Data processing apparatus and method

• US 8,607,056 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2010
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Genkey Netherlands BV
• Original Assignee: Genkey Netherlands BV
• Inventors: Duffy, Dominic Gavan, Goodwin, Carl Christopher, Jones, Aled Wynne, Binks, Dominic Frank Julian
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAYOU, YONAS A
• Application Number:
  US12/896,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20110022847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 713/179
• US Class Current: 713/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1365 Matching; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• 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 9/3073 involving pairings, e.g. identity based encryption [IBE], bilinear mappings or bilinear pairings, e.g. Weil or Tate pairing
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

Generating a cryptographic key, for example using a received external key. A system to generate a cryptographic key may include a first data store which may store an authorization key. A system may include a second data store which may store a secure key and/or a public key. A system may include an access controller, which may allow access to a secure key, for example to an access request which may be accompanied by a digital signature. A system may include a key generator, which may generate a private key, for example using a received external key, a stored authorization key and/or a mapping function. A system may include an access request signal generator which may generate a digital signature and/or which may transmit an access request, for example including a generated digital signature, to an access controller to retrieve a secure key.

Claims

1. A system for providing a cryptographic key using an external key, the system comprising:

a first data store for storing an authorization key;

a second data store, separate from the first data store, for storing a secure key and a public key, wherein the secure key comprises one of the cryptographic key and a number required to generate the cryptographic key, and wherein the public key is associated with an associated private key by an asymmetric encryption algorithm;

an access controller operable to allow access to the secure key stored in the second data store only to an access request accompanied by a digital signature generated using the private key corresponding to the stored public key;

a key generator operable to receive an external key and to generate the private key using the received external key and the stored authorization key using a mapping function; and

an access request signal generator operable to generate a digital signature using the private key and to transmit an access request, including the generated digital signature, to the access controller in order to retrieve the secure key.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the key generator is a first key generator, wherein the mapping function is a first mapping function, wherein the secure key comprises a number required to generate the cryptographic key, wherein the second data store further comprises a further number, said further number and said secure key having a greater entropy than the external key, and wherein the system further comprises a second key generator operable to combine said further number and the external key to generate a combined key, and to generate the cryptographic key using the combined key and the secure key in accordance with a second mapping function.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the first mapping function and the second mapping function are the same function.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the access controller is operable to log unsuccessful access requests and to deny all further access requests if the logged unsuccessful access requests satisfy a predetermined criterion.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the access request signal generator is arranged to include in the access request a third cryptographic key for symmetric encrypted communication between the key generator and the second data store.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is formed from multiple devices connected to a computer network.

7. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a decrypter operable to decrypt an encrypted message using the generated cryptographic key.

8. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a digital signature generator operable to generate a digital signature using the generated cryptographic key.

9. A system according to claim 1, further comprising an external key generator operable to generate the external key from received data representative of an analogue source.

10. A system according to claim 9, further comprising a sensor operable to generate biometric data representative of a feature of a human being, wherein the external key generator is operable to generate the external key from said biometric data.

11. A system for providing a cryptographic key using an external key, the system comprising:

a first server having a first data store for storing an authorization key;

a second server having;

a second data store for storing a secure key wherein the secure key comprises a number required to generate the cryptographic key; and

an access controller operable to allow access to the secure key stored in the second data store only to an access request accompanied by a digital signature generated using a private key corresponding to the stored secure key; and

a network device having;

a key generator operable to generate an external key and to generate the private key using the generated external key and the authorization key using a mapping function; and

an access request signal generator operable to generate a digital signature using the private key and to transmit an access request, including the generated digital signature, to the access controller in order to retrieve the secure key, and

a cryptographic key generator operable to generate the cryptographic key using the external key and the secure key.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the network device further comprises:

a sensor operable generate biometric data representative of a feature of a human being; and

an external key generator operable to generate the external key from said biometric data.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the key generator is a first key generator, wherein the mapping function is a first mapping function,

wherein the second data store further comprises a further number, said further number and said secure key having a greater entropy than the external key, and

wherein the cryptographic key generator is operable to combine said further number and the external key to generate a combined key, and to generate the cryptographic key using the combined key and the secure key in accordance with a second mapping function.