Systems and methods for transparent configuration authentication of networked devices

• US 8,090,951 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2003
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Boyen, Xavier, Anderson, Darrell, Gray, Wayne, Erlingsson, Úlfar
• Primary Examiner(s): Homayounmehr, Farid
• Application Number:
  US10/627,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20040083369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,084 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/608 Watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for providing secure transmissions across a network comprising a transmitting device and a receiving device. At the transmitting device, a stream of watermark bits is generated. Next, a plurality of watermarks is generated, each of the plurality of watermarks comprising an index number and a portion of the stream of watermark bits. The watermarks are inserted into each header of a plurality of outgoing packets. At the receiving device, the plurality of outgoing packets are received and it is determined if a received packet is valid based on the watermark in the header of the received packet. The stream of watermark bits may be generated using a stream cipher such as RC4, a block cipher such as 3DES in CBC mode, or other equivalent pseudo-random stream generating techniques.

Claims

1. A method for providing secure transmissions across a network comprising a client device and a server, the method comprising:

at the client device, generating a stream of watermark bits;

generating a plurality of watermarks, each of the plurality of watermarks comprising a respective index number and a respective portion of the stream of watermark bits;

inserting the plurality of watermarks into respective headers of a plurality of outgoing packets;

receiving, at the server, the plurality of outgoing packets; and

determining if a received packet is valid based on the watermark in the header of the received packet;

wherein determining if a received packet is valid comprises;

comparing the watermark of the received packet to a first and a second window, each of the windows comprising a set of expected watermarks; and

accepting the watermark as valid if the received watermark matches one of the expected watermarks in the first or second windows; and

wherein comparing the watermark further comprises;

maintaining at the server a record of a pivotal index number representing the index number of the highest-numbered valid watermark received from the client device; and

comparing the watermark of the received packet to the first and the second window, wherein the first window represents expected watermarks whose index numbers precede the pivotal index number and the second window represents expected watermarks whose index numbers immediately supersede the pivotal index number.

2. A method for providing secure transmissions across a network comprising a client device and a server, the method comprising:

at the client device, generating a stream of watermark bits;

generating a plurality of watermarks, each of the plurality of watermarks comprising a respective index number and a respective portion of the stream of watermark bits;

inserting the plurality of watermarks into respective headers of a plurality of outgoing packets;

receiving, at the server, the plurality of outgoing packets; and

determining if a received packet is valid based on the watermark in the header of the received packet;

wherein determining if a received packet is valid comprises;

comparing the watermark of the received packet to a first and a second window, each of the windows comprising a set of expected watermarks; and

accepting the watermark as valid if the received watermark matches one of the expected watermarks in the first or second windows; and

wherein comparing the watermark further comprises;

maintaining at the server a record of a pivotal index number representing the index number of the highest-numbered valid watermark received from the client device;

comparing the watermark of the received packet to the first and the second window, wherein the first window represents expected watermarks whose index numbers precede the pivotal index number and the second window represents expected watermarks whose index numbers immediately supersede the pivotal index number; and

increasing the pivotal index number if a match is found in the second window and deleting the matching expected watermark from the second window.

3. A system for providing secure transmissions across a network, the system comprising:

a client device for

generating a stream of watermark bits;

generating a plurality of watermarks, each of the plurality of watermarks comprising a respective index number and a respective portion of the stream of watermark bits;

inserting the plurality of watermarks into respective headers of a plurality of outgoing packets; and

transmitting the outgoing packets to a server; and

a server for

receiving the plurality of outgoing packets; and

determining if a received packet is valid based on the watermark in the header of the received packet;

wherein the server further determines if a received packet is valid by comparing the watermark of the received packet to a first and a second window, each of the windows comprising a set of expected watermarks; and

accepting the received watermark as valid if the received watermark matches one of the expected watermarks in the first or second windows; and

wherein comparing the watermark further comprises;

maintaining at the server a record of a pivotal index number representing the index number of the highest-numbered valid watermark received from the client device; and

comparing the watermark of the received packet to the first and the second window, wherein the first window represents expected watermarks whose index numbers precede the pivotal index number and the second window represents expected watermarks whose index numbers immediately supersede the pivotal index number.

4. A system for providing secure transmissions across a network, the system comprising:

a client device for

generating a stream of watermark bits;

generating a plurality of watermarks, each of the plurality of watermarks comprising a respective index number and a respective portion of the stream of watermark bits;

inserting the plurality of watermarks into respective headers of a plurality of outgoing packets; and

transmitting the outgoing packets to a server; and

a server for

receiving the plurality of outgoing packets; and

determining if a received packet is valid based on the watermark in the header of the received packet;

wherein the server further determines if a received packet is valid by comparing the watermark of the received packet to a first and a second window, each of the windows comprising a set of expected watermarks; and

accepting the received watermark as valid if the received watermark matches one of the expected watermarks in the first or second windows; and

wherein comparing the watermark further comprises;

maintaining at the server a record of a pivotal index number representing the index number of the highest-numbered valid watermark received from the client device; and

comparing the watermark of the received packet to the first and the second window, wherein the first window represents expected watermarks whose index numbers precede the pivotal index number and the second window represents expected watermarks whose index numbers immediately supersede the pivotal index number; and

wherein the server increases the pivotal index number if a match is found in the second window and deletes the matching expected watermark from the second window.