METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SECURELY SHARING IMAGES ACROSS UNTRUSTED CHANNELS

• US 20130067228A1
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Dewan, Prashant, Durham, David M., Grewal, Karanvir S., Kang, Xiaozhu
• Granted Patent: US 8,751,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2109 Game systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/045 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply hybrid encryption, i.e. combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0825 using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861

Abstract

A method and device for securely sharing images across untrusted channels includes downloading an encrypted image from a remote server to a computing device. The encrypted image may be encrypted at the time of uploading by another user. The current user of the computing device is authenticated using a facial recognition procedure. If the current user is authenticated and is determined to be authorized to view the decrypted image, the encrypted image is decrypted and displayed to the user. If the user becomes unauthenticated (e.g., the user leaves the computing device or another user replaces the current user), the encrypted image is displayed in place of the encrypted image such that the decrypted image is displayed only for authorized persons physically present at the computing device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

downloading an encrypted image and an image of an authorized user to a computing device;

receiving an image of a current user of the computing device from a camera communicatively coupled to the computing device;

authenticating the current user by performing a facial recognition procedure on the image of the current user using the image of the authorized user to verify that the current user is the authorized user;

determining whether the authenticated current user is authorized to view a decrypted image of the encrypted image; and

in response to the authenticated current user being authorized to view the decrypted image, (i) decrypting the encrypted image and (ii) displaying the decrypted image on the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein downloading an encrypted image comprises downloading a webpage including the encrypted image from the remote server using a web browser of the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein downloading an encrypted image comprises downloading an encrypted image including an encrypted key, and

wherein determining whether the authenticated current user is authorized to view the decrypted image comprises determining whether a private key associated with the authenticated current user can decrypt the encrypted key.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein decrypting the encrypted image comprises (i) decrypting the encrypted key and (ii) decrypting the encrypted image using the decrypted key.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the encrypted key is encrypted using a public key generated as a function of an image of the authenticated current user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an image of the current user comprises receiving an image generated by the camera in real-time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein authenticating the current user comprises performing a facial recognition procedure on the image of the current user using a processor graphics circuitry of the computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the authenticated current user is authorized to view a decrypted image comprises retrieving a private key of the current user and determining whether the private key can decrypt an encrypted symmetric key that is usable to decrypt the encrypted image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein decrypting the encrypted image comprises decrypting the encrypted image using a symmetric key that was previously decrypted using a private key of the current user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the decrypted image comprises displaying the decrypted image only while the current user is authenticated using the facial recognition procedure.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the encrypted image on the computing device in response to the current user not being authorized to view the decrypted image.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the encrypted image in place of the decrypted image in response to the current user no longer being authenticated.

8. (canceled)

14. A computing device comprising:

a processor graphics circuitry;

a processor; and

a memory having stored therein a plurality of instructions that, in response to being executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

download a webpage including an encrypted image and an image of an authorized user that is authorized to view the decrypted image;

determine whether a current user of the computing device is authorized to view a decrypted image of the encrypted image as a function of the current user being authenticated by performing a facial recognition procedure on a real-time image of the current user; and

in response to the current user being authorized to view the decrypted image, (i) decrypt the encrypted image and (ii) display the decrypted image on the computing device,

wherein the processor graphics circuitry is to perform the facial recognition procedure on the real-time image of the current user to verify that the current user is the authorized user.

20. The computing device of claim 14, wherein:

the encrypted image comprises an encrypted symmetric key, and

to determine whether the current user is authorized to view the decrypted image comprises to determine whether a private key of the current user can decrypt the encrypted symmetric key.

21. The computing device of claim 20, wherein to decrypt the encrypted image comprises to decrypt the encrypted image using the decrypted symmetric key.

22. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the encrypted symmetric key is encrypted using a public key generated as a function of a previously-generated image of the current user.

23. The computing device of claim 14, wherein to display the decrypted image comprises to display the decrypted image only while the current user is authenticated by the computing device.

15-16. -16. (canceled)

24-26. -26. (canceled)