Encrypting and decrypting a data stream

• US 7,436,955 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2004
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yan, Rong, Zhang, Jian, Xie, Dong
• Primary Examiner(s): Chai; Longbit
• Application Number:
  US10/839,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20040223611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 380/37
• US Class Current: 380/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0637 Modes of operation, e.g. cipher block chaining [CBC], electronic codebook [ECB] or Galois/counter mode [GCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/088 Usage controlling of secret information, e.g. techniques for restricting cryptographic keys to pre-authorized uses, different access levels, validity of crypto-period, different key- or password length, or different strong and weak cryptographic algorithms network architectures or network communication protocols for using time-dependent keys in a packet data network H04L63/068
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23476 by partially encrypting, e.g. encrypting the ending portion of a movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44055 by partially decrypting, e.g. decrypting a video stream that has been partially encrypted
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

The present invention provides methods, systems and apparatus for encrypting and for decrypting a data stream, for securely sending a data stream and for securely receiving a data stream, and for secure transmission of a data stream. The data stream, after at least a part of it being encrypted, is transmitted from a sender to a receiver via a channel. An exemplary method for encrypting comprises: adjusting encryption attributes during transmission; encrypting the data stream according to the adjusted encryption attributes; and transmitting the encrypted data stream and information of the encryption attributes to the receiver.

Claims

1. An encryption method comprising a step of encrypting and transmitting a data stream from a sender to a receiver via a channel after at least a part of said data stream is encrypted, said step of encrypting and transmitting comprising:

adjusting encryption attributes during transmission based upon a complexity consideration of a situation of the sender, the receiver and the channel;

encrypting the data stream according to the adjusted encryption attributes; and

transmitting said encrypted data stream and information of said encryption attributes to said receiver, wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether there is a need to adjust said encryption attributes based on quality of the channel;

if so, adjusting the encryption attributes wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether current BER of the channel has increased by a first predetermined amount;

if said current BER of the channel has increased by the first predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce an error propagation length of the encryption;

determining whether the current BER of the channel has decreased by a second predetermined amount; and

if said current BER of the channel has decreased by the second predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to increase the error propagation length of the encryption.

2. The method for encrypting of claim 1, wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises:

determining whether it is needed to adjust said encryption attributes based on current resource consumption of the sender, the receiver or both;

if so, adjusting the encryption attributes.

3. The method for encrypting of claim 2, wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises:

determining whether current complexity is greater than a first predetermined threshold, said current complexity is a measure of the resource consumption of the sender, the receiver or both; and

if said current complexity is greater that said first predetermined threshold, adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce the resource consumption of the sender or the receiver.

4. The method for encrypting of claim 3, wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises:

determining whether the current complexity is less than a second predetermined threshold, the second predetermined threshold is less than said first predetermined threshold; and

if said current complexity is less than said second predetermined threshold, adjusting the encryption attributes to increase the resource consumption of the sender or the receiver.

5. The method for encrypting of claim 4, wherein said data stream is a compressed video stream containing I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data;

and wherein said step of adjusting the encryption attributes to increase the resource consumption of said sender or said receiver includes respectively adjusting the encryption attributes for I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data in the order of I-frame, P-frame and B-frame.

6. The method for encrypting of claim 4, wherein said data stream contains a base layer and at least one enhancement layer, wherein said step of adjusting the encryption attributes to increase the resource consumption of said sender or said receiver includes respectively adjusting the encryption attributes for said base layer and said at least one enhancement layer in the order of from said base layer to said enhancement layer.

7. The method for encrypting of claim 3, wherein said data stream is a compressed video stream containing I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data, and wherein said step of adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce the resource consumption of said sender or said receiver includes respectively adjusting the encryption attributes for the I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data in the order of B-frame, P-frame and I-frame.

8. The method for encrypting of claim 3, wherein said data stream contains a base layer and at least one enhancement layer, wherein said step of adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce the resource consumption of said sender or said receiver includes successively adjusting the encryption attributes in the order of from said enhancement layer to said base layer.

9. The method for encrypting of claim 1, wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises:

determining whether current BER of the channel is greater that a first predetermined threshold;

if said current BER of the channel is greater than the first predetermined threshold, adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce the error propagation length of the encryption;

determining whether the current BER of the channel is smaller than a second predetermined threshold;

if said current BER of the channel is greater than the first predetermined threshold, adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce the error propagation length of the encryption.

10. The method for encrypting of claim 1, wherein said data stream is a compressed video stream containing I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data, said step of adjusting encryption attributes adjusts the encryption attributes for the I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data respectively.

