Hardware-based key generation and recovery
First Claim
1. A method of recovering encoded information stored in a data storage device having at least one signal conductor with predetermined transmission characteristics, an encoded information storage portion having at least one input/output (i/o) interface, and a system clock, the method comprising:
- detecting a data access attempt that attempts to read at least a portion of encoded information stored in said encoded information storage portion via said i/o interface;
transmitting, in response to said detecting, at least one pulse along the at least one signal conductor, where said pulse is provided to said signal conductor at a pulse transmission location of said conductor;
detecting transmission characteristics of the at least one signal conductor based on said transmitted pulse, where said pulse is detected at a pulse detection location of said conductor, a return signal propagated along said conductor as a result of said pulse transmission; and
generating a decoding key based on the detected transmission characteristics depending upon both of the pulse transmission location and the pulse detection location that define a signal path along the conductor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method of recovering encoded information contained in a device by storing and retrieving at least part of the necessary decoding data by setting and measuring the physical characteristics of the device. Storage and recovery options include, but are not limited to, measurement of electronic or optical characteristics of electrically or optically conductive portions of the device using a range of measurement techniques that include, but are not limited to, time-domain reflectometry.
24 Citations
50 Claims
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1. A method of recovering encoded information stored in a data storage device having at least one signal conductor with predetermined transmission characteristics, an encoded information storage portion having at least one input/output (i/o) interface, and a system clock, the method comprising:
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detecting a data access attempt that attempts to read at least a portion of encoded information stored in said encoded information storage portion via said i/o interface; transmitting, in response to said detecting, at least one pulse along the at least one signal conductor, where said pulse is provided to said signal conductor at a pulse transmission location of said conductor; detecting transmission characteristics of the at least one signal conductor based on said transmitted pulse, where said pulse is detected at a pulse detection location of said conductor, a return signal propagated along said conductor as a result of said pulse transmission; and generating a decoding key based on the detected transmission characteristics depending upon both of the pulse transmission location and the pulse detection location that define a signal path along the conductor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An apparatus that recovers encoded information stored in a data storage device, the apparatus comprising:
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at least one signal conductor with predetermined transmission characteristics; an encoded information storage portion having at least one input/output (i/o) interface; a system clock; an access detection portion that detects an attempt to read at least a portion of encoded information stored in said encoded information storage portion; a transmitter that transmits, at a pulse transmission location, at least one pulse along said at least one signal conductor; a detector that determines transmission characteristics of said at least one signal conductor by detecting, at a pulse detection location, a return signal propagated along said conductor as a result of said pulse transmission; and a key generator that generates a decoding key based on the detected transmission characteristics depending upon both of the pulse transmission location and the pulse detection location that define a signal path along the conductor. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification