Access-control method for software module and programmable electronic device therefor

• US 8,060,751 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2007
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Dynamics C4 Systems Incorporated (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Dynamics C4 Systems Incorporated (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Inventors: Paskett, Sherman W., Kitaj, Paul Thomas, Seeker, Frank Edward, Tuggenberg, Steve Robert, Hardy, Douglas Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Tongoc
• Application Number:
  US11/857,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20080077755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 713/182, 713/185, 713/191, 713/159, 713/165, 713/167, 380/44, 726 26- 30, 726 18- 20, 711/152, 711/154, 711/155
• US Class Current: 713/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853

Abstract

A programmable electronic device (10) stores a number of cipher-text software modules (14) to which access is granted after evaluating a user'"'"'s token (55, 80, 82), a software-restriction class (58) for a requested software module (14), and/or a currently active access-control model (60). Access-control models (60) span a range from uncontrolled to highly restrictive. Models (60) become automatically activated and deactivated as users are added to and deleted from the device (10). A virtual internal user proxy that does not require users to provide tokens (80, 82) is used to enable access to modules (16) classified in a global software-restriction class (62) or when an uncontrolled-access-control model (68) is active. Both licensed modules (76) and unlicensed modules (18,78) may be loaded in the device (10). However, no keys are provided to enable decryption of unlicensed modules (18,78).

Claims

1. A method of controlling access to a programmable electronic device configured to selectively make any of a plurality of licensed software modules installed on said device available to a user, said method comprising:

a) classifying said plurality of licensed and installed software modules into software-access-restriction classes;

b) activating one of a plurality of access-control models associated with said device;

c) storing at least some of said software modules in an encrypted form in said device;

d) receiving a request to access one of said plurality of software modules;

e) evaluating said software-access-restriction class for said one of said plurality of software modules and said one of said plurality of access-control models to determine whether to grant access to said one of said plurality of software modules; and

f) making said one of said plurality of licensed software modules installed on said device available to a user of said device when said evaluating activity determines to grant access to said one of said plurality of software modules and denying access to said one of said plurality of licensed software modules installed on said device when said evaluating activity determines not to grant access to said one of said plurality of software modules;

wherein said making activity f) comprises;

obtaining a cipher-key from a token by combining a token-key portion of said token with a split-key to generate said cipher-key; and

decrypting said one of said plurality of software modules in response to said cipher-key to form a plain-text module, wherein said one of said plurality of software modules has a genuine split-key associated therewith, and said device also has an unlicensed program having an artificial split-key associated therewith.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said activated one of said plurality of access-control models is a first access-control model, and said method additionally comprises:

deactivating said first access-control model; and

activating a second one of said plurality of access-control models.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plurality of access-control models includes an uncontrolled-access-control model for which no externally-supplied token is required to grant access to at least some of said software modules and a controlled-access-control model for which externally-supplied tokens are required to grant access to at least some of said software modules.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said software-access-restriction classes include a global software-access-restriction class configured so that no externally-supplied token is required to grant access to said ones of software modules classified in said global class regardless of which of said plurality of access-control models has been activated.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plurality of access-control models includes:

an administered-controlled-access-control model configured so that an externally-supplied administrator token is required to grant access to ones of said software modules classified as being in an administration software-access-restriction class; and

an unadministered-controlled-access-control model configured so that an externally-supplied common token is required to grant access to ones of said software modules classified as being in said administration software-access-restriction class.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said plurality of access-control models further includes an uncontrolled-access-control model for which no externally-supplied token is required to grant access to said software modules classified as being in said administration software-access-restriction class.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said token is an internally-supplied token for said software modules classified as being in a global software-access-restriction class.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said token is an internally-supplied token when an uncontrolled-access-control model has been activated for said device.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said token is an externally-supplied token for at least some of said software modules when a controlled-access-control model has been activated for said device.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said token is an internally-supplied token for ones of said software modules classified as being in a global software-access-restriction class;

said token is an internally-supplied token for at least some of said software modules when an uncontrolled-access-control model has been activated for said device; and

said token is an externally-supplied token for at least some of said software modules when a controlled-access-control model has been activated for said device.

11. A programmable electronic device having an access-control system configured to selectively make any of a plurality of licensed software modules installed on said device available to a user, said device comprising:

a memory having a plurality of licensed software modules which have been classified into software-access-restriction classes installed therein, said memory being configured so that at least some of said software modules are in an encrypted form;

an access-control-model-activator configured to activate one of a plurality of access-control models associated with said device;

an input device configured to receive a request to access one of said plurality of licensed software modules;

an access-control-processor configured to evaluate said software-access-restriction class for said one of said plurality of licensed software modules and to evaluate said one of said plurality of access-control models to determine whether to grant access to said one of said plurality of licensed software modules; and

a module-activator configured to make said one of said plurality of licensed software modules installed on said device available to a user of said device when said access-control processor determines to grant access to said one of said plurality of licensed software modules and to deny access to said one of said plurality of licensed software modules installed on said device when said access-control processor determines not to grant access to said one of said plurality of licensed software modules;

wherein said module-activator is configured to obtain a cipher-key in response to a token by combining a token-key portion of said token with a split-key to generate said cipher-key and decrypt said one of said plurality of software modules in response to said cipher-key to form a plain-text module, said one of said plurality of software modules having a genuine split-key associated therewith, and said device also having an unlicensed program having an artificial split-key associated therewith.

12. A programmable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 wherein:

said activated one of said plurality of access-control models is a first access-control model; and

said access-control-model-activator is further configured to deactivate said first access-control model and activate a second one of said plurality of access-control models.

13. A programmable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 wherein said plurality of access-control models includes an uncontrolled-access-control model for which no externally-supplied token is required to grant access to at least some of said software modules and a controlled-access-control model for which externally-supplied tokens are required to grant access to at least some of said software modules.

14. A programmable electronic device as claimed in claim 13 wherein said software-access-restriction classes include a global class configured so that no externally-supplied token is required to grant access to said ones of software modules classified in said global software-access-restriction class regardless of which of said plurality of access-control models has been activated.

15. A programmable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 wherein said plurality of access-control models includes:

an administered-controlled-access-control model configured so that an externally-supplied administrator token is required to grant access to ones of said software modules classified as being in an administration software-access-restriction class; and

an unadministered-controlled-access-control model configured so that an externally-supplied common token is required to grant access to ones of said software modules classified as being in said administration software-access-restriction class.

16. A programmable electronic device as claimed in claim 15 wherein said plurality of access-control models further includes an uncontrolled-access-control model for which no externally-supplied token is required to grant access to said software modules classified as being in said administration software-access-restriction class.

17. A programmable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 wherein said token is an internally-supplied token for said ones of said software modules that have been classified as being in a global software-access-restriction class, said internally-supplied token being stored in said memory.

18. A programmable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 wherein said token is an internally-supplied token when an uncontrolled-access-control model has been activated for said device, said internally-supplied token being stored in said memory.

19. A programmable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 wherein said token is an externally-supplied token for at least some of said software modules when a controlled-access-control model has been activated for said device, said externally-supplied token being received at an input device.

20. A programmable electronic device as claimed in claim 11 wherein:

said token is an internally-supplied token obtained from said memory for ones of said software modules classified as being in a global software-access-restriction class;

said token is an internally-supplied token for at least some of said software modules when an uncontrolled-access-control model has been activated for said device; and

said token is an externally-supplied token for at least some of said software modules when a controlled-access-control model has been activated for said device, wherein said externally-supplied token is received at an input device.