded data. Representative keys include a dictionary corresponding to symbols representing the data and a weighted path decoder that correlates the symbols of the dictionary to underlying original bits. A “fast approximation” of compression of current data involves using information obtained from an earlier compression of similar data. Creating the two keys for the original data can also include creating a master key for decoding a plurality of later-encoded files. A second key also works in conjunction with the master key during decoding.

Claims

1. In a computing system environment, a method of securing original data having been encoded and stored on a computing device, the original data being arranged as a plurality of symbols, comprising:

creating at least two keys during the encoding that are necessary to decoding the encoded original data; and

storing separately the two keys.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating the two keys further includes creating a dictionary corresponding to the symbols and a decoder to translate the symbols of the dictionary into a plurality of original bits of data.

3. The method of claim 1, further including storing each of the two keys and the encoded original data on separated computing devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing further includes adding pad bits to each of the two keys to align a respective file form with a file form of the encoded original data as stored.

5. The method of claim 3, further including bringing together the stored separately two keys to decode the encoded original data.

6. The method of 1, wherein the creating the two keys further includes creating one of the two keys for the original data as a master key for decoding a plurality of later-encoded files having current data similar to the original data.

7. The method of claim 6, further including creating a second key for the later-encoded files to work in conjunction with the master key during times of decoding the current data.

8. In a computing system environment, a method of securing original data having been encoded and stored on a computing device, the original data being arranged as a plurality of symbols, comprising:

storing separately from the encoded original data on a second or more computing devices a dictionary corresponding to the plurality of symbols and a weighted path decoder that correlates the symbols of the dictionary to underlying original bits of data.

9. The method of claim 8, further including creating the dictionary and the weighted path decoder during an encoding of the original data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the creating further includes creating the dictionary for the original data as a master key for decoding a plurality of later-encoded files having current data similar to the original data.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the storing further includes adding pad bits to align a respective file form of the dictionary and weighted path decoder with a file form of the encoded original data as stored.

12. In a computing system environment, a method of securing original data, the original data being arranged as a plurality of symbols, comprising:

encoding the original data;

creating at least two keys during the encoding that are necessary to decoding the encoded original data; and

storing separately the two keys.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the encoding the original data further includes determining a highest occurring tuple of the plurality of symbols;

and

replacing in the original data a new symbol for said determined highest occurring tuple.

14. The method of claim 13, further including creating a dictionary for every symbol of the plurality of symbols and the new symbol, the dictionary being one key of the created at least two keys.

15. The method of claim 14, further including encoding said every symbol in the dictionary with a path weighted function, the path weighted function being the other key of the created at least two keys.

16. The method of claim 12, further including storing each of the two keys and the encoded original data on computing devices separate from one another.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the storing further includes adding pad bits to each of the two keys to align a respective file form with a file form of the encoded original data as stored.

18. The method of claim 12, further including bringing together the stored separately two keys to decode the encoded original data.

19. The method of 12, wherein the creating the two keys further includes creating one of the two keys for the original data as a master key for decoding a plurality of later-encoded files having current data similar to the original data.

20. The method of claim 19, further including creating a second key for the later-encoded files to work in conjunction with the master key during times of decoding the current data.