Method for interacting with a memory device in cryptographic operations

• US 7,743,258 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2006
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Corporation (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Lewis, Kevin, Cannon, Susan
• Primary Examiner(s): Song; Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US11/511,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20080072061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 713/153, 713/165, 713/150, 713/168, 713/170, 713/172, 713/176, 713183-185, 713/189, 713/192, 713/193, 726/5, 726/27, 726/2, 726 8- 9, 380/230, 380/231, 380/44
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer

Abstract

A method for interacting with a memory device is provided. In this method, a cryptographic communication application is registered to be associated with a protocol type in a web browser. A message encapsulated in the protocol type from the web browser is received and thereafter transmitted to the memory device. Here, the message is associated with a cryptographic operation.

Claims

1. A method for interacting with a memory device, the method comprising:

performing the following in a computing device;

in response to a memory device being removably connected with the computing device, registering a cryptographic communication application to be associated with a protocol type in a web browser, wherein the cryptographic communication application is operative to;

(i) receive a message transmitted to the web browser, the message being encapsulated in the protocol type and associated with a cryptographic operation; and

(ii) transmit the message to the memory device to perform the cryptographic operation; and

in response to the memory device being disconnected from the computing device, unregistering the cryptographic communication application from the web browser.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the protocol type associated with the message; and

routing the message to a protocol module, the protocol module being configured to interface with the protocol type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cryptographic operation is associated with a retrieval of a one-time password from the memory device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cryptographic operation is associated with a retrieval of a shared secret, the shared secret being used to generate a one-time password.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is encapsulated in a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory device is a Universal Serial Bus device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message encapsulated in the protocol type is not natively handled by the web browser.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, in response to receiving the message encapsulated in the protocol type, the web browser automatically loads the cryptographic communication application configured to process the message encapsulated in the protocol type.

9. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the message encapsulated in the protocol type is not natively handled by the web browser.

10. A method for interacting with a memory device, the method comprising:

performing the following with a cryptographic communication application on a computing device in communication with a memory device, the cryptographic communication application registered to be associated with a protocol type in a web browser on the computing device;

receiving a plurality of messages that are transmitted to the web browser;

extracting a message associated with the protocol type from the plurality of messages, the extracted message being associated with a cryptographic operation; and

transmitting the extracted message to the memory device for performing the cryptographic operation.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying the protocol type associated with the message; and

routing the message to a protocol module, the protocol module being configured to process the message associated with the protocol type.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the cryptographic operation is associated with a retrieval of a one-time password from the memory device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the protocol type is a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) protocol.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the memory device is a Universal Serial Bus device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of messages are transmitted to the web browser from the a computing device.

16. A computing device comprising:

an interface configured to removably connect to a memory device; and

a processor in communication with the interface, wherein the processor is operative to;

register a cryptographic communication application to be associated with a protocol type in a web browser in response to a memory device being removably connected with the interface, wherein the cryptographic communication application is operative to (i) receive a message encapsulated in the protocol type from the web browser, the message being associated with a cryptographic operation, and (ii) transmit the message to the memory device to perform the cryptographic operation; and

unregister the cryptographic communication application from the web browser in response to the memory device being disconnected from the interface.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the cryptographic operation is associated with a retrieval of a one-time password from the memory device.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein, in response to receiving the message encapsulated in the protocol type, the processor is operative to use the cryptographic communication application configured to process the message encapsulated in the protocol type to extract the message.

19. A computing device comprising:

an interface configured to removably connect to a memory device; and

a processor in communication with the interface, wherein the processor is operative to execute a cryptographic communication application that is registered to be associated with a protocol type in a web browser in the computing device, the cryptographic communication application being operative to;

(i) receive a plurality of messages that are transmitted to the web browser;

(ii) extract a message associated with a protocol type from the plurality of messages, the extracted message being associated with a cryptographic operation; and

(iii) transmit the extracted message to the memory device to perform the cryptographic operation.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the cryptographic operation is associated with a retrieval of a one-time password from the memory device.

21. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the message associated with the protocol type is not natively handled by the web browser.

22. The computing device of claim 21, wherein, in response to receiving the message associated with the protocol type, the processor is operative to use the cryptographic communication application configured to process the message associated with the protocol type to extract the message.