11. The method for encrypting of claim 1, wherein said data stream contains a base layer and at least one enhancement layer, said step of adjusting the encryption attributes adjusts the encryption attributes for said base layer and said at least one enhancement layer, respectively.

12. A decryption method comprising decrypting and transmitting a data stream transmitted from a sender to a receiver via a channel after at least a part of said data stream is encrypted according to a particular set of encryption attributes, said step of decrypting and transmitting comprising:

receiving adjusted encryption attributes taken from a plurality of attribute sets during reception of the encrypted data stream based upon a complexity consideration of a current situation of the sender, the receiver and the channel, wherein adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether there is a need to adjust said encryption attributes based on quality of the channel;

if so, adjusting the encryption attributes wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether current BER of the channel has increased by a first predetermined amount;

if said current BER of the channel has increased by the first predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce an error propagation length of the encryption;

determining whether the current BER of the channel has decreased by a second predetermined amount; and

if said current BER of the channel has decreased by the second predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to increase the error propagation length of the encryption; and

decrypting the data stream according to said adjusted encryption attributes.

13. The method for decrypting of claim 12, wherein said data stream is a compressed video stream containing I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data, said step of decrypting includes decrypting said I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data, respectively, according to said encryption attributes.

14. The method for decrypting of claim 12, wherein said data stream contains a base layer and at least one enhancement layer, said step of decrypting includes decrypting said base layer and said at least one enhancement layer, respectively, according to said encryption attributes.

15. An apparatus for encrypting a data stream that is transmitted from a sender to a receiver via a channel after at least a part of said data stream is encrypted according to a particular set of encryption attributes, said apparatus for encrypting comprising:

encryption attribute adjusting means for adjusting encryption attributes taken from a plurality of attribute set during transmission of the data stream to generate encryption attribute information based upon complexity consideration of a current situation of the sender, the receiver and the channel, wherein adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether there is a need to adjust said encryption attributes based on quality of the channel;

if so, adjusting the encryption attributes wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether current BER of the channel has increased by a first predetermined amount;

if said current BER of the channel has increased by the first predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce an error propagation length of the encryption;

determining whether the current BER of the channel has decreased by a second predetermined amount; and

if said current BER of the channel has decreased by the second predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to increase the error propagation length of the encryption; and

a scrambler for performing encryption of said at least part of the data stream according to the encryption attributes adjusted by said encryption attribute adjusting means.

16. The apparatus for encrypting of claim 15, wherein said encryption attribute adjusting means includes:

a complexity calculating unit for calculating current complexity based on resource consumption of the sender, the receiver or both; and

a determining and adjusting unit for adjusting the encryption attributes based on the current complexity calculated by said complexity calculating unit to generate the encryption attribute information.

17. The apparatus for encrypting of claim 15, wherein said data stream is a compressed video stream containing I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data;

said encryption attribute adjusting means adjusts the encryption attributes for the I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data, respectively;

said scrambler encrypts the I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data, respectively, according to the encryption attribute information.

18. The apparatus for encrypting of claim 15, wherein said data stream contains a base layer and at least one enhancement layer;

said encryption attribute adjusting means adjusts the encryption attributes for said base layer and said at least one enhancement layer respectively;

said scrambler encrypts said base layer and said at least one enhancement layer respectively according to the encryption attribute information.

19. The apparatus for encrypting of claim 15, wherein said apparatus is employed for sending a data stream in security.

20. An apparatus for decrypting a data stream that is transmitted from a sender to a receiver via a channel after at least a part of which is encrypted, said apparatus for decrypting comprising:

an encryption adjustment information receiving unit for receiving encryption attribute information from the sender, wherein said encryption adjustment information is generated based upon a complexity consideration of a current situation of the sender, the receiver and the channel, wherein adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether there is a need to adjust said encryption attributes based on quality of the channel;

if so, adjusting the encryption attributes wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether current BER of the channel has increased by a first predetermined amount;

if said current BER of the channel has increased by the first predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce an error propagation length of the encryption;

determining whether the current BER of the channel has decreased by a second predetermined amount; and

if said current BER of the channel has decreased by the second predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to increase the error propagation length of the encryption; and

an unscrambler for performing decryption of said data stream according to the encryption attribute information received by said encryption adjustment information receiving unit.

21. The apparatus for decrypting of claim 20, wherein said data stream is a compressed video stream containing I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data;

said encryption adjustment information receiving unit receives the encryption attribute information for the I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data, respectively;

said unscrambler decrypts the I-frame data, P-frame data and B-frame data, respectively, according to the encryption attribute information.

