Systems and methods using cryptography to protect secure computing environments

• US 20060248353A1
• Filed: 06/14/2006
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David M. Van Wie, Victor H. Shear, W Olin Sibert
• Original Assignee: David M. Van Wie, Victor H. Shear, W Olin Sibert
• Inventors: Sibert, W. Olin, Shear, Victor H., Van Wie, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,925,898 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/194
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1483 using an access-table, e.g. matrix or list
• 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 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3823 combining multiple encryption tools for a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3825 Use of electronic signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00159 Parental control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00173 wherein the origin of the content is checked, e.g. determining whether the content has originally been retrieved from a legal disc copy or another trusted source
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00188 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised devices recording or reproducing contents to/from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00195 using a device identifier associated with the player or recorder, e.g. serial numbers of playback apparatuses or MAC addresses
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00543 wherein external data is encrypted, e.g. for secure communication with an external device or for encrypting content on a separate record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00557 wherein further management data is encrypted, e.g. sector headers, TOC or the lead-in or lead-out areas
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00688 : said measures preventing that a usable copy of recorded data can be made on another medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 : involving a purchase action
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00768 : wherein copy control information is used, e.g. for indicating whether a content may be copied freely, no more, once, or never, by setting CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/216 : Rewritable discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 : Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 : DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2575 : DVD-RAMs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 : Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 : on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40104 : Security; Encryption; Content protection cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; protocols for network security H04L63/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40117 : Interconnection of audio or video/imaging devices home automation networks H04L12/2803; bitstream network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24

Abstract

Secure computation environments are protected from bogus or rogue load modules, executables and other data elements through use of digital signatures, seals and certificates issued by a verifying authority. A verifying authority—which may be a trusted independent third party—tests the load modules or other executables to verify that their corresponding specifications are accurate and complete, and then digitally signs the load module or other executable based on tamper resistance work factor classification. Secure computation environments with different tamper resistance work factors use different verification digital signature authentication techniques (e.g., different signature algorithms and/or signature verification keys)—allowing one tamper resistance work factor environment to protect itself against load modules from another, different tamper resistance work factor environment. Several dissimilar digital signature algorithms may be used to reduce vulnerability from algorithm compromise, and subsets of multiple digital signatures may be used to reduce the scope of any specific compromise.

Claims

1-43. -43. (canceled)

44. A method including the following:

at a certification authority, receiving an executable program generated by a party independent of the certification authority;

at the certification authority, testing the executable program and, based on the results of the testing, generating a specification describing the actual operation of the executable program;

at the certification authority, generating a digital certificate certifying that the executable program operates in the manner described in the specification;

receiving the executable program at a user site;

receiving the digital certificate at the user site, the digital certificate specifying a security level;

at the user site, evaluating the digital certificate to determine (a) if the digital certificate is associated with the executable program, and (b) whether to execute the executable program, said evaluation including comparing the security level to a required security level; and

at the user site, executing the executable program, the execution being dependent on the evaluation of the digital certificate;

wherein the user site includes a tamper-resistant execution space, the tamper-resistant execution space being operable to protect against tampering, by a user at the user site, with the performance of said step of evaluating the digital certificate.

45. A method including the following:

at a certification authority, receiving an executable program generated by a party independent of the certification authority;

at the certification authority, testing the executable program and, based on the results of the testing, generating a specification describing the actual operation of the executable program;

at the certification authority, generating a digital certificate certifying that the executable program operates in the manner described in the specification;

receiving the executable program at a user site;

receiving the digital certificate at the user site;

at the user site, evaluating the digital certificate to determine (a) if the digital certificate is associated with the executable program, and (b) whether to execute the executable program, said evaluation including comparing a hash value stored in the digital certificate to a hash of at least a portion of the executable program; and

at the user site, executing the executable program, the execution being dependent on the evaluation of the digital certificate;

wherein the user site includes a tamper-resistant execution space, the tamper-resistant execution space being operable to protect against tampering, by a user at the user site, with the performance of said step of evaluating the digital certificate.

46. A method as in claim 45, in which:

the hash value comparison is preceded by the user site decrypting the hash value stored in the digital certificate using a public key associated with the certification authority.

47. A method including the following:

at a certification authority, receiving an executable program generated by a party independent of the certification authority;

at the certification authority, testing the executable program and, based on the results of the testing, generating a specification describing the actual operation of the executable program;

at the certification authority, generating a digital certificate certifying that the executable program operates in the manner described in the specification;

receiving the executable program at a user site;

receiving the digital certificate at the user site;

at the user site, evaluating the digital certificate to determine (a) if the digital certificate is associated with the executable program, and (b) whether to execute the executable program; and

at the user site, executing the executable program, the execution being dependent on the evaluation of the digital certificate;

wherein the user site includes a tamper-resistant execution space, the tamper-resistant execution space being operable to protect against tampering, by a user at the user site, with the performance of said step of evaluating the digital certificate, and wherein the digital certificate includes the specification, and the step of evaluating the digital certificate includes evaluating the specification.