Cryptographic checksums enabling data manipulation and transcoding

• US 7,581,094 B1
• Filed: 07/09/2003
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Apostolopoulos, John, Wee, Susie
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman; Brandon S
• Application Number:
  US10/616,680
• Time in Patent Office: 2,239 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/160
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/20 Manipulating the length of blocks of bits, e.g. padding or block truncation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and systems for providing security to manipulation of streamed data in a network, which comprise separating an amount of streamed data into segments, computing a cryptographic checksum for a segment, and combining a segment of data and an associated cryptographic checksum into a data packet.

Claims

1. A method for ensuring integrity of data, comprising:

separating, utilizing a computer, an amount of data into segments comprising a plurality of truncatable units, wherein a truncatable unit is a portion of a packet payload that can be truncated from said packet payload;

computing, utilizing said computer, a cryptographic checksum for a said segment;

combining, utilizing said computer, a segment and an associated cryptographic checksum into a data packet; and

applying a header to said data packet, said header comprising information regarding at least one truncation point identifying at least one said truncatable unit of said data packet.

2. The method described in claim 1 wherein said data comprises media data.

3. The method described in claim 1 wherein said data comprises secure scalably streamable data.

4. The method described in claim 1 wherein said data is transmittable in a network.

5. The method described in claim 1 wherein said data is stored in a storage medium.

6. The method described in claim 1 further comprising forwarding said data packet.

7. The method described in claim 1 wherein said data to be streamed comprises a plurality of said data packets.

8. The method described in claim 1 further comprising encrypting said segment and said cryptographic checksum.

9. The method described in claim 8 wherein said packet is enabled to be decrypted independently of other packets comprising said streamed media data.

10. The method described in claim 1 wherein said cryptographic checksum is computed for a truncatable unit in said segment.

11. The method described in claim 1 wherein a cryptographic checksum is computed for each of said truncatable units in said segment.

12. The method described in claim 1 wherein a first cryptographic checksum is calculated for a first truncatable unit, and wherein a second cryptographic checksum is calculated for the combination of a second truncatable unit, said first truncatable unit, and said first cryptographic checksum.

13. The method described in claim 1 wherein said cryptographic checksum is computed using a hash function.

14. A method for providing security to a scalably streamed media signal in a network, comprising:

separating said streaming media signal into a plurality of truncatable units, wherein a truncatable unit is a portion of a packet payload that can be truncated from said packet payload;

computing a cryptographic checksum for each of said truncatable units;

appending said associated cryptographic checksum onto each of said truncatable units;

combining one or more of said truncatable units and associated cryptographic checksums into a data packet;

applying a transcoder-readable header to said data packet, said transcoder-readable header comprising information regarding at least one truncation point identifying at least one said truncatable unit of said data packet; and

forwarding said data packet.

15. The method described in claim 14 wherein said transcoder-readable header is enabled to be read without decrypting encrypted parts of said data packet.

16. The method described in claim 14 wherein a cryptographic checksum is computed for each truncatable unit in said segment.

17. The method described in claim 14 wherein a first cryptographic checksum is calculated for a first truncatable unit, and wherein a second cryptographic checksum is calculated for the combination of a second truncatable unit, said first truncatable unit, and said first cryptographic checksum.

18. The method described in claim 14 wherein the size of said truncatable units is selected to ensure the size of said data packet is transmittable in said network.

19. The method described in claim 14 wherein said associated cryptographic checksum is computed independently for its associated truncatable unit.

20. The method described in claim 14 further comprising encrypting each of said truncatable units.

21. The method described in claim 14 wherein said cryptographic checksum is calculated using a hash function.

22. The method described in claim 14 further comprising:

accessing said data packet;

reading said transcoder-readable header of said data packet;

deleting one or more of said truncatable units; and

forwarding said data packet.

23. The method described in claim 22 further comprising:

writing a new transcoder-readable header for said data packet reflecting said deleting; and

applying said new transcoder-readable header to said data packet.

24. The method described in claim 22 wherein said transcoder-readable header is enabled to be read without decrypting encrypted parts of said data packet.

25. The method described in claim 22 wherein said deleting comprises transcoding said data packet.

26. The method described in claim 22 wherein said transcoder-readable header comprises information related to the content of said data packet while leaving said truncatable units undecrypted.

27. A computer readable medium having a data packet stored therein for causing a functional change in the operation of a device, said data packet comprising:

a plurality of truncatable units, each of said units comprising an amount of media data, wherein a truncatable unit is a portion of a packet payload that can be truncated from said packet payload;

a cryptographic checksum computed for each of said truncatable units; and

a transcoder readable header comprising information regarding at least one truncation point identifying at least one said truncatable unit of said data packet.

28. The computer readable medium described in claim 27, wherein said transcoder readable header comprises information related to said cryptographic checksums.

29. The computer readable medium described in claim 28, wherein said transcoder readable header enables transcoding said data packet.

30. The computer readable medium described in claim 28, wherein said truncatable units and said cryptographic checksums are enabled to be encrypted independently of said transcoder readable header.

31. The computer readable medium described in claim 28, wherein said truncatable units and said cryptographic checksums are enabled to be decrypted independently of said transcoder readable header.

32. The computer readable medium described in claim 28, wherein said transcoder readable header is enabled to be read independently of said truncatable units and said cryptographic checksums.

33. The computer readable medium described in claim 28, wherein said transcoder readable header is enabled to be written independently of said truncatable units and said cryptographic checksums.

34. The computer readable medium described in claim 27, wherein said cryptographic checksum is computed based on one truncatable unit.

35. The computer readable medium described in claim 27, wherein said cryptographic checksum is computed based on a plurality of truncatable units and associated checksums.

36. The computer readable medium described in claim 27, wherein said cryptographic checksum is calculated using a hash function.

37. The computer readable medium described in claim 27, wherein said cryptographic checksum is calculated using a message digest function.

38. The computer readable medium described in claim 27, wherein said cryptographic checksum is calculated using a message authentication code function.

39. The computer readable medium described in claim 27, wherein said cryptographic checksum is calculated using a keyed-hashing-for-message-authentication function.

40. The computer readable medium described in claim 27, wherein said cryptographic checksum is calculated using a digital signature function.

41. The computer readable medium described in claim 27, wherein each of said truncatable units is enabled to be deleted from said transmittable packet independently of other truncatable units in said packet.