Method and system for secure computational outsourcing and disguise

• US 20060107070A1
• Filed: 10/17/2005
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation (The Trustees of Purdue University (d/b/a Purdue University))
• Original Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation (The Trustees of Purdue University (d/b/a Purdue University))
• Inventors: Rice, John R., Atallah, Mikhail J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,707,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/190
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/14 against software analysis or reverse engineering, e.g. by obfuscation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application

Abstract

Method and system for secure computational outsourcing and disguise of data, computer programs, pictures, and databases from unauthorized access, theft, and tampering using disguising and tamperproofing operations. In some embodiments, the disguising operation includes generating a random number for each data element, and modifying each data element with the random numbers. In some embodiments, the computer program, written in a first programming language, is partitioned into first and second programs; the first program determines whether access to the data is authorized, the second program entangles the second program and the data; and the second program is translated into a second programming language. An embodiment of the present invention comprises a method for identifying the subject of a first picture by comparison to a second picture. Embodiments comprise securing a computer program with real programming code by creating dummy program code and mixing the dummy and real program code.

Claims

1. A method for securing data from unauthorized access, theft and tampering, said data and an associated computer program being stored in a computer memory, said method comprising:

performing a disguising operation on said data to disguise said data; and

performing a tamperproofing operation on said computer program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said data comprises a plurality of data elements, and wherein said disguising operation comprises:

generating a random number for each data element; and

modifying each data element by adding said random number to said data element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein seeds for generating said random numbers are obtained from said data elements.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein each said data elements comprises a function and said random numbers are generated using a perturbation of said function.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein each said data elements comprises a symbolic element and said symbolic element is used to perform said disguising operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said data comprises a plurality of ordered data elements and said disguising operation comprises the step of randomly reordering said ordered data elements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said data comprises a plurality of real numbers, said method further comprising using a floating-point processor of said computer to perform said disguising operation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said computer program comprises instructions for accessing said data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said computer program further comprises instructions for accessing information about said data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said information about said data comprises instructions for changing said data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said information about said data further comprises an identity of a person authorizing a change to said data.

12. A method for securing data from unauthorized access, theft and tampering, said data and an associated computer program being stored in a computer memory, said computer program being written in a first programming language, said method comprising:

partitioning said computer program into a first program and a second program;

executing said first program to determine whether access to said data is authorized;

executing said second program to entangle said second program and said data; and

translating said second program into a second programming language to secure said data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of executing said first program comprises determining whether an authorized output device is being used to access said data.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of executing said first program further comprises:

obtaining said identity of said person using said computer to access said data; and

determining whether said identity is authorized to access said data.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of executing said first program further comprises:

obtaining said identity of said computer being used to access said data; and

determining whether said identity is authorized to access said data.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of executing said second program further comprises intermixing portions of said second program and portions of said data.

17. A method for securing a plurality of data elements from unauthorized access, theft, and tampering, said data elements and an associated computer program being stored in a computer memory, said method comprising:

executing said computer program to generate a sequence of random numbers;

dividing said sequence of random numbers into a plurality of random number segments;

dividing said data elements into a corresponding plurality of data segments;

identifying a programming code segment associated with each of said random number segments;

interspersing said code segments and data segments in a file; and

replacing each data element with a code segment and a data segment in said file.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

generating a plurality of segments of false information; and

inserting a segment of false information adjacent to a corresponding data segment in said file.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said segments of false information are configured to appear to comprise data, programming code, or data in combination with programming code.

20. A method for securing data from unauthorized access, theft and tampering, said data having an associated first computer program written in a first programming language, said data and said first computer program being stored on a computer, said method comprising the steps of:

creating a second programming language;

creating a second computer program to emulate said second programming language, said second computer program configured to be executed on said computer; and

translating said first computer program into said second programming language using said second computer program to secure said data.

21. A computer-implemented method for securing a picture from unauthorized access, theft, and tampering, said method comprising:

identifying a plurality of points on said picture to create a planar graph;

determining coordinates for each of said points on said planar graph;

indexing said point coordinates to create a first vector; and

performing a disguising operation on said first vector.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising after the step of determining coordinates for each of said points on said planar graph, the step of converting said point coordinates to represent a frontal view of said picture if said picture is not of a frontal view.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said disguising operation comprises:

ordering said vector according to a random permutation of integers;

generating a second vector of the same length as said first vector; and

adding said second vector to said first vector.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said picture comprises an image of a human face.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein said picture comprises an image of a fingerprint.

26. A computer-implemented method for identifying said subject of a first picture by comparison to a second picture, said method comprising:

identifying a plurality of points on said first and second pictures to create first and second planar graphs, respectively;

determining coordinates for each of said points on each of said first and second planar graphs;

indexing said point coordinates for each of said first and second planar graphs to create first and second vectors, respectively;

performing a disguising operation on said first and second vectors; and

comparing said first and second disguised vectors.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of revealing said subject of said first picture by performing an unveiling operation on said first disguised vector.

28. A method for securing a database from unauthorized access, theft, and tampering, said method comprising:

partitioning said database into a computer program and a plurality of data entries;

assigning a key to each data entry using said computer program; and

performing a disguising operation on each key and each data entry to secure said database.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said disguising operation comprises:

generating random data using a random data generator;

adding said random data to each data entry; and

adding said random data to each key to disguise said database.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said computer program comprises said random data generator, and a tamperproofing operation is performed on said computer program.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of detecting whether an authorized user has exceeded an access limit.

32. A method for securing computer program code from unauthorized access, theft, and tampering, said computer program code operable to perform a real operation on a real input to produce a real output, said method comprising:

creating dummy program code operable to perform a dummy operation on a dummy input to produce a dummy output;

replicating each of said real input and said dummy input at least one time;

performing said real operation using said replicated real input and said replicated dummy input to produce a first output;

performing said real operation using said first output if said first output comprises said real input to produce a second output;

performing said dummy operation using said first output if said first output comprises said dummy input to produce a third output;

storing said second output as said real output; and

storing said third output as said dummy output.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said computer program code comprises a plurality of program statements.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said dummy code comprises a plurality of program statements.

35. A method for securing a computer program from unauthorized access, theft, and tampering, said computer program comprising real programming code, said method comprising:

creating dummy program code;

replicating each of said real code and said dummy code at least one time; and

mixing said dummy code and said real code.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein said dummy code comprises a plurality of variables that are not used by said computer program.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said variables are used by said dummy code more than once.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein each variable has a variable name and each variable name has no meaning with respect to said computer program.

36. The method of 35, wherein said real code comprises a plurality of program statements.

37. The method of 36, wherein said dummy code comprises a plurality of program statements.