Generating and interpreting secure and system dependent software license keys

• US 7,805,616 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Vaid, Aseem, Mohammed, Samiullah
• Primary Examiner(s): Song; Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US11/694,169
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 380200-203, 380/241, 380/46, 713/176, 713/181, 713/189, 713/168, 726 26- 31, 705 58- 59
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1011 to devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/107 License processing; Key processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/125 Parallelization or pipelining, e.g. for accelerating processing of cryptographic operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC

Abstract

A technique is provided for generating and interpreting secure and system dependent software license keys. According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a device executing an encoding algorithm may generate a software license key by applying several layers of security. Illustratively, the device may initially define a license data representing a software license for the software. The device may also compute an authentication code based on a unique identification of hardware upon which the software is configured to operate. The license data and authentication code may be combined and encrypted into an encrypted result, which may be transformed into a software license key (e.g., human readable). Also, the device may apply a predetermined encryption technique (e.g., cipher) during the transformation as an additional layer of security. Conversely, a device configured to operate the software may execute a decoding algorithm to interpret the software license key similarly in reverse.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

defining license data representing a software license for software;

computing, by a processor executing an encoding process, an authentication code based on a unique identification of hardware upon which the software is configured to operate;

combining the license data and the authentication code;

encrypting the combined license data and authentication code utilizing a first encryption technique into an encrypted result;

encrypting the encrypted result into a double-encrypted result utilizing a second encryption technique that is not the first encryption technique; and

transforming the double-encrypted result into a software license.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein transforming further comprises:

transforming the encrypted result into a transformed code; and

applying an encryption technique to the transformed code to produce the software license key.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein the encryption technique is a cipher.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the software license key is human readable.

5. The method as in claim 4, wherein transforming further comprises:

establishing the software license key as a human-readable software license key.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein encrypting further comprises:

utilizing one of either a block cipher or a string cipher.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein computing further comprises:

applying a secret key from within the software to the unique identification of the hardware.

8. The method as in claim 7, further comprising:

hashing the secret key with the unique identification to compute the authentication code.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the unique identification of the hardware is a serial number of a motherboard upon which the software is configured to operate.

10. The method as in claim 1, wherein the license data comprises a representation of a version of the software.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein the license data comprises at least one segment of freeform data not representing the software license for the software.

12. The method as in claim 1, wherein the license data comprises at least one substantially randomly generated segment.

13. A method, comprising:

providing a software license key for software;

transforming, by a processor executing an encoding process, the software license key into a double encrypted result;

decrypting the double-encrypted result into the encrypted result utilizing a first decryption technique;

decrypting the encrypted result into a combined license data and authentication code utilizes utilizing a second decryption technique that is not the first decryption technique;

authenticating the authentication code based on a unique identification of hardware upon which the software is configured to operate; and

if authenticated by the processor, a software license defined by the license data.

14. The method as in claim 13, further comprising:

applying a decipher to the software license key to produce a deciphered code; and

transforming the deciphered code into the encrypted result.

15. The method as in claim 13, wherein the software license key is human readable.

16. The method as in claim 15, wherein transforming further comprises:

establishing the software license key as a human-readable software license key.

17. The method as in claim 13, wherein decrypting further comprises:

utilizing one of either a string decipher or a block decipher.

18. The method as in claim 13, wherein authenticating further comprises:

applying a secret key from within the software to the authentication code to achieve an authentication result; and

comparing the authentication result to the unique identification of the hardware.

19. The method as in claim 13, wherein the unique identification of the hardware is a serial number of a motherboard upon which the software is configured to operate.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

hardware upon which software is configured to operate;

means for transforming a software license key for the software a double encrypted result;

means for decrypting the double-encrypted result into the encrypted result utilizing a first decryption technique;

means for decrypting the encrypted result into a combined license data and authentication code utilizing a second decryption technique that is not the first decryption technique;

means for authenticating the authentication code based on a unique identification of the hardware; and

means for determining a software license defined by the license data if the authentication code is authenticated.

21. A device, comprising:

at least one input/output (I/O) interface;

at least one processor coupled to the at least one I/O interface and configured to execute at least one process; and

a memory configured to store an encoding process executable by each processor, the encoding process when executed operable to define a license data representing a software license for software;

compute an authentication code based on a unique identification of hardware upon which the software is configured to operate;

combine the license data and the authentication code;

encrypt the combined license data and authentication code into an encrypted result utilizing a first encryption technique;

encrypt the encrypted result into a double-encrypted result key utilizing a second encryption technique that is not the first encryption technique; and

transform the double-encrypted result into a software license.

22. A device, comprising:

at least one input/output (I/O) interface;

at least one processor coupled to the at least one I/O interface and configured to execute at least one process; and

a memory configured to store a decoding process executable by each processor, the decoding process when executed operable to;

receive a software license key for software;

ii) transform the software license key into a double encrypted result;

decrypt the double-encrypted result into the encrypted result utilizing a first decryption technique decrypt the encrypted result into a combined license data and authentication code utilizing a second decryption technique that is not the first decryption technique;

authenticate the authentication code based on a unique identification of hardware upon which the software is configured to operate; and

v) determine a software license defined by the license data in response to an authenticated authentication code.

23. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, comprising:

program instructions that define license data representing a software license for software;

program instructions that compute an authentication code based on a unique identification of hardware upon which the software is configured to operate;

program instructions that combine the license data and the authentication code;

program instructions that encrypt the combined license data and authentication code utilizing a first encryption technique into an encrypted result;

program instructions that encrypt the encrypted result into a double-encrypted result utilizing a second encryption technique that is not the first encryption technique; and

program instructions that transform the double-encrypted result into a software license.

24. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor, comprising:

program instructions that provide a software license key for software;

program instructions that transform the software license key into a double encrypted result;

program instructions that decrypt the double-encrypted result into the encrypted result utilizing a first decryption technique;

program instructions that decrypt the encrypted result into a combined license data and authentication code utilizing a second decryption technique that is not the first decryption technique;

program instructions that authenticate the authentication code based on a unique identification of hardware upon which the software is configured to operate; and

program instructions that define a software license by the license data if authenticated by the processor.