32069results about "Key distribution for secure communication" patented technology

Disclosed is a method and apparatus of securely providing data to a user's system. The data is encrypted so as to only be decryptable by a data decrypting key, the data decrypting key being encrypted using a first public key, and the encrypted data being accessible to the user's system, the method comprising the steps of: transferring the encrypted data decrypting key to a clearing house that possesses a first private key, which corresponds to the first public key; decrypting the data decrypting key using the first private key; re-encrypting the data decrypting key using a second public key; transferring the re-encrypted data decrypting key to the user's system, the user's system possessing a second private key, which corresponds to the second public key; and decrypting the re-encrypted data decrypting key using the second private key.

A system and method for communicating information between a first party and a second party, comprising identifying desired information, negotiating, through an intermediary, a comprehension function for obscuring at least a portion of the information communicated between the first party and the second party, communicating the encrypted information to the second party, and decrypting the encrypted information using the negotiated comprehension function. Preferably, the intermediary does not itself possess sufficient information to decrypt the encrypted information, thus allowing use of an “untrusted” intermediary. The comprehension function may be dynamic with respect to its response to the negotiated comprehension function, and thus permit limitations on the use of the information by the second party. For example, the decryption of the encrypted information may be time limited.

A system and method for limiting access to and preventing unauthorized use of an owner's digital content stored in an information network and available to clients under authorized conditions. The network includes at least one server coupled to a storage device for storing the limited access digital content encrypted using a random-generated key, known as a Document Encryption Key (DEK). The DEK is further encrypted with the server's public key, using a public/private key pair algorithm and placed in a digital container stored in a storage device and including as a part of the meta-information which is in the container. The client's workstation is coupled to the server for acquiring the limited access digital content under the authorized condition. A Trusted Information Handler (TIH) is validated by the server after the handler provides a data signature and type of signing algorithm to transaction data descriptive of the purchase agreement between the client and the owner. After the handler has authenticated, the server decrypts the encrypted DEK with its private key and re-encrypts the DEK with the handler's public key ensuring that only the information handler can process the information. The encrypted DEK is further encrypted with the client's public key personalizing the digital content to the client. The client's program decrypts the DEK with his private key and passes it along with the encrypted content to the handler which decrypts the DEK with his private key and proceeds to decrypt the content for displaying to the client.

The invention combines cryptographic key management technology with various authentication options and the use of a companion PKI system in a web-centric cryptographic key management security method and apparatus called PXa3(TM) (Precise eXtensible Authentication, Authorization and Administration). The PXa3 model uses a security profile unique to a network user and the member domain(s) he/she belongs to. A PXa3 server holds all private keys and certificates, the user's security profile, including credentials and the optional authentication enrollment data. The server maintains a security profile for each user, and administrators simply transmitted credential updates and other periodic maintenance updates to users via their PXa3 server-based member accounts. Domain and workgroup administrators also perform administrative chores via a connection to the PXa3 web site, rather than on a local workstation. A member's security profile, containing algorithm access permissions, credentials, domain and maintenance values, a file header encrypting key, optional biometric templates, and domain-specific policies is contained in one of two places: either on a removable cryptographic token (e.g., a smart card), or on a central server-based profile maintained for each member and available as a downloadable "soft token" over any Internet connection.

The present invention discloses a central certificate management system for thin client devices in data networks and has particular applications to systems having a large number of the thin clients serviced by a proxy server through which the thin clients communicate with a plurality of secure server computers over a data network. According to one aspect, the present invention provides a certificate management module that causes the server device to manage digital certificates for each of the thin client devices. To minimize the latency of obtaining certificates for each of the thin client devices, the certificate management module reserves a fixed number of free certificates signed by a certificate authority and their respective private keys in a certificate database and frequently updates the free certificate according to a certificate updating message. Whenever a user account is created for a thin client device, the certificate management module fetches one or more free certificates from the certificate database and associate the fetched certificates to the created account and meanwhile the certificate management module creates new free certificates with the certificate authority to fill in the certificate database. Apart from the tradition of obtaining certificates locally in client devices that normally have sufficient computing power, the present invention uses the computing resources in a server device to carry out the task of obtaining and maintaining certificates asynchronously in the proxy server and further. These and other features in the present invention dramatically minimize the demands for computing power and memory in thin client devices like mobile devices, cellular phones, landline telephones or Internet appliance controllers.

A disclosed gaming machine may securely communicate with devices over a public network such as the Internet. The gaming machine utilizes a combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption that allows a single gaming machine to securely communicate with a remote server using a public network. The secure communication methods may be used to transfer gaming software and gaming information between two gaming devices, such as between a game server and a gaming machine. For regulatory and tracking purposes, the transfer of gaming software between the two gaming devices may be authorized and monitored by a software authorization agent.

Encryption-based data access management may include a variety of processes. In one example, a device may transmit a user authentication request for decrypting encrypted data to a data storage server storing the encrypted data. The computing device may then receive a validation token associated with the user's authentication request, the validation token indicating that the user is authenticated to a domain. Subsequently, the computing device may transmit the validation token to a first key server different from the data storage server. Then, in response to transmitting the validation token the computing device may receive, from the first key server, a key required for decrypting the encrypted data. The device may then decrypt at least a portion of the encrypted data using the key.

A method of protecting a password being used to establish interaction between a user and an application includes detecting a request for the password from the application by receiving a notification from the user indicating the request. The method further includes combining the password with information identifying the application, so as to produce a protected password, and authenticating to the application using the protected password. The method may also include a mutual authentication capability between user and the application.

