Secure apparatus and method for protecting integrity of software system and system thereof

• US 8,407,481 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dang, Ya Bin, Hao, Da Ming, Li, Shih-Gong, Luo, Lin, Yang, Shun Xiang
• Primary Examiner(s): KOSOWSKI, CAROLYN M
• Application Number:
  US12/163,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 713/187, 726/32
• US Class Current: 713/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/125 by manipulating the program code, e.g. source code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code

Abstract

Provided is a secure apparatus for protecting the integrity of a software system and a method thereof. The apparatus comprises: a template repository for storing templates required for generating an agent module; a template generator for randomly selecting one template from said template repository and generating a new agent module according to the selected template; and a transceiver for sending said new agent module to an external apparatus communicating with said secure apparatus to update a current agent module which is running in said external apparatus, wherein said current agent module is used to verify the integrity of said software system running in said external apparatus. The secure apparatus can protect software in an insecure environment with a high software protection level to prevent the software from being tampered or bypassed.

Claims

1. A secure apparatus for protecting integrity of a software system installed in at least one external apparatus comprising:

a template repository for storing templates required for generating more than one different agent module;

an agent module generator for randomly selecting a template from templates stored in the template repository and generating a new agent module according to the selected template; and

a transceiver for sending said new agent module to an external apparatus communicating with said secure apparatus to update a current agent module which is running in said external apparatus,

wherein said current agent module is used to verify integrity of said software system running in said external apparatus.

2. The secure apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a second transceiver for discontinuously receiving new templates from a service providing terminal outside of said secure apparatus and storing them into said template repository.

3. The secure apparatus of claim 1, wherein said agent module generator selects said template from said template repository based on a random number and a probability value defined in said template.

4. The secure apparatus of claim 1, wherein a certificate and a disassembled first key are embedded in said current agent module and said new agent module, and said certificate is obtained by encrypting the first key with a second key.

5. The secure apparatus of claim 4, wherein said transceiver receives a request generated by said current agent module from said external apparatus, and said request is encrypted with said first key extracted from the current agent module and is attached with said certificate.

6. The secure apparatus of claim 5, wherein said request is an agent module update request which is sent to said secure apparatus periodically, and said agent module generator generates said new agent module in response to said agent module update request.

7. The secure apparatus of claim 5, wherein said request is a verifying request, and said secure apparatus further comprises a verifying module which verifies the integrity of the software system running in said external apparatus by using integrity characteristic information of the software system in said verifying request, in response to said verifying request.

8. The secure apparatus of claim 5, wherein said request is a service request, and said secure apparatus further comprises a service module which provides one or more of a trusted time service, a key function service, and an encrypting/decrypting service to said software system in response to said service request.

9. The secure apparatus of claim 5, wherein the certificate in said request contains a validity period of said current agent module, and if said validity period has expired, said request is refused and the current agent module which sends said request is required to be updated.

10. The secure apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a processor for decrypting said certificate with said second key to obtain said first key, and for decrypting the encrypted request with said first key to obtain said request.

11. A method by a secure apparatus of protecting integrity of a software system installed in at least one external apparatus, comprising steps of:

selecting a template for generating an agent module;

generating a new agent module from the selected template; and

sending said new agent module to an external apparatus communicating with said secure apparatus to update a current agent module which is running in said external apparatus,

wherein said current agent module is used to verify the integrity of said software system running in said external apparatus.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of

receiving new templates discontinuously from a service providing terminal outside of said secure apparatus and storing them into a template repository.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said template is selected based on a random number and a defined probability value.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising a step of encrypting a first key with a second key to obtain a certificate, and the certificate and disassembled first key being embedded in said current agent module and said new agent module.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step of receiving a request generated by said current agent module from said external apparatus, wherein said request is encrypted with said first key extracted from the current agent module and is attached with said certificate.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said request is an agent module update request which is sent to said secure apparatus periodically, and said new agent module is generated in response to said agent module update request.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said request is a verifying request, and said method further comprises a step of verifying the integrity of said software system running in said external apparatus by using the integrity characteristic information of said software system in said verifying request, in response to said verifying request.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said request is a service request, and said method further comprises a step of providing one or more of a trusted time service, a key function service, and an encrypting/decrypting service to said software system in response to said service request.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the certificate in said request contains a validity period of said current agent module, and if said validity period has expired, said request is refused and the current agent module which sends said request is required to be updated.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising a step of decrypting said certificate with said second key to obtain said first key, and decrypting the encrypted request with said first key to obtain said request.

21. A system for protecting integrity of a software system, comprising:

a secure apparatus comprising;

at least one processor for executing components;

a template providing apparatus component for storing and updating templates required for generating more than one different agent module;

an agent module security component for randomly selecting a template from said template providing apparatus and generating a new agent module from the received template; and

a communications component for sending the new agent module to an external apparatus; and

an external apparatus for running said software system and a current agent module wherein said current agent module is used to verify the integrity of said software system,

wherein said agent module security component sends said new agent module to said external apparatus to update said current agent module.