Symmetric cryptography with user authentication

• US 8,477,940 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2005
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyfone Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tyfone Incorporated
• Inventors: Narendra, Siva G., Tadepalli, Prabhakar, Spitzer, Thomas N.
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Michael S
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOANG, DANIEL L
• Application Number:
  US11/182,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20070014407A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,909 Days
• Field of Search: 380/277
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861

Abstract

A device uses a user authentication factor to generate a symmetric key for use in symmetric cryptography. The user authentication factor is encrypted and stored for authentication during decryption.

Claims

1. A method for encrypting data in a mobile electronic device comprising:

receiving, at the mobile electronic device, at least one user authentication factor to authenticate a user to the mobile electronic device;

generating, by the mobile electronic device, a symmetric key as a function of the at least one user authentication factor; and

encrypting, by the mobile electronic device, the at least one user authentication factor using the symmetric key to produce an encrypted at least one user authentication factor.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one user authentication factor includes a unique ID for a hardware device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the hardware device comprises a hardware device physically separate from an apparatus performing the method.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the hardware device comprises a hardware device physically separable from an apparatus performing the method.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one user authentication factor includes a biometric factor.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one user authentication factor includes a unique ID for a hardware device and a biometric factor.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the encrypted at least one user authentication factor.

8. A method for decrypting data in a mobile electronic device comprising:

receiving, at the mobile electronic device, at least one user authentication factor to authenticate a user to the mobile electronic device;

generating, by the mobile electronic device, a symmetric key as a function of the at least one user authentication factor; and

encrypting, by the mobile electronic device, the at least one user authentication factor using the symmetric key to produce a result, and comparing the result with a stored encrypted user authentication factor.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one user authentication factor includes a unique ID for a hardware device.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the hardware device comprises a hardware device physically separate from an apparatus performing the method.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the hardware device comprises a hardware device physically separable from an apparatus performing the method.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one user authentication factor includes a biometric factor.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one user authentication factor includes a unique ID for a hardware device and a biometric factor.

14. A mobile device with a machine accessible non-transitory medium having instructions stored thereon that when accessed result in the mobile device performing:

receiving at least one user authentication factor to authenticate a user to the mobile device;

generating a symmetric key as a function of the at least one user authentication factor; and

encrypting the at least one user authentication factor using the symmetric key to produce an encrypted at least one user authentication factor.

15. The mobile device of claim 14 wherein the at least one user authentication factor includes a unique ID for a hardware device.

16. The mobile device of claim 15 wherein the hardware device comprises a hardware device physically separate from the machine performing the method.

17. The mobile device of claim 15 wherein the hardware device comprises a hardware device physically separable from the machine performing the method.

18. The mobile device of claim 14 wherein the at least one user authentication factor includes a biometric factor.

19. The mobile device of claim 14 wherein the at least one user authentication factor includes a unique ID for a hardware device and a biometric factor.

20. A mobile device with a machine accessible non-transitory medium having instructions stored thereon that when accessed result in the mobile device performing:

receiving at least one user authentication factor to authenticate a user to the mobile device;

generating a symmetric key as a function of the at least one user authentication factor; and

encrypting the at least one user authentication factor using the symmetric key to produce a result, and comparing the result with a stored encrypted user authentication factor.

21. The mobile device of claim 20 wherein the at least one user authentication factor includes a unique ID for a hardware device.

22. The mobile device of claim 21 wherein the hardware device comprises a hardware device physically separate from the machine performing the method.

23. The mobile device of claim 21 wherein the hardware device comprises a hardware device physically separable from the machine performing the method.

24. The mobile device of claim 20 wherein the at least one user authentication factor includes a biometric factor.

25. The mobile device of claim 20 wherein the at least one user authentication factor includes a unique ID for a hardware device and a biometric factor.

26. A computer system for storing and accessing encrypted data, comprising:

a user authentication factor collection component to receive at least one user authentication factor to authenticate a user to the computer system;

a symmetric key generation component to generate a symmetric key as a function of the at least one user authentication factor;

an encryption process component to encrypt data and the at least one user authentication factor using the symmetric key; and

a decryption process component to decrypt encrypted data using the symmetric key.

27. The computer system of claim 26 further comprising a storage component to store encrypted data and an encrypted user authentication factor.

28. The computer system of claim 26 wherein the user authentication factor collection component is configured to receive a unique ID for a hardware device as a user authentication factor.

29. The computer system of claim 28 wherein the hardware device comprises a hardware device physically separable from the computer system.

30. The computer system of claim 26 wherein the user authentication factor collection component is configured to receive a biometric factor as a user authentication factor.

31. The computer system of claim 26 wherein the user authentication factor collection component is configured to receive a unique ID for a hardware device and a biometric factor as user authentication factors.

32. A mobile device comprising:

means for collecting at least one user authentication factor to authenticate a user to the mobile device;

means for generating a symmetric key as a function of the at least one user authentication factor;

means for encrypting the at least one user authentication factor using the symmetric key;

means for encrypting data using the symmetric key; and

means for decrypting data using the symmetric key.

33. A handheld device to store encrypted data, comprising:

a biometric collection device to collect a biometric user authentication factor to authenticate a user to the handheld device; and

a symmetric cryptography engine to generate a symmetric key as a function of the biometric user authentication factor, and to encrypt the biometric user authentication factor using the symmetric key.

34. The handheld device of claim 33 wherein the biometric collection device comprises a fingerprint collection device.

35. The handheld device of claim 33 wherein the biometric collection device comprises a retinal scanner.

36. The handheld device of claim 33 further comprising a wireless interface to receive a unique ID from a wireless device.

37. The handheld device of claim 36 wherein the symmetric cryptography engine is configured to generate the symmetric key from the unique ID and the biometric user authentication factor.