METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENCRYPTING MULTIMEDIA STREAMS

• US 20150026459A1
• Filed: 07/19/2014
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ittiam Systems Pte Ltd
• Original Assignee: Ittiam Systems Pte Ltd
• Inventors: GUPTA, PUNEET, DIVAKAR, PAVAN, SHANTHARAJU, RAKSHITH, HEGDE, SHASHANK, RAO, BHAVANI GOPALAKRISHNA, KEDLAYA, ABHINANDAN
• Granted Patent: US 9,794,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/160
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23476 by partially encrypting, e.g. encrypting the ending portion of a movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10

Abstract

A method and system for encrypting data packets in a multimedia stream are disclosed. Each data packet includes a header portion and a payload portion. In one embodiment, one or more data packets are selected from an incoming multimedia stream. Further, one or more of a header portion and a payload portion are selected within the one or more data packets. Furthermore, one or more regions in the selected one or more of the header portion and the payload portion are encrypted using an encryption algorithm.

Claims

1. A method for encrypting data packets in a multimedia stream, each data packet comprising a header portion and a payload portion, the method comprising:

selecting one or more data packets from an incoming multimedia stream;

selecting at least one of a header portion and a payload portion within the one or more data packets; and

encrypting at least one region in the selected at least one of the header portion and the payload portion using an encryption algorithm.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein encrypting the at least one region in the at least one selected portion using the encryption algorithm comprises at least one of:

encrypting at least one region in the header portion within the one or more data packets; and

encrypting at least one region in the payload portion within the one or more data packets, such that the one or more data packets cannot be utilized using unencrypted regions in the associated payload portion.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

embedding encryption information associated with the one or more data packets in the multimedia stream to enable decryption by a receiving unit.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein embedding the encryption information associated with the at least, one encrypted region in the multimedia stream comprises:

adding a custom stream to the multimedia stream; and

embedding the encryption information associated with the one or more data packets in packets associated with the custom stream.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the packets associated with the custom stream are added before each of the selected one or more data packets.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the encryption information comprises information selected from the group consisting of the at least one selected portion, start of the at least one encrypted region, size of the at least one encrypted region, an encryption algorithm and key information (KI) associated with encryption keys used to encrypt the at least one region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more data packets are selected from the group consisting of a video packet, an audio packet, a closed caption data packet, an image packet and a metadata packet.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the encryption algorithm comprises a symmetric encryption algorithm.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one region in each of the one or more data packets is encrypted using same or different encryption keys.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one region in each of the one or more data packets is encrypted using same or different encryption algorithms.

11. A system for encrypting data packets in a multimedia stream, each data packet comprising a header portion and a payload portion, the system comprising:

a key sever; and

a transmitting unit communicatively connected to the key server;

wherein the transmitting unit comprises a multimedia stream encryption engine to;

select one or more data packets from an incoming multimedia stream;

select at least one of a header portion and a payload portion within the one or more data packets;

obtain one or more encryption keys from the key server; and

encrypt at least one region in the selected at least one of the header portion and the payload portion using an encryption algorithm.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the multimedia stream encryption module is configured to perform at least one of:

encrypting at least one region in the header portion within the one or more data packets; and

encrypting at least one region in the payload portion within the one or more data packets, such that the one or more data packets cannot be utilized using unencrypted regions in the associated payload portion.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the multimedia stream encryption module is further configured to:

embed encryption information associated with the one or more data packets in the multimedia stream to enable decryption by a receiving unit.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the multimedia stream encryption module is configured to:

add a custom stream to the multimedia stream; and

embed the encryption information associated with the one or more data packets in packets associated with the custom stream.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the packets associated with the custom stream are added before each of the selected one or more data packets.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the encryption information comprises information selected from the group consisting of the at least one selected portion, start of the at least one encrypted region, size of the at least one encrypted region, an encryption algorithm and key information (KI) associated with encryption keys used to encrypt the at least one region.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the key server comprises a key generation module to:

generate the one or more encryption keys for each of the one or more data packets.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more data packets are selected from the group consisting of a video packet, an audio packet, a closed caption data packet, an image packet and a metadata packet.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions executable by a computing device to:

select one or more data packets from an incoming multimedia stream;

selecting at least one of a header portion and a payload portion within the one or more data packets; and

encrypting at least one region in the selected at least one of the header portion and the payload portion using an encryption algorithm.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein encrypting the at least one region in the at least one selected portion using the encryption algorithm comprises at least one of:

encrypting at least one region in the header portion within the one or more data packets; and

encrypting at least one region in the payload portion within the one or more data packets, such that the one or more data packets cannot be utilized using unencrypted regions in the associated payload portion.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising:

embedding encryption information associated with the one or more data packets in the multimedia stream to enable decryption by a receiving unit.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein embedding the encryption information associated with the at least one encrypted region in the multimedia stream comprises:

adding a custom stream to the multimedia stream; and

embedding the encryption information associated with the one or more data packets in packets associated with the custom stream.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the packets associated with the custom stream are added before each of the selected one or more data packets.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the encryption information comprises information selected from the group consisting of the at least one selected portion, start of the at least one encrypted region, size of the at least one encrypted region, an encryption algorithm and key information (KI) associated with encryption keys used to encrypt the at least one region.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the one or more data packets are selected from the group consisting of a video packet, an audio packet, a closed caption data packet, an image packet and a metadata packet.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the encryption algorithm comprises a symmetric encryption algorithm.