Enabling cryptographic features in a cryptographic device using MAC addresses
US7389415B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 27, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jun 17, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 19, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F21/72
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and system are disclosed that provide a significant improvement for securely selecting a subset of available cryptographic functionality in a system. This is implemented by using the highest level of cryptography available in a system to encrypt the system initialization data used to select, enable, disable, or configure cryptographic features in a crypto chip. The system decrypts the encrypted data by momentarily fully enabling the crypto chip during the boot process, and using a known, system-unique, and fixed seed to generate the private key to use for decryption. The seed used is the system's MAC address (L2 LAN address—medium access control). Alternatively, the system could include a one-time use decryption-only algorithm in the boot strap code itself.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.