Method and apparatus for tamper proof camera logs

• US 8,977,860 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2013
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Barrus, John, Gormish, Michael, Chemishkian, Sergey
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US13/898,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20130262871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 713/181
• US Class Current: 713/181
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC

Abstract

A method and apparatus for maintaining a tamper proof device log are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises maintaining an embedded log in the device, the embedded log being a chain of log entries. In one embodiment, the method may also comprise publishing at least one log entry to a location external to the device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining a media data file known to have been captured by a media capture device;

obtaining purported media data files alleged to be captured by the media capture device, the purported media data files containing media data different from media data contained in the known media data file;

extracting log entries from the known media data file; and

verifying authenticity of the purported media data files based on the log entries extracted from the known media data file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying authenticity further comprises:

calculating a cryptographic hash value of each purported media data file;

comparing cryptographic hash values with the extracted log entries; and

authenticating each purported media data file with a corresponding cryptographic hash value that matches an entry from the extracted log entries.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

extracting log entries from each purported media data file that was authenticated; and

verifying authenticity of remaining purported media data files, if any, based on the log entries extracted from each authenticated purported media data file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media data file is a known media data file extracted from the media capture device under a controlled process.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the known media data file includes independently verifiable data about the authenticity of the known media data file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying authenticity includes verification of one or more of an authenticity of media data, order of capture of the purported media data, a time when purported media data was captured, and a geospatial indication of where purported media data was captured.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the log entries are extracted from metadata fields of the known media data file that are not altered when the known media data file is compressed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracted log entries are part of a chain of log entries, and wherein each log entry comprises at least one prior log entry in the chain of log entries.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions thereon which, when executed by a system, cause the system to perform a method comprising:

obtaining a media data file known to have been captured by a media capture device;

obtaining purported media data files alleged to be captured by the media capture device, the purported media data files containing media data different from media data contained in the known media data file;

extracting log entries from the known media data file; and

verifying authenticity of the purported media data files based on the log entries extracted from the known media data file.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein verifying authenticity further comprises:

calculating a cryptographic hash value of each purported media data file;

comparing cryptographic hash values with the extracted log entries; and

authenticating each purported media data file with a corresponding cryptographic hash value that matches an entry from the extracted log entries.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

extracting log entries from each purported media data file that was authenticated; and

verifying authenticity of remaining purported media data files, if any, based on the log entries extracted from each authenticated purported media data file.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the media data file is a known media data file extracted from the media capture device under a controlled process.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the known media data file includes independently verifiable data about the authenticity of the known media data file.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the log entries are extracted from metadata fields of the known image.

15. A system comprising:

a memory to store media data file; and

a processor coupled with the memory to

obtain a media data file known to have been captured by a media capture device,

obtain purported media data files alleged to be captured by the media capture device, the purported media data files containing media data different from media data contained in the known media data file,

extract log entries from the known media data file, and

verify authenticity of the purported media data files based on the log entries extracted from the known media data file.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor to verify authenticity further comprises the processor to

calculate a cryptographic hash value of each purported media data file,

compare cryptographic hash values with the extracted log entries, and

authenticate each purported media data file with a corresponding cryptographic hash value that matches an entry from the extracted log entries.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor to verify authenticity further comprises the processor to

extract log entries from each purported media data file that was authenticated;

and

verify authenticity of remaining purported media data files, if any, based on the log entries extracted from each authenticated purported media data file.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein system is the media capture device.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the system is communicatively coupled with the media capture device over a network.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the log entries are extracted from metadata fields of the known image.