22. The apparatus for decrypting of claim 20, wherein said data stream contains a base layer and at least one enhancement layer;

said encryption adjustment information receiving unit receives the encryption attribute information for said base layer and said at least one enhancement layer, respectively;

said unscrambler decrypts said base layer and said at least enhancement layer, respectively, according to the encryption attribute information.

23. The apparatus for decrypting of claim 20, wherein said apparatus is employed for receiving a data stream in security.

24. A system for secure transmission of a data stream, comprising:

an apparatus for encrypting a data stream that is transmitted from a sender to a receiver via a channel after at least a part of which is encrypted, said apparatus for encrypting comprising;

encryption attribute adjusting means for adjusting encryption attributes during transmission of the data stream to generate encryption attribute information based upon a complexity consideration of a situation of the sender, the receiver and the channel between them, wherein said adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

an unscrambler for performing decryption of said data stream according to the encryption attribute information received by said adjustment information receiving unit; and

a channel connecting said apparatus for sending a data stream and said apparatus for receiving a data stream.

25. An article of manufacture comprising a tangible computer storage readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing encryption of a data stream that is transmitted from a sender to a receiver via a channel after at least a part of which is encrypted, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the steps of:

adjusting encryption attributes during transmission based upon a complexity consideration of a situation of the sender, the receiver and the channel, wherein said adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether there is a need to adjust said encryption attributes based on quality of the channel;

if so, adjusting the encryption attributes wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether current BER of the channel has increased by a first predetermined amount;

if said current BER of the channel has increased by the first predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce an error propagation length of the encryption;

determining whether the current BER of the channel has decreased by a second predetermined amount; and

if said current BER of the channel has decreased by the second predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to increase the error propagation length of the encryption;

encrypting the data stream according to the adjusted encryption attributes; and

transmitting the encrypted data stream and information of said encryption attributes to said receiver.

26. An article of manufacture of claim 25, wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises:

determining whether it is needed to adjust said encryption attributes based on current resource consumption of the sender, the receiver or both; and

if so, adjusting the encryption attributes.

27. An article of manufacture comprising a tangible computer storage readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing decryption of a data stream that is transmitted from a sender to a receiver via a channel after at least a part of which is encrypted, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the steps of:

receiving adjusted encryption attributes during reception of the encrypted data stream based upon a complexity consideration of a situation of the sender, the receiver and the channel, wherein adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether there is a need to adjust said encryption attributes based on quality of the channel;

if so, adjusting the encryption attributes wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether current BER of the channel has increased by a first predetermined amount;

if said current BER of the channel has increased by the first predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce an error propagation length of the encryption;

determining whether the current BER of the channel has decreased by a second predetermined amount; and

is said current BER of the channel has decreased by the second predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to increase the error propagation length of the encryption; and

decrypting the data stream according to said adjusted encryption attributes.

28. An article of manufacture comprising a tangible computer storage readable usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing decryption of a data stream that is transmitted from a sender to a receiver via a channel after at least a part of which is encrypted, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the steps of:

receiving adjusting encryption attributes during reception of the encrypted data stream based upon a complexity consideration of a situation of the sender, the receiver and the channel, wherein adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether there is a need to adjust said encryption attributes based on quality of the channel;

if so, adjusting the encryption attributes wherein said steps of adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether current BER of the channel has increased by a first predetermined amount;

if said current BER of the channel has increased by the first predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce an error propagation length of the encryption;

determining whether the current BER of the channel has decreased by a second predetermined amount; and

if said current BER of the channel has decreased by the second predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption atttributes to increase the error propagation length of the encryption; and

decrypting the data stream according to said adjusted encryption attributes.

29. A computer program product comprising a tangible computer storage readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing encryption of a data stream that is transmitted from a sender to a receiver via a channel after at least a part of which is encrypted, the computer readable program code means in said computer program product comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the functions of:

encryption attribute adjusting means for adjusting encryption attributes during transmission of the data stream to generate encryption attribute information based upon a complexity consideration of a current situation of the sender, the receiver and the channel, wherein adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether there is a need to adjust said encryption attributes based on quality of the channel;

if so, adjusting the encryption attributes wherein said step of adjusting encryption attributes comprises;

determining whether current BER of the channel has increased by a first predetermined amount;

if said current BER of the channel has increased by the first predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to reduce an error propagation length of the encryption;

determining whether the current BER of the channel has decreased by a second predetermined amount; and

if said current BER of the channel has decreased by the second predetermined amount, adjusting the encryption attributes to increase the error propagation length of the encryption; and

a scrambler for performing encryption of said at least part of the data stream according to the encryption attributes adjusted by said encryption attribute adjusting means.