Technique of password encryption and decryption for user authentication in a federated content management system

• US 6,735,310 B1
• Filed: 09/17/1999
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yaung, Alan Tsu-I, Hsing, Michael Chi-Pei
• Primary Examiner(s): Peeso, Thomas R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McArdle, Joseph M
• Application Number:
  US09/397,439
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 380/55, 380/51, 380/29, 380/28, 713/182, 713/168, 713/202, 713/184
• US Class Current: 380/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption

Abstract

A technique for password encryption and decryption for user authentication in a federated content management system. One or more commands are executed in a computer to perform a datastore operation on a datastore connected to the computer. A string of characters are received. The string of characters is encrypted based on a first character standard. Then, the encrypted string of characters is transformed to be compatible with a second character standard.

Claims

1. A method of executing one or more commands in a computer to perform a datastore operation on a datastore connected to the computer, the method comprising the steps of receiving a string of characters;

encrypting the string of characters based on a first character standard; and

executing one or more software instructions on the computer for transforming the encrypted string of characters to be compatible with a second character standard.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first character standard is ASCII.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second character standard is Unicode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein encrypting is performed using a DES system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transforming comprises generating a tagged string from the encrypted string of characters.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the tagged string comprises control characters that identify transformations performed on the encrypted string of characters.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein transforming comprises ensuring that each control character is an ASCII character.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein transforming comprises ensuring that each control character is a printable character.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transforming comprises ensuring that each encrypted string character is an ASCII character.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein transforming comprises ensuring that each encrypted string character is a printable character.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising retransforming the encrypted string of characters that are compatible with a second character standard to be compatible with the first character standard.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein transforming comprises generating control characters that identify transformations performed on the encrypted string of characters.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein retransforming comprises using the control characters.

40. The method of claim 1, wherein the string of characters comprises a password.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the password is a federated password that is mapped to at least one native password.

14. An apparatus for executing one or more commands in a computer, comprising:

a computer having a datastore coupled thereto, wherein the datastore stores a relational database; and

one or more computer programs, performed by the computer, for receiving a string of characters, encrypting the string of characters based on a first character standard, and transforming the encrypted string of characters to be compatible with a second character standard.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first character standard is ASCII.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second character standard is Unicode.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein encrypting is performed using a DES system.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein transforming comprises generating a tagged string from the encrypted string of characters.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the tagged string comprises control characters that identify transformations performed on the encrypted string of characters.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein transforming comprises ensuring that each control character is an ASCII character.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein transforming comprises ensuring that each control character is a printable character.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein transforming comprises ensuring that each encrypted string character is an ASCII character.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein transforming comprises ensuring that each encrypted string character is a printable character.

24. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising retransforming the encrypted string of characters that are compatible with a second character standard to be compatible with the first character standard.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein transforming comprises generating control characters that identify transformations performed on the encrypted string of characters.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein retransforming comprises using the control characters.

42. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the string of characters comprises a password.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the password is a federated password that is mapped to at least one native password.

27. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for executing one or more commands to perform a database operation on a relational database stored on a datastore connected to the computer, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a string of characters;

encrypting the string of characters based on a first character standard; and

transforming the encrypted string of characters to be compatible with a second character standard.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the first character standard is ASCIII.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the second character standard is Unicode.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein encrypting is performed using a DES system.

31. The article of manufacturing of claim 27, wherein transforming comprises generating a tagged string from the encrypted of characters.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 31, wherein the tagged string comprises control characters that identify transformations performed on the encrypted string of characters.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein transforming comprises ensuring that each control character is an ASCII character.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein transforming comprises ensuring that each control character is a printable character.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein transforming comprises ensuring that each encrypted string character is an ASCII character.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein transforming comprises ensuring that each encrypted string character is a printable character.

37. The article of manufacture of claim 27, further comprising retransforming the encrypted string of characters that are compatible with a second character standard to be compatible with the first character standard.

38. The article of manufacture of claim 37, wherein transforming comprises generating control characters that identify transformations performed on the encrypted string of characters.

39. The article of manufacture of claim 38, wherein retransforming comprises using the control characters.

44. The article of manufacture of claim 27, wherein the string of characters comprises a password.

45. The article of manufacture of claim 44, wherein the password is a federated password that is mapped to at least one native password.