System and method for providing an indication of randomness quality of random number data generated by a random data service

• US 8,340,289 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Adams, Neil P., Kirkup, Michael G., Little, Herbert A., Rybak, Michael, Tapuska, David F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Parthasarathy, Pramila
• Application Number:
  US11/237,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20070071238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,644 Days
• Field of Search: 713/179, 713/180, 713/171, 380/21, 380/23, 380/24, 380/25, 380/49, 380/50, 380/55, 380/56, 380/444, 380/46, 395/187, 702/186, 726 1- 36, 708/250
• US Class Current: 380/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 involving random numbers or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

A system and method for providing an indication of randomness quality of random number data generated by a random data service. The random data service may provide random number data to one or more applications adapted to generate key pairs used in code signing applications, for example. In one aspect, the method comprises the steps of: retrieving random number data from the random data service; applying one or more randomness tests to the retrieved random number data to compute at least one indicator of the randomness quality of the random number data; associating the at least one indicator with at least one state represented by a color; and displaying the color associated with the at least one indicator to a user. The color may be displayed in a traffic light icon, for example.

Claims

1. A method for generating encryption key pairs in a system implemented on a computing device from random number data generated by a random data service accessible to the computing device, the method comprising:

retrieving random number data from the random data service;

applying one or more randomness tests to the retrieved random number data to compute at least one test result;

associating the at least one test result with at least one of a plurality of states indicative of the randomness quality of the random number data to determine an indication of randomness quality of the random number data for display;

displaying said indication of the randomness quality of the random number data in a user interface at the computing device;

if said indication is one of a predefined set of one or more indications, providing, in the user interface, an option to create an encryption key pair, awaiting a selection of the option to create the encryption key pair, and receiving at the system an instruction to create the encryption key pair, in response to said displaying of said indication of the randomness quality of the random number data in the user interface and the selection of the option to create the encryption key pair; and

if said indication is not one of the predefined set of one or more indications, not providing, in the user interface, the option to create the encryption key pair.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is provided as a code signing services system for providing code signing services to entities that wish to have software applications digitally signed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of states comprises more than two states.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying said indication of the randomness quality of the random number data comprises displaying an identifier or name of said at least one of a plurality of states indicative of the randomness quality of the random number data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of states indicative of the randomness quality of the random number data are mapped into a fewer number of collective states each identified by a descriptive identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said associating comprises associating the at least one indicator with at least one of said plurality of states represented by a color and said displaying comprises displaying the color associated with said at least one indicator.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said associating comprises associating the at least one indicator with one of three states, wherein the first state is represented by red, the second state is represented by yellow, and the third state is represented by green.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said displaying comprises displaying the color associated with the at least one indicator in a traffic light icon.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of states comprises seven states and the method further comprises collectively mapping the seven states to respective colors of the traffic light icon.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein a descriptive identifier associated with the at least one indicator is displayed with said traffic light icon.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising preventing the generation of a key pair in response to a user instruction when a pre-defined color is displayed at the displaying step.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the key pair comprises a public and a private key pair generated by a code signing services system and wherein the system stores the private key for use by the system and attaches the public key to digitally signed software applications or makes the public key available to code signing system components requiring the public key for verifying digitally signed software applications.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for causing a computing device to perform a method for generating encryption key pairs comprising:

retrieving random number data from the random data service;

applying one or more randomness tests to the retrieved random number data to compute at least one test results;

associating the at least one test result with at least one of a plurality of states indicative of the randomness quality of the random number data to determine an indication of randomness quality of the random number data for display;

displaying said indication of the randomness quality of the random number data in a user interface at the computing device;

if said indication is one of a predetermined set of one or more indications, providing, in the user interface, an option to create an encryption pair, awaiting a selection of the option to create the encryption pair, and

receiving at the system an instruction to create the encryption key pair, in response to said displaying of said indication of the randomness quality of the random number data in the user interface and the selection of the option to create the encryption pair; and

if said indication is not one of the predetermined set of one or more indications, not providing, in the user interface, the option to create the encryption key pair.

14. A computing device for generating encryption key pairs from random number data generated by a random data service accessible to the computing device, the computing device comprising a processor and a memory, said processor configured to:

retrieve random number data from the random data service;

apply one or more randomness tests to the retrieved random number data to compute at least one test result;

associate the at least one test result with at least one of a plurality of states indicative of the randomness quality of the random number data to determine an indication of randomness quality of the random number data for display;

display said indication of the randomness quality of the random number data in a user interface at the computing device;

if said indication is one of a predefined set of one or more indications, provide, in the user interface, an option to create an encryption key pair,

await a selection of the option to create the encryption key pair, and receive at the system an instruction to create the encryption key pair, in response to said displaying of said indication of the randomness quality of the random number data in the user interface and the selection of the option to create the encryption key pair; and

if said indication is not one of the predefined set of one or more indications, not provide, in the user interface, the option to create the encryption key pair.