Platform and method for creating and using a digital container

• US 6,629,150 B1
• Filed: 06/18/1999
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Huded, Ashok V.
• Primary Examiner(s): JAROENCHONWANIT, BUNJOB
• Application Number:
  US09/336,002
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/236, 709/247, 705/75, 705/76, 705/67, 705/77, 707/204, 707/4, 713/156, 713/193
• US Class Current: 709/247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A method for producing and verifying the integrity and authenticity of a digital container. The digital container includes digital information in the form of data files or other digital containers along with security attributes associated with the digital information. In one embodiment, the production of the digital container comprises (i) producing a container archive by compressing a combined result of digital information and a signed archive manifest associated with the digital information and (ii) compressing a combined result of container archive and a signed container manifest associated with the container archive. This produces the digital container for use in preventing unauthorized observation or manipulation of the contents of the data files for example.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

producing a container archive by compressing a first combined result of (i) digital information including a plurality of data files and (ii) a signed archive manifest associated with the digital information, the signed archive manifest including (i) a message digest and an assigned handle associated with each data file of the plurality of data files, and (ii) a first digital signature; and

producing a digital container by compressing a second combined result of the container archive and a signed container manifest associated with the container archive.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the producing of the container archive includes performing a concatenation operation on the signed archive manifest and the digital information to produce the first combined result.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the producing of the digital container includes performing a concatenation operation on the signed container manifest and the container archive to produce the second combined result.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of compressing includes performing a zip operation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each data file of the plurality of data files being one of (i) a binary or executable file (ii) a text file including a uniform resource locator, (iii) a digital container file, (iv) any digital data in a file form.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first digital signature includes a resultant message digest being a result produced by performing a selected one-way hash function on a concatenation of the plurality of data files and digitally signing the result with a signatory key.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the producing of the digital container includes

producing the signed container manifest using the container archive;

combining the signed container manifest and the container archive to produce the second combined result; and

compressing the second combined result.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the signed container manifest includes (i) a message digest and assigned handle associated with container archive file, and (ii) a second digital signature.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second digital signature includes a resultant message digest being a result produced by performing a selected one-way hash function on container archive and digitally signing the result with a signatory key.

10. A computer program loaded in a memory device for execution by a processor of a platform, the computer program comprising:

a first program to produce security attributes of digital information including a plurality of data files, the security attributes including at least one message digest and a handle associated with each data file of the plurality of data files, a first digital certificate, and a first digital signature;

a second program to combine and compress a result of the digital information and the security attributes of the digital information to produce a container archive;

a third program to produce security attributes of the container archive including a message digest and a handle produced from the container archive, a second digital certificate and a second digital signature;

a fourth program to combine and compress a result of the container archive and the security attributes of the container archive to produce a digital container.

11. The computer program of claim 10, wherein both the second and fourth programs perform a zip operation on the result.

12. The computer program of claim 10, wherein the digital information operated on by the first program includes a plurality of data files.

13. The computer program of claim 12, wherein each data file of the plurality of data files being one of (i) a binary or executable file (ii) a text file including a uniform resource locator, (iii) a digital container file, (iv) any digital data in a file form.

14. A platform comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device including code executable by the processor, the code (i) to produce a container archive by compressing a combined result of digital information including (a) a plurality of data files including at least two of an executable file, a text file including a uniform resource locator, and a digital container file and (b) a signed archive manifest associated with the digital information having a message digest associated with each of the at least two of the executable file, the text file and the digital container file and a handle associated with each message digest, and (ii) to compress a combination of a signed container manifest and the container archive forming a digital container.

15. The platform of claim 14, wherein the memory device includes a peripheral memory device digital information.

16. The platform of claim 14 further comprising a communication device to receive the digital information from a remote source.