U.S. patent application number 13/925313 was filed with the patent office on 2017-08-17 for system and method for delivering encrypted information in a communication network using location identity and key tables.
The applicant listed for this patent is GEOCODEX LLC. Invention is credited to Dorothy E. DENNING, Barry J. Glick, Ronald S. Karpf, Mark E. Seiler.
Application Number | 20170237556 13/925313 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52111972 |
Filed Date | 2017-08-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170237556 |
Kind Code |
A9 |
DENNING; Dorothy E. ; et
al. |
August 17, 2017 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DELIVERING ENCRYPTED INFORMATION IN A
COMMUNICATION NETWORK USING LOCATION IDENTITY AND KEY TABLES
Abstract
Access to digital data is controlled by encrypting the data in
such a manner that it can be decrypted only at a specified
location, within a specific time frame, and with a secret key. Data
encrypted in such a manner is said to be geo-encrypted. This
geo-encryption process comprises a method in which plaintext data
is first encrypted using a data encrypting key that is generated at
the time of encryption. The data encrypting key is then encrypted
(or locked) using a key encrypting key and information derived from
the location of the intended receiver. The encrypted data
encrypting key is then transmitted to the receiver along with the
ciphertext data. The receiver both must be at the correct location
and must have a copy of the corresponding key decrypting key in
order to derive the location information and decrypt the data
encrypting key.
Inventors: |
DENNING; Dorothy E.;
(Salinas, CA) ; Glick; Barry J.; (Arlington,
VA) ; Karpf; Ronald S.; (Corvallis, OR) ;
Seiler; Mark E.; (Los Angeles, CA) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
GEOCODEX LLC |
Encino |
CA |
US |
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Prior
Publication: |
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Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20140380047 A1 |
December 25, 2014 |
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Family ID: |
52111972 |
Appl. No.: |
13/925313 |
Filed: |
June 24, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11561857 |
Nov 20, 2006 |
8472627 |
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13925313 |
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09992378 |
Nov 16, 2001 |
7143289 |
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11561857 |
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09699832 |
Oct 30, 2000 |
6985588 |
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09992378 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
713/168 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 9/0825 20130101;
H04L 9/0822 20130101; H04L 9/0872 20130101; H04L 9/14 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 9/08 20060101
H04L009/08 |
Claims
1. A method for controlling access to digital information,
comprising: encrypting said digital information using a data
encrypting key; encrypting said data encrypting key using a key
encrypting key and information derived from a location identity
attribute that defines at least a specific geographic location; and
associating said encrypted data encrypting key with said encrypted
digital information such that said encrypted digital information
can be accessed only at said specific geographic location.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said location identity attribute
further comprises at least a location value and a proximity value
of said specific geographic location.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein said location value corresponds
to a location of an intended receiver of said digital
information.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein said location value further
comprises at least one of a latitude, longitude, altitude and time
dimension.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein said location value further
comprises a universal location that encompasses the entire
earth.
6. The method of claim 3, wherein said proximity value corresponds
to a zone that encompasses said location.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating said
encrypted digital information to a receiver of said digital
information disposed at said specific geographic location.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying location
of a receiver at which access to said digital information is
sought.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein said location identifying step
further comprises recovering said location from a GPS receiver.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said information derived from
said location identity attribute further comprises a location value
and a shape parameter.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: decrypting said data
encryption key using a key decrypting key and a location value; and
decrypting said digital information using said data encryption
key.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising deriving said
location value from a signal received by a GPS receiver and a shape
parameter.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein said digital information further
comprises a secret key, and further comprising the step of
distributing said secret key to an intended receiver.
14. The method of claim 11, further comprising rendering unusable
said encrypted digital information if said step of decrypting said
encrypted digital information is attempted at other than said
specific geographic location.
15. The method of claim 11, further comprising rendering unusable
said encrypted digital information if said step of decrypting said
encrypted digital information is attempted without using said key
decrypting key.
16. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing said
encrypted digital information to an intended receiver through at
least one distributor.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein said routing step further
comprises adding a layer of encryption of said data encrypting key
for said at least one distributor.
18. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating said data
encryption key using a pseudo-random number generator.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of generating said
encryption key further comprises using GPS signals to partially
seed said pseudo-random number generator.
20. The method of claim 1, further comprising decrypting said
encrypted data encrypting key, and re-encrypting said data
encrypting key using at least one of a different location identity
attribute and a different key encrypting key.
21. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a key table
used to store a plurality of keys including said key encrypting
key.
22. The method of claim 21, further comprising associating said
plurality of keys with respective providers of said digital
information.
23. The method of claim 21, further comprising administering
management of said plurality of keys in said key table.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein said administering step further
comprises adding, changing or deleting any one of said plurality of
keys in said key table.
