Unique identifier per chip for digital audio/video data encryption/decryption in personal video recorders

• US 7,835,520 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2003
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CSR Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Zoran Corporation (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumar, Nishit, Auld, David
• Primary Examiner(s): CERVETTI, DAVID GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US10/371,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20040165725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,826 Days
• Field of Search: 726/27, 726/26, 713/193, 713/192, 380/202
• US Class Current: 380/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics
• 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 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4108 characterised by an identification number or address, e.g. local network address protecting specific internal or external computer components using identification number G06F21/73; network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4408 involving video stream encryption, e.g. re-encrypting a decrypted video stream for redistribution in a home network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

The invention provides techniques to implement unique identifier for an integrated chip and how this ID can be employed to enhance the security of content in personal video recorder type systems. The storage device can be a hard disk, a removable storage medium or any other type of storage medium. An integrated circuit (IC) within the personal video recorder stores a unique identifier that is used in for encryption and decryption of data stored on the storage device. Several embodiments are disclosed herein that maintain the secrecy of the unique ID such that it is not easily accessible thereby defeating the security scheme.

Claims

1. An audio/video system comprising:

a communications medium; and

a control circuit coupled with the communications medium, the control circuit to send and retrieve encrypted audio/video content to and from a storage device, wherein the control circuit shares an integrated circuit package with a programmable static memory to store an ID that is both associated with the audio/video system and is directly used by the control circuit as a key to perform encryption and decryption cryptographic operations on audio/video content to be stored on and audio/video content retrieved from the storage device, wherein the control circuit derives the ID from a combination of at least one system value of one or more hardware components of the audio/video system and at least one system value of one or more software components of the audio/video system.

2. The audio/video system of claim 1 further comprising an interface between the control circuit and a removable medium paired with the control circuit and having stored thereon the ID, the removable medium to provide another key directly encrypted using the ID to the control circuit, wherein the control circuit, after receiving the other key, decrypts the key directly using the ID and uses the key to encrypt content to be stored on the storage device.

3. The audio/video system of claim 1 wherein the control circuit and the programmable static memory are manufactured on a common die.

4. The audio/video system of claim 1 wherein the control circuit and the programmable static memory are manufactured on different die.

5. The audio/video system of claim 1 wherein the communications medium is secure.

6. The audio/video system of claim 1 wherein the programmable static memory is an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

7. An audio/video system comprising:

a communications medium; and

a control circuit coupled with the communications medium, the control circuit to send and retrieve encrypted audio/video content to and from a storage device, wherein the control circuit derives an ID associated with the audio/video system from a combination of a number assigned to a first system value of at least one hardware component in the audio/video system and a number assigned to a second system value of at least one software component in the audio/video system, the control circuit is included within one integrated circuit package, and wherein the ID is directly used by the control circuit as a key to perform encrypt and decrypt cryptographic operations on audio/video content to be stored on and audio/video content retrieved from the storage device.

8. The audio/video system of claim 7 further comprising an interface between the control circuit and a removable medium paired with the control circuit and having stored thereon the ID, the removable medium to provide another key directly encrypted using the ID to the control circuit, wherein the control circuit, after receiving the other key, decrypts the key directly using the ID and uses the key to encrypt content to be stored on the storage device.

9. The audio/video system of claim 7 wherein the number assigned to the first system value comprises one or more serial numbers associated with hardware components of the audio/video system.

10. The audio/video system of claim 7 wherein the number assigned to the second system value comprises one or more serial numbers associated with software components of the audio/video system.

11. A method comprising:

receiving audio/video content at an audio/video system over a computer network from a source external to the audio/video system;

encrypting the content in the audio/video system based on an encryption ID that is directly used as a key by a cryptographic engine within the audio/video system, wherein the encryption ID is based on an identifier assigned to and derived from a combination of a system value of at least one hardware component of the audio/video system and a system value of at least one software component of the audio/video system, wherein a device that stores the encryption ID shares an integrated circuit package with the cryptographic engine;

storing the encrypted content in a non-volatile data storage device in the audio/video system, such that the content can only be decrypted and played by said audio/video system or another system with which said encryption ID is shared for direct use as the key for decryption operations;

retrieving the encrypted content from the non-volatile data storage device;

using the cryptographic engine to directly employ the encryption ID as the key to decrypt the retrieved content within the audio/video system; and

playing the decrypted content on the audio/video system.

12. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that the identifier assigned to said one hardware component of the audio/video system is indicated by a plurality of fuses.

13. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that the identifier assigned to said one hardware component of the audio/video system is stored on a programmable static memory.

14. A method according to claim 13, characterized in that the programmable static memory is an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

15. A method according to claim 11, further comprising receiving from a removable medium a key encrypted using the encryption ID;

decrypting the key; and

using the key to encrypt content to be stored on the nonvolatile data storage device.

16. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that the audio/video content is received over a secure communications medium.

17. An audio/video system comprising:

a network interface configured for receiving audio/video content at an audio/video system from a source external to the audio/video system;

a cryptographic engine within the audio/video system, configured for encrypting the content in the audio/video system based on an encryption ID that is directly used as a key, and for decrypting the retrieved content for playback within the audio/video system based on the encryption ID that is directly used as the key, wherein the encryption ID is based on an identifier assigned to and derived from a combination of a system value of at least one hardware component of the audio/video system and an identifier assigned to and derived from a system value of at least one software component of the audio/video system, wherein a device that stores the encryption ID shares an integrated circuit package with the cryptographic engine;

a non-volatile data storage device configured for storing the encrypted content in the audio/video system, such that the content can only be decrypted and played by said audio/video system or another system with which said encryption ID is shared; and

a control circuit interface configured for retrieving the encrypted content from the non-volatile data storage device.

18. An audio/video system according to claim 17, characterized in that the identifier assigned to said one hardware component of the audio/video system is indicated by a plurality of fuses.

19. An audio/video system according to claim 17, characterized in that the identifier assigned to said one hardware component of the audio/video system is indicated by a programmable static memory.

20. An audio/video system according to claim 19, characterized in that the programmable static memory is an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

21. An audio/video system according to claim 17, further comprising a removable medium configured for providing a key encrypted using the encryption ID;

characterized in that the encryption engine decrypts the key; and

the encryption engine uses the key to encrypt content to be stored on the non-volatile data storage device.

22. An audio/video system according to claim 17, characterized in that the audio/video content is received over a secure communications medium.

23. An audio/video system comprising:

a communications medium; and

a control circuit coupled with the communications medium, the control circuit to send and retrieve encrypted audio/video content to and from a storage device, wherein the control circuit derives an ID associated with the audio/video system as a combination of at least two of a plurality of serial numbers associated with a plurality of components in the audio/video system,

wherein the combination of at least two serial numbers for the plurality of components comprise at least one software component and at least one hardware component, wherein the control circuit is included on one integrated circuit package, and wherein the ID is directly used as a key by the control circuit to perform encrypt and decrypt cryptographic operations on audio/video content to be stored on and audio/video content retrieved from the storage device.

24. The audio/video system of claim 23 further comprising an interface between the control circuit and a removable medium paired with the control circuit and having stored thereon the ID, the removable medium to provide another key directly encrypted using the ID to the control circuit, wherein the control circuit, after receiving the other key, decrypts the key directly using the ID and uses the key to encrypt content to be stored on the storage device.

25. An audio/video system comprising:

a network interface configured for receiving audio/video content at an audio/video system from a source external to the audio/video system;

a cryptographic engine within the audio/video system, configured for encrypting the content in the audio/video system based on an encryption ID that is directly used as a key for decrypting the retrieved content for playback within the audio/video system based on directly using the encryption ID as the key for decryption, wherein the encryption ID is based on a combination of at least two of a plurality of serial numbers assigned to components of the audio/video system, wherein the combination of serial numbers assigned to the plurality of components comprise at least one software component and at least one hardware component, and wherein the encryption ID is stored on the same integrated circuit package as the cryptographic engine;

a non-volatile data storage device configured for storing the encrypted content in the audio/video system, such that the content can only be decrypted and played by said audio/video system or another system with which said encryption ID is shared for direct use as the key for decryption; and

a control circuit interface configured for retrieving the encrypted content from the non-volatile data storage device.

26. An audio/video system according to claim 25, further comprising a removable medium configured for providing a key encrypted using the encryption ID;

characterized in that the encryption engine decrypts the key; and

the encryption engine uses the key to encrypt content to be stored on the non-volatile data storage device.

27. An audio/video system according to claim 25, characterized in that the audio/video content is received over a secure communications medium.