A server architecture for a digital rights management system that distributes and protects rights in content. The server architecture includes a retail site which sells content items to consumers, a fulfillment site which provides to consumers the content items sold by the retail site, and an activation site which enables consumer reading devices to use content items having an enhanced level of copy protection. Each retail site is equipped with a URL encryption object, which encrypts, according to a secret symmetric key shared between the retail site and the fulfillment site, information that is needed by the fulfillment site to process an order for content sold by the retail site. Upon selling a content item, the retail site transmits to the purchaser a web page having a link to a URL comprising the address of the fulfillment site and a parameter having the encrypted information. Upon following the link, the fulfillment site downloads the ordered content to the consumer, preparing the content if necessary in accordance with the type of security to be carried with the content. The fulfillment site includes an asynchronous fulfillment pipeline which logs information about processed transactions using a store-and-forward messaging service. The fulfillment site may be implemented as several server devices, each having a cache which stores frequently downloaded content items, in which case the asynchronous fulfillment pipeline may also be used to invalidate the cache if a change is made at one server that affects the cached content items. An activation site provides an activation certificate and a secure repository executable to consumer content-rendering devices which enables those content rendering devices to render content having an enhanced level of copy-resistance. The activation site “activates” client-reading devices in a way that binds them to a persona, and limits the number of devices that may be activated for a particular persona, or the rate at which such devices may be activated for a particular persona.

An enforcement architecture and method for implementing digital rights management are disclosed. Digital content is distributed from a content server to a computing device of a user and received, and an attempt is made to render the digital content by way of a rendering application. The rendering application invokes a Digital Rights Management (DRM) system, and such DRM system determines whether a right to render the digital content in the manner sought exists based on any digital license stored in the computing device and corresponding to the digital content. If the right does not exist, a digital license that provides such right and that corresponds to the digital content is requested from a license server, and the license server issues the digital license to the DRM system. The computing device receives the issued digital license and stores the received digital license thereon.

Methods, systems and computer program products are provided which provide for controlling access to digital data in a file by encrypting the data with a first key, encrypting the first key with a second personal key generated from a password/passphrase associated with the file and further encrypting the encrypted first key with a control key which is managed by the system. In certain embodiments, user authentication may also be provided by issuing a ticket which is utilized to create, access and administer the files in the system.

A secure data parser is provided that may be integrated into any suitable system for securely storing and communicating data. The secure data parser parses data and then splits the data into multiple portions that are stored or communicated distinctly. Encryption of the original data, the portions of data, or both may be employed for additional security. The secure data parser may be used to protect data in motion by splitting original data into portions of data, that may be communicated using multiple communications paths.

A method of securely providing data to a user's system over a broadcast infrastructure. The method comprising the steps of: encrypting the data using a first encrypting key; encrypting a first decrypting key using a second encrypting key; dividing at least part of the encrypted data into a series of logical packages; placing at least some of the logical packages into a broadcast carousel for cyclical broadcast over the broadcast infrastructure; broadcasting the packages in broadcast carousel so that they can be received by at least one user's system, wherein the broadcast is cyclical and repeats periodically; and transferring the encrypted first decrypting key, which has been encrypted with the second encrypting key, to the user's system.In another embodiment, a system is disclosed to carry out the above method in a broadcast infrastructure and an image overlaid on top of a primary image being displayed isused to denote that additional logical packages are available for receipt by broadcast.

A method, system, and computer program product for selectively encrypting one or more elements of a document using style sheet processing. Disclosed is a policy-driven augmented style sheet processor (e.g. an Extensible Stylesheet Language, or “XSL”, processor) that creates a selectively-encrypted document (e.g. an Extensible Markup Language, or “XML”, document) carrying key-distribution material, such that by using an augmented document processor (e.g. an augmented XML processing engine), an agent can recover only the information elements for which it is authorized. The Document Type Definition (DTD) or schema associated with a document is modified, such that the DTD or schema specifies a reference to stored security policy to be applied to document elements. Each document element may specify a different security policy, such that the different elements of a single document can be encrypted differently (and, some elements may remain unencrypted). The key distribution material enables a document to be encrypted for decryption by an audience that is unknown at the time of document creation, and enables access to the distinct elements of a single encrypted document to be controlled for multiple users and/or groups of users. In this manner, group collaboration is improved by giving more people easier access to information for which they are authorized, while protecting sensitive data from unauthorized agents. A key recovery technique is also defined, whereby the entire document can be decrypted by an authorized agent regardless of how the different elements were originally encrypted and the access protections which were applied to those elements.

A system and method for securely authenticating a data exchange session with an implantable medical device is presented. A crypto key uniquely associated with an implantable medical device is defined to authenticate data during a data exchange session. A secure connection is established from an external source with a secure key repository securely maintaining the crypto key. Authorization to access data on the implantable medical device is authenticated by securely retrieving the crypto key from the secure key repository.

A method of authenticating a user to use a system includes using a provider token to generate a random value. The token generates a derived key based at least in part on a token-provided salt value and a user-provided password. The provider generates a token unlock key based at least in part on the derived key and sends it to the token. First and second challenge data instances are generated by the provider and the token, respectively, and the process is terminated if the challenge data instances are determined not to match. If the challenge data instances are determined to match, then an encrypted data transfer system is established between the token and the provider, and the token unlocks locked private data stored on the token. The user is authenticated for secured use of the system based at least in part on the unlocked private data.