Method and apparatus for controlling the configuration of a cryptographic processor
US6108425A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 30, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 22, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 30, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L2209/56
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The capabilities of a cryptographic module are controlled by a crypto configuration control (CCC) register that is initialized by one or more self-signed commands that are preformulated and signed with the digital signature key of the crypto module itself. The crypto module accepts a self-signed command only if the self-signature can be validated using the signature verification key of the module. In one implementation, the final configuration is determined by a single self-signed command. In another implementation, a first self-signed command is used to create an temporary configuration that allows one or more initialization authorities to issue additional commands fixing the final configuration. The self-signed commands are maintained separately from the crypto module and are distributed to the end user either physically or electronically. After the self-signed commands have been created and the secret exponent has been embedded in a particular crypto module, all copies of the secret exponent external to the crypto module are destroyed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.