Secure key authentication and ladder system

Abstract

Method and system for secure key authentication and key ladder are provided herein. Aspects of the method for secure key authentication may include generating a digital signature of a secure key in order to obtain a digitally signed secure key and transmitting the digitally signed secure key from a first location to a second location. The digital signature may be generated by utilizing an asymmetric encryption algorithm and / or a symmetric encryption algorithm. The digitally signed secure key may be encrypted prior to transmission. The secure key may be a master key, a work key and / or a scrambling key. The digitally signed secure key may be received at the second location and the digitally signed secure key may be decrypted to obtain a decrypted digitally signed secure key.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS / INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE [0001] [Not Applicable]FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] Certain embodiments of the invention relate to conditional access and copy protection systems. More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to a method and system for secure key authentication and key ladder. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The implementation of fee-based video broadcasting requires a conventional conditional access (CA) system to prevent non-subscribers and unauthorized users from receiving signal broadcasts. A complete CA system usually includes three main functions: a scrambling / descrambling function, an entitlement control function, and an entitlement management function. [0004] The scrambling / descrambling function is designed to make the program incomprehensible for unauthorized receivers. Scrambling can be applied commonly or separately to the different elementary stream components of a program. For example, the video, au...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0035]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for conventional digital signature generation and verification process utilizing public ke

Problems solved by technology

Most CA systems scramble and / or randomize transmitted data bits so that unauthorized decoders cannot decode the transmitted data bits.

With regard to robust protection against signal piracy, it must be difficult for a third party to perform unauthorized reception.

In addition, the scrambled signal content must not be understandable.

Even though the key unwrapping module 206 may provide increasing level of protection by increasing the number of scramblers and encrypted keys, it may be difficult to determine whether or not the received encrypted keys in the key ladder system 200 of FIG. 2 have been manipulated by unauthorized parties.

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