Method of and apparatus for reproducing information, and security module

• US 7,930,562 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Morioka, Kiyonori, Yoshitake, Toshiyuki, Kohiyama, Kiyoshi, Watanabe, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Minh
• Assistant Examiner(s): PERUNGAVOOR, VENKATANARAY
• Application Number:
  US11/980,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20080072076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 713189-194, 711/5, 711/2, 711/111, 711/152, 711/154, 711/163, 710/22, 710/200, 710/23, 710/308
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1064 Restricting content processing at operating system level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1077 Recurrent authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/52 during program execution, e.g. stack integrity ; Preventing unwanted data erasure; Buffer overflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6281 at program execution time, where the protection is within the operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/72 in cryptographic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/87 by means of encapsulation, e.g. for integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00253 wherein the key is stored on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

An information reproducing apparatus of the present invention includes a secure module and a main memory. The information in the secure module can not be accessed from outside. The secure module reads, using a direct access method, information relating to software stored in the main memory. The secure module checks a falsification of the software by comparing the information read with the information stored in advance in the secure module.

Claims

1. An information reproducing apparatus, comprising:

a secure module that stores a first information, wherein the secure module can not be accessed from outside the information reproducing apparatus;

a memory that stores a second information in an unswappable area thereof, wherein the memory can be accessed from outside the information reproducing apparatus;

a first falsification checking unit that is loaded on the secure module, wherein the first falsification checking unit is arranged to read the second information from the memory by direct access, to compare the second information with the first information in the secure module, and to check a falsification of the second information based on a result of the comparison;

a writing unit that is loaded on the secure module, wherein the writing unit reads out a secret information stored in a controlled memory space within in the secure module and writes the secret information into the memory as a part of the second information checked by the first falsification checking unit using a direct access method; and

a second falsification checking unit that is loaded on the secure module, wherein the second falsification checking unit checks the falsification of the second information by confirming whether a response information corresponding to the secret information written by the writing unit is returned from the second information, and

wherein the controlled memory space is such that a stored information is read out from the memory space at a first time and a stored information different from the stored information is read out at a second time.

2. A secure module mounted to an information reproducing apparatus, comprising:

a reading unit for reading a second information from an unswappable area in a memory mounted to an information reproducing apparatus, by direct access, the memory can being accessible from outside the information reproducing apparatus;

a first falsification checking unit that compares the second information with a first information stored in the secure module, the first information being not accessible from outside the information reproducing apparatus, and checks a falsification of the second information based on a result of the comparison; and

a writing unit that that reads out a secret information stored in a controlled memory space stored within the secure module and writes the secret information into the memory as a part of the second information checked by the first falsification checking unit using a direct access method; and

a second falsification checking unit that checks the falsification of the second information by confirming whether a response information corresponding to the secret information written by the writing unit is returned from the second information, and

wherein the controlled memory space is such that a stored information is read out from the memory space at a first time and a stored information different from the stored information is read out at a second time.