SECURE DATA PARSER METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20130212405A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Security First Corp
• Original Assignee: Security First Corp
• Inventors: Orsini, Rick L., Van Zandt, John, O'Hare, Mark S., Davenport, Roger S.
• Application Number:
  US13/831,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20130212405A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/40 by quorum, i.e. whereby two or more security principals are required
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3823 combining multiple encryption tools for a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/24 Key scheduling, i.e. generating round keys or sub-keys for block encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/68 : Special signature format, e.g. XML format
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 : Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 : using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 : Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0816 : Key establishment, i.e. cryptographic processes or cryptographic protocols whereby a shared secret becomes available to two or more parties, for subsequent use
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/085 : Secret sharing or secret splitting, e.g. threshold schemes
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 : involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 : involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for securing sensitive data from unauthorized access or use. The method and system of the present invention is useful in a wide variety of settings, including commercial settings generally available to the public which may be extremely large or small with respect to the number of users. The method and system of the present invention is also useful in a more private setting, such as with a corporation or governmental agency, as well as between corporation, governmental agencies or any other entity.

Claims

1. A method of securely storing data in a network, the method comprising:

receiving data from a client device;

splitting the data into a predetermined number of secondary units of data by performing a cryptographic operation on the data and causing the secondary units of data to be substantially randomly distributed in a plurality of shares;

encrypting the plurality of shares with a corresponding number of different keys; and

storing the plurality of shares and the different keys used to encrypt the shares to one or more physical storage devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted plurality of shares are associated with a workgroup of a user capable of accessing the data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing a workgroup encryption key on a key management server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of shares contain a substantially random distribution of the data in at least one secondary unit of data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is restorable from at least two of the plurality of shares.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the plurality of shares comprises storing each of the plurality of shares in a different physical storage device.

7. A method of securing data in a network, the method comprising:

receiving at a secure storage appliance data for storage on a volume, the volume associated with a plurality of shares distributed across a plurality of physical storage devices;

splitting the data received by the secure storage appliance into a plurality of secondary data units by performing a cryptographic operation on the data and causing the secondary data units to be substantially randomly distributed in the plurality of shares; and

encrypting each of the plurality of secondary data units with a different key, each key associated with at least one of the plurality of shares.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising storing each secondary data unit remotely from the secure storage appliance.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising storing each key locally to the secure storage appliance.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising, upon initializing the secure storage appliance, retrieving one or more of the different keys from a remote physical storage device for use by the secure storage appliance.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the data is received from a client device.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the encrypted plurality of secondary data units are associated with a workgroup of a user capable of accessing the data.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of secondary data units contain a substantially random distribution of the data.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the data is restorable from at least two of the plurality of secondary data units.

15. A secure storage appliance comprising a programmable circuit configured to execute program instructions which, when executed, configure the secure storage appliance to:

receive from a client device data for storage on a volume, the volume associated with a plurality of shares distributed across a plurality of physical storage devices;

split the data into a plurality of secondary data units by performing a cryptographic operation on the data and causing the secondary data units to be substantially randomly distributed in the plurality of shares; and

encrypt each of the plurality of secondary data units with a different key, each key associated with at least one of the plurality of shares.

16. The secure storage appliance of claim 15 further configured to transmit each secondary data unit remote from the secure storage appliance.

17. The secure storage appliance of claim 15, wherein the encrypted plurality of secondary data units are associated with a workgroup of a user capable of accessing the data.

18. The secure storage appliance of claim 15, wherein the plurality of secondary data units contain a substantially random distribution of the data.

19. The secure storage appliance of claim 15, wherein the data is restorable from at least two of the plurality of secondary data units.

20. A secure data storage network comprising:

a client device;

a plurality of physical storage devices;

a secure storage appliance communicatively connected to the client device and the plurality of physical storage devices, the secure storage appliance including a programmable circuit configured to execute program instructions which, when executed, cause the secure storage appliance to;

receive from the client device data for storage on a volume, the volume associated with a plurality of shares distributed across the plurality of physical storage devices;

split the data into a plurality of secondary data units by performing a cryptographic operation on the data and causing the secondary data units to be substantially randomly distributed in the plurality of shares; and

encrypt each of the plurality of secondary data units with a different key, each key associated with at least one of the plurality of shares.

21. The secure data storage network of claim 20, wherein the secure storage applicant is further configured to transmit each secondary data unit remote from the secure storage appliance.

22. The secure data storage network of claim 20, wherein the encrypted plurality of secondary data units are encrypted with a workgroup key.

23. The secure data storage network of claim 22, further comprising a key server configured to store the workgroup key.

24. The secure data storage network of claim 22, wherein the workgroup key is associated with a group of users, the group of users including a user of the client device.

25. The secure data storage network of claim 20, wherein the plurality of secondary data units contain a substantially random distribution of the data.

26. The secure data storage network of claim 20, wherein the data is restorable from at least two of the plurality of secondary data units.