25. The method of claim 23, wherein said key table is located with
a remote device, and said administering step further comprises
adding, changing or deleting any one of said plurality of keys in
said key table remotely.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein said administering step further
comprises including a signature when adding, changing or deleting
any one of said plurality of secret keys in said key table.
27. The method of claim 21, wherein said step of providing a key
table further comprises storing keys used for signing data and
validating signatures
28. An apparatus for controlling access to digital information,
comprising: a processor having memory adapted to store software
instructions operable to cause said processor to perform the
functions of: encrypting said digital information using a data
encrypting key; encrypting said data encrypting key using a key
encrypting key and information derived from a location identity
attribute that defines at least a specific geographic location; and
associating said encrypted data encrypting key with said encrypted
digital information such that said encrypted digital information
can be accessed only at said specific geographic location.
29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said location identity
attribute comprises at least a location value and a proximity value
of said specific geographic location.
30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said location value
corresponds to a location of an intended receiver of said digital
information.
31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said location value further
comprises at least one of a latitude, longitude, altitude and time
dimension.
32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein said proximity value
corresponds to a zone that encompasses said location.
33. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said processor is further
operable to communicate said encrypted digital information to a
receiver of said digital information located at said specific
geographic location.
34. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said processor is further
operable to identify location of a receiver at which access to said
digital information is sought.
35. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising a GPS receiver
coupled to said processor.
36. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said information derived
from said location identity attribute further comprises a location
value and a shape parameter.
37. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said digital information
further comprises a secret key, and said processor is further
operable to distribute said secret key to an intended receiver
located at said specific geographic location.
38. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said processor is further
operable to route said encrypted digital information to an intended
receiver through at least one distributor.
39. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising a pseudo-random
number generator operatively coupled to said processor to generate
said data encrypting key.
40. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said processor is further
operable to decrypt said encrypted data encrypting key, and
re-encrypt said data encrypting key using at least one of a
different location identity attribute and a different key
encrypting key.
41. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said memory further
comprises a key table used to store a plurality of keys including
said key encrypting key.
42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein ones of said plurality of
keys are associated with respective providers of said digital
information.
43. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein processor is further
operable to add, change or delete any one of said plurality of keys
in said key table.
44. The method of claim 41, wherein said processor is further
operable to provide a signature for authentication of one of said
plurality of keys.
45. An apparatus for receiving digital information, comprising: a
processor having memory adapted to store software instructions
operable to cause said processor to perform the functions of:
receiving encrypted digital information and an encrypted data
encrypting key; decrypting said data encrypting key using a key
decrypting key and a location identity attribute that defines a
specific geographic location of said apparatus; and decrypting said
encrypted digital information using said decrypted data encrypting
key.
46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein said function of decrypting
said encrypted digital information further comprises rendering
unusable said encrypted digital information if decryption is
attempted at other than said specific geographic location.
47. The apparatus of claim 45, further comprising a GPS receiver
coupled to said processor.
48. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein said processor is further
operable to re-encrypt said data encrypting key using at least one
of a different location identity attribute and a different key
encrypting key.
49. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein said memory further
comprises a key table used to store a plurality of keys including
said key decrypting key.
50. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein ones of said plurality of
keys are associated with respective providers of said digital
information.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION DATA
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending patent
application Ser. No. 09/699,832, filed Oct. 30, 2000, for SYSTEM
AND METHOD FOR USING LOCATION IDENTITY TO CONTROL ACCESS TO DIGITAL
INFORMATION, and co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/758,637,
filed Jan. 10, 2001, for CRYPTOGRAPHIC SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR
GEOLOCKING AND SECURING DIGITAL INFORMATION.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to controlling access to
digital data through a communication network based on location.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and
apparatus for encrypting digital data in a communication network in
such a manner that it can be decrypted only at a specified location
and using a secret key.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Rapid advances in computer, telecommunications and
networking technology have enabled new opportunities and
applications that were impossible just a few years ago. These
advances are exemplified by the rapid growth of network systems
seeking to delivery "high-value" content securely to authorized
recipients. Examples of such networks include those that handle
confidential, sensitive, or classified information in the health
care, financial, and national security fields. They also include
networks that handle intellectual property or copyrighted data such
as computer software, literary works, and entertainment products.
Controlling the security of information in such systems, including
confidentiality, authenticity, integrity, authorized use,
transaction secrecy, site protection, etc., has proven to be a
difficult problem that has reduced the benefit that businesses and
consumers might otherwise enjoy from such systems.
[0006] One technology that is critical to protecting information on
these networks is cryptography. Cryptography is the use of codes
and ciphers to protect data from unintended disclosure or
modification. It is primarily used to control access to
communications transmitted over open networks, but may also be used
to control access to stored data. In a transmission utilizing
cryptography to protect digital data, the sender converts the
original data, or "plaintext," into a coded equivalent called
"ciphertext" using an encryption algorithm. The ciphertext is then
decoded (or decrypted) by the receiver and thereby turned back into
plaintext. The encryption algorithm uses a key, which in digital
systems is a string of bits. In general, the larger the number of
bits in the key, the longer it takes to break the code using
so-called "brute force" methods.
