System and method for defining programmable processing steps applied when protecting the data

• US 9,268,949 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verimatrix Incorporated (Verimatrix SA)
• Original Assignee: Verimatrix Incorporated (Verimatrix SA)
• Inventors: Kulakowski, Robert T., Mautner, Craig, Fahy, James B., Bronte, Jeffrey, Hutchins, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Su, Sarah
• Application Number:
  US13/932,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20130298255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26, 713/150, 707/687, 707/397, 707/398, 707/697, 707/986, 705/50, 705/51
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/24 Key scheduling, i.e. generating round keys or sub-keys for block encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/088 Usage controlling of secret information, e.g. techniques for restricting cryptographic keys to pre-authorized uses, different access levels, validity of crypto-period, different key- or password length, or different strong and weak cryptographic algorithms network architectures or network communication protocols for using time-dependent keys in a packet data network H04L63/068
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/16 the keys or algorithms being changed during operation

Abstract

Systems and methods for protecting data being sent between a client and a server include the capability of defining programmable processing steps that are applied by the server when protecting the data and the same steps are applied by the client when unprotecting the data. The programmable processing steps can be defined uniquely for each client, and the programmable processing steps are selected from a number of functions using sequencing data that defines the processing steps. The programmable processing steps allow for each client to process encrypted data in a different manner and the programmable processing steps are defined by what is called a digital rights management (DRM) Sequencing Key, and as such the system and method introduces a key-able DRM whereby each DRM message can be processed in a unique (or pseudo unique) manner.

Claims

1. A client device for using encrypted data comprising:

an input data interface module for receiving protected data;

a memory for storing a plurality of decryption functions and sequencer data that defines a sequence of selected ones of the plurality of decryption functions and defines at least one additional operation; and

a processor coupled to the input data interface module and the memory and arranged to sequentially apply the selected ones of the plurality of the decryption functions to the protected data in the sequence defined by the sequencer data, and to report to a server a quantum data selected from the group consisting of a number of movies watched on the client device, a time interval between certain channel changes on the client device, and when the client device was first powered on.

2. The client device of claim 1, wherein the input data interface module is further arranged for receiving the sequencer data.

3. The client device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further arranged to detect tampering of the client device.

4. The client device of claim 3, wherein the detection of tampering includes reading a hardware identifier.

5. The client device of claim 4, wherein the sequencer data further includes identification of a function for detection of tampering.

6. The client device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further arranged to, using a function identified by the sequencer data, read a hardware identifier of the client device and to report the hardware identifier to a server.

7. The client device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further arranged to modify one of the decryption functions, wherein modifying one of the decryption functions is triggered by a value in the sequencer data.

8. The client device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further arranged to modify one of the decryption functions by applying one of the plurality of the decryption functions identified by a value in the sequencer data to the one of the decryption functions.

9. The client device of claim 1, wherein at least part of the memory is in a smart card.

10. The client device of claim 9, wherein the smart card is arranged to store information that is unique to the client device.

11. The client device of claim 1, wherein the sequencer data further includes identification of a function to select the quantum data and to report the quantum data to the server.

12. The client device of claim 1, wherein the particular one of the plurality of decryption functions selected by a particular value in the sequence data changes with time.

13. A method of protecting data to be transmitted to a plurality of client devices, the method comprising:

receiving input data to be protected;

for each client device of the plurality of client devices, mapping sequencer data that describes an order in which selected ones of a plurality of protection functions will be applied to the input data, the mapping based on a mapping used by the respective client device for selecting the protection functions from the sequencer data, wherein each client device of the plurality of client devices has a unique mapping for selecting protection functions from sequencer data;

generating protected output data for each client device of the plurality of client devices by executing a software program to sequentially apply the selected protection functions to the input data according to the order described by the corresponding mapped sequencer data; and

transmitting the respective protected output data to each client device of the plurality of client devices; and

transmitting the sequencer data to the plurality of client devices, the sequencer data for use in decrypting the protected output data by each of the plurality of client devices.

14. A method of protecting data to be transmitted to a plurality of client devices, the method comprising:

receiving input data to be protected;

generating protected output data by executing a software program to sequentially apply selected ones of a plurality of protection functions to the input data according to an order described by sequencer data;

transmitting the protected output data to the plurality of client devices;

mapping the sequencer data for each client device of the plurality of client devices based on a mapping used by the respective client device for selecting the protection functions from the sequencer data, wherein each client device of the plurality of client devices has a unique mapping for selecting protection functions from sequencer data; and

transmitting the corresponding mapped sequencer data to each client device of the plurality of client devices.