Apparatus and method for secure filed upgradability with hard wired public key

• US 7,131,001 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2000
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUVAN, LEYNNA THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/685,192
• Time in Patent Office: 2,211 Days
• Field of Search: 380228-229, 380/241, 380/255, 380/257, 380/264, 380/269, 380277-279, 380/282, 380/286, 380 28- 30, 380/285, 713170-171, 713/182, 713/185, 713200-202, 713/150, 713/161, 713167-168, 711163-164, 711/216, 705/56, 705/78, 705/216, 705/219, 709/216, 709/219, 726 1- 7, 726/21, 726 17- 19, 726/26, 726 27- 30
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/71 to assure secure computing or processing of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0643 Hash functions, e.g. MD5, SHA, HMAC or f9 MAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0662 with particular pseudorandom sequence generator

Abstract

An apparatus and for enabling functionality of a component, wherein the apparatus includes an identification module having an identification number stored therein, and a hash function module in communication with the identification module. A host is provided and is in communication with the identification module, and a guess register in communication with the host is provided. An encryption module is provided and is in communication with the guess register, and a public key module in communication with the encryption module is provided, wherein the public key module has a public key stored therein. A comparator in communication with the encryption module and the hash function module is provided, such that the comparator may compare a first bit string to a second bit string to generate a function enable output for the component.

Claims

1. An apparatus for enabling functionality of a component, said apparatus comprising:

an identification module, said identification module having an identification number stored therein;

a hash function module in communication with said identification module;

a host in communication with said identification module, said host being configured to communicate with a manufacturer to request a guess passcode corresponding to the identification number stored in said identification module;

a guess register in communication with said host;

an encryption module in communication with said guess register;

a public key module in communication with said encryption module, said public key module having a public key stored therein;

a comparator in communication with said encryption module and said hash function module, wherein said comparator compares a first bit string to a second bit string to generate a function enable output for the component, and wherein said first bit string comprises a ciphertext bit string generated by the encryption module and said second bit string comprises a hash value generated by said hash function module; and

a selecting device for selecting at least one of the function enable output and a bonding option output, said selecting device comprising an OR gate having at least one input for receiving said function enable output and the bonding option output.

2. An apparatus for enabling functionality of a component as recited in claim 1, wherein said identification module further comprises an onboard non-volatile register.

3. An apparatus for enabling functionality of a component as recited in claim 1, wherein said hash function module further comprises a one-way hash function module configured to receive a pre-image input and output a hash value using a one-way hash function algorithm.

4. An apparatus for enabling functionality of a component as recited in claim 1, wherein said encryption module further comprises a public key encryption module, said public key encryption module being configured to receive the public key and the guess passcode as inputs and generate a ciphertext bit string as an output.

5. An apparatus for enabling functionality of a component as recited in claim 1, said apparatus further comprising:

a bonding option circuit, said bonding option circuit comprising

a pull up resistor in communication with said OR gate and a power supply; and

a switch in communication with a ground potential and said OR gate.

6. An apparatus for enabling functionality of a component as recited in claim 1, wherein said selecting device further comprises:

a multiplexer having at least one multiplexer input in communication with the comparator and a multiplexer output;

a selection circuit in communication with the at least one multiplexer input;

a bonding option circuit in communication with the at least one multiplexer input,

wherein said multiplexer is configured to receive a selection input from the selection circuit that is used to determine whether to enable functionality of said component in accordance with the bonding option output or the function enable output.

7. An apparatus for enabling functionality of a component as recited in claim 1, wherein said selecting device further comprises:

at least one first non-volatile memory location having at least one first selection bit stored therein;

at least one second non-volatile memory location having at least one second selection bit stored therein; and

an OR gate having a first input, a second inverted input, and a logic output, said first input being in communication with said at least one first non-volatile memory location and said second inverted input being in communication with said at least one second non-volatile memory location,

wherein said selection circuit is configured to generate a selection indicator on the logic output of the OR gate in accordance with the at least one first selection bit and said at least one second selection bit.

8. An apparatus for enabling functionality of a component as recited in claim 1, wherein said component further comprises at least one of a network switch and a media access controller.

9. A component for selectively enabling functionality of an electronic device, said component comprising:

means for generating an encrypted bit string, wherein said means for generating an encrypted bit string comprises

a public key encryption module,

a public key module in communication with said public key encryption module, said public key module having a public key stored therein, and

a guess register in communication with said public key encryption module,

wherein said public key encryption module receives a guess passcode from the guess register and the public key from the public key module in order to generate a ciphertext bit string;

means for acquiring the guess passcode, said means for acquiring a guess passcode comprising a host in communication with said means for generating an encrypted bit string;

a hash function module in communication with an on board memory, said on board memory having a predefined identification number stored therein, wherein said hash function module receives an identification number from said on board memory and generates a corresponding hash value therefrom;

means for determining if the ciphertext bit string matches the hash value; and

means for outputting a functionality enable signal when the means for determining determines that the ciphertext bit string matches the hash value.

10. A component for selectively enabling functionality of an electronic device as recited in claim 9, wherein said means for acquiring a guess passcode comprises:

an identification module in communication with said host,

wherein said host is configured to communicate with a manufacturer of the component to request the guess passcode corresponding to an identification number stored in said identification module.

11. A component for selectively enabling functionality of an electronic device as recited in claim 9, wherein said hash function module further comprises:

an on board memory, said on board memory having an identification number stored therein; and

a one-way hash function module in communication with said on board memory.

12. A component for selectively enabling functionality of an electronic device as recited in claim 9, wherein said means for determining further comprises a comparator.

13. A component for selectively enabling functionality of an electronic device as recited in claim 9, wherein said electronic device further comprises at least one of a network switch and a media access controller.

14. A method for enabling functionality of an electronic component, said method comprising the steps of:

encrypting a first bit string and a second bit string to generate a third bit string;

calculating a fourth bit string;

comparing the fourth bit string to the third bit string;

generating a function enable signal in accordance with the comparison; and

selecting at least one of a bonding option output and the function enable signal as a final enable output;

wherein said encrypting step further comprises the step of determining a guess passcode, and wherein said step of determining a guess passcode comprises the step of requesting the guess passcode from a manufacturer, and

wherein said comparing step further comprises

receiving the fourth bit string representing a hash value and the third bit string representing a cipher text bit string in at least one input of a comparator; and

determining if the fourth bit string matches the third bit string.

15. A method for enabling functionality of an electronic component as recited in claim 14, wherein said encrypting step further comprises the steps of:

receiving a public key in an encryption module;

receiving the guess passcode in the encryption module; and

encrypting the public key and the guess passcode to generate a ciphertext bit string.

16. A method for enabling functionality of an electronic component as recited in claim 14, wherein said calculating step further comprises:

receiving an identification number in a hash function module; and

generating a hash value corresponding to the identification number.

17. A method for enabling functionality of an electronic component as recited in claim 14, wherein said determining step comprises the steps of:

calculating the guess passcode in accordance with a predetermined algorithm; and

transmitting the guess passcode to an on board host.

18. A method for enabling functionality of an electronic component as recited in claim 14, wherein said requesting step further comprises the steps of contacting a manufacturer through at least one of an internet connection, a telephone voice call, and a direct dial connection.

19. A method for enabling functionality of an electronic component as recited in claim 14, wherein said electronic component further comprises at least one of a network switch and a media access controller.