Protecting against counterfeit electronics devices

• US 8,762,714 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: II-VI Delaware, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Finisar Corporation (II-VI Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hsieh, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Descrosiers, Evans
• Assistant Examiner(s): POTRATZ, DANIEL B
• Application Number:
  US11/739,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20080267408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,618 Days
• Field of Search: 713/168, 380/256, 380/259, 710 8- 19, 710/22, 710/23, 710/26, 710/28, 711/154, 711/155, 711/163, 711/164, 726/34
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/70 Protecting specific internal or peripheral components, in which the protection of a component leads to protection of the entire computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

An optical transceiver module is authenticated in a host system. A host generates a data string and writes the data string to a first predetermined memory location known to the transceiver. The data string is cryptographically altered (either encrypted or decrypted) by the transceiver and written to a second predetermined memory location known to the host. The host retrieves the cryptographically altered data string and performs a complementary cryptographic operation (either a decryption or encryption, respectively) thereon, creating a resulting data string. If the resulting data string is equal to the data string written to the first predetermined memory location, the transceiver is authenticated. The host and the transceiver may switch roles, with the transceiver generating the data string, the host cryptographically altering it, and so on. The host encrypts data strings when the transceiver decrypts data strings, and vice versa.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform the following acts:

generating, by a host device, a first data string, wherein the first data string differs each time the first data string is generated and has a first cryptographic state generated using a first cryptographic key programmed into the host device by a first manufacturer;

writing, by the host device, the first data string having the first cryptographic state to a first predetermined memory location on an optical transceiver;

accessing a second predetermined memory location on the optical transceiver, wherein the first and the second predetermined memory locations are known and accessible to the host device such that the host device can write to and retrieve data from the first and the second predetermined memory locations;

detecting, by the host device, whether the first data string having a second cryptographic state is in the second predetermined memory location, wherein the first cryptographic state of the first data string has been changed to the second cryptographic state using a second cryptographic key programmed to the optical transceiver by a second manufacturer and the first and second predetermined memory locations are agreed upon by the first and second manufactures;

in response to not detecting the first data string having the second cryptographic state in the second predetermined memory location, deactivating the optical transceiver; and

in response to detecting the first data string having the second cryptographic state in the second predetermined memory location;

retrieving, by the host device, the first data string having the second cryptographic state from the second predetermined memory location;

changing the second cryptographic state of the first data string to a third cryptographic state using the first cryptographic key;

determining whether the first cryptographic state of the first data string is identical to the third cryptographic state of the first data string; and

in response to determining that the first cryptographic state of the first data string is identical to the third cryptographic state of the first data string, authorizing the optical transceiver for operational use with the host device.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the acts further comprise in response to determining that the first cryptographic state of the first data string is not identical to the third cryptographic state of the first data string, taking corrective action.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 2, wherein the taking corrective action comprises one or more of:

sending an alert and withholding electrical power from the optical transceiver.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the first cryptographic key comprises one of:

a block cipher key, a stream cipher key, a public key, or a private key.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 1, wherein the first and third cryptographic states are encrypted states and the second cryptographic state is a decrypted state or wherein the second cryptographic state is an encrypted state and the first and third cryptographic states are decrypted states.

6. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform the following acts:

receiving a data string in a first predetermined memory location, wherein the data string has a first cryptographic state generated by using a first cryptographic key that is programmed by a first manufacturer;

in response to not detecting the data string having the first cryptographic state in the first predetermined memory location, deactivating an optical transceiver;

in response to detecting the data string having the first cryptographic state in the first predetermined memory location, changing the first cryptographic state of the data string to a second cryptographic state with a second cryptographic key that is programmed by a second manufacturer;

writing the data string having the second cryptographic state to a second predetermined memory location, wherein the first and the second predetermined memory locations exist in persistent memory of the optical transceiver or a host device and are known and accessible to the other of the optical transceiver or the host device such that the optical transceiver or the host device can write to and retrieve data from the first and second predetermined memory locations and the first and second predetermined memory locations are agreed upon by the first and second manufactures;

retrieving the data string having the second cryptographic state from the second predetermined memory location;

changing the second cryptographic state of the data string retrieved from the second predetermined memory location to a third cryptographic state using the first cryptographic key;

determining whether the third cryptographic state of the data string is identical to the first cryptographic state of the data string; and

in response to determining that the third cryptographic state of the data string is identical to the first cryptographic state of the data string, permitting the optical transceiver to be operationally used with the host device,

wherein the second cryptographic key is complementary to the first cryptographic key if the first and the second manufacturers agree to permit the optical transceiver to be operationally used with the host device or the second cryptographic key is non-complementary to the first cryptographic key if the first and the second manufacturers do not agree to permit the optical transceiver to be operationally used with the host device.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein one of:

the first cryptographic key is an encryption key and the second cryptographic key is a decryption key;

or

the first cryptographic key is a decryption key and the second cryptographic key is an encryption key.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the data string is different each time authenticity of the optical transceiver is determined.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein one of:

the first cryptographic state is an encrypted state and the second cryptographic state is a decrypted state; and

the first cryptographic state is an unencrypted state and the second cryptographic state is an encrypted state.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the data string is generated using a pseudo-random data string generator.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the acts further comprise in response determining that the third cryptographic state of the data string is not identical to first cryptographic state of the data string, taking corrective action.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 11, wherein the taking corrective action comprises one or more of:

sending an alert and withholding electrical power from the optical transceiver.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the encryption key comprises one of:

a block cipher key or a stream cipher key.