[0007] Keys form the basis of all cryptographic systems. Two
separate cryptographic key methods have been widely adopted by
users of electronic networks: private-key cryptography and
public-key cryptography. With private-key cryptography (also known
as symmetric cryptography), the sender and receiver use a common
secret key to encrypt and decrypt data. With public-key
cryptography (also known as asymmetric cryptography), the sender
and receiver use different but mathematically related keys to
encrypt and decrypt the data. In particular, the sender encrypts
the data using a public key that is unique to the receiver, while
the receiver decrypts the data using the corresponding private key
that is known only to the receiver. Because separate keys are used,
public-key cryptography also can be used to provide digital
signatures for authentication and non-repudiation. In this case,
the sender signs the data using the sender's private key, while the
receiver validates the data using the sender's public key.
[0008] Owing to their different mathematics, private-key
cryptography is generally much more efficient than public-key
cryptography. It runs faster and can provide comparable security
using shorter keys. Consequently, most network systems use
private-key cryptography to encrypt and decrypt most types of data.
Public-key cryptography, if used at all, is presently used only to
distribute the secret keys used with private-key cryptography and
to digitally sign data.
[0009] The shared secret keys used with private-key cryptography
can be distributed using either private-key or public-key methods.
Private-key distribution methods are particularly well suited to
broadcast and multicast applications where a central, shared server
transmits data to one or more receivers simultaneously, such as
subscription television, and to other applications that involve
communications to or from a central server. Public-key distribution
methods are particularly well suited to applications involving
communications between two entities that do not trust each other
and do not employ a shared server, such as electronic mail
delivered across the Internet and connections between web browsers
and web servers.
[0010] With both public-key and private-key cryptography, anyone
knowing the secret key needed to decrypt the data can decrypt and
access that data, assuming the method of encryption is known (which
is generally assumed). It does not matter where the person is
located or how the person acquired the data. For some applications,
however, it would be desirable to control access to data based not
only on a secret key, but also on location. For example, in the
context of digital cinema, such a capability would enable a
producer of digital movies to be assured that its products could
only be decrypted in certain theaters whose locations would be
known in advance. Or, a provider of entertainment products such as
movies and subscription television would be assured that its
products could only be decrypted within the premises of its
customers or within a particular geographic region. This capability
would guard against many threats, including the unauthorized
distribution of copyright-protected works over the Internet or
through other means. Even if the keys were compromised, recipients
would not be at the proper location to enable decryption. The
related patent applications referenced above disclose a method and
system for encrypting digital data based on location.
[0011] It would also be desirable to have a capability to control
access to data based on the distribution path of the data. For
example, such a capability would enable a provider of protected
works to be assured that its works were distributed through
specific channels. Persons acquiring the product through other
channels would then be unable to decrypt the data, even if they
acquired the secret key. This capability could be used even when
location is not a factor for authorizing decryption. Location-based
encryption and path-dependent encryption would significantly
enhance the security of data.
[0012] Another limitation of conventional encryption systems,
particularly those that are based entirely on private-key
cryptography, is that key management is vested with a single
entity. Key management refers to the control over distribution of
keys within a network. By restricting key management to a single
entity, data providers that do not have key management authority
are limited in their ability to control access to their digital
data through the networks. Therefore, in addition to using
location-based encryption and path-dependent encryption, it would
be desirable to provide a method and system whereby multiple data
providers can independently manage the secret keys they use to
communicate with other providers and receivers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] In accordance with the present invention, access to digital
data is controlled by encrypting the data in such a manner that, in
a single digital data acquisition step, it can be decrypted only at
a specified location and with a secret key. If the sender so
elects, access to digital data also can be controlled by encrypting
it in such manner that it must traverse a specific route from the
sender to the recipient in order to enable decryption of the
data.
[0014] Data encrypted in such a manner is said to be geo-encrypted.
This geo-encryption process comprises a method in which plaintext
data is first encrypted using a random data encryption key that is
generated at the time of encryption. The data encrypting key is
then encrypted (or locked) using a location value and a key
encrypting key. The encrypted data encrypting key is then
transmitted to the receiver along with the ciphertext data. The
receiver both must be at the correct location and must have a copy
of a corresponding key decrypting key in order to derive the
location key and decrypt the data encrypting key. After the data
encrypting key is decrypted (or unlocked), it is used to decrypt
the ciphertext. If an attempt is made to decrypt the data
encrypting key at an incorrect location or using an incorrect key
decryption key, the decryption will fail. In addition, the
encrypted data encrypting key or ciphertext optionally may be
rendered unusable so that it becomes impossible to ever decrypt
that particular ciphertext. The data encrypting key may also be
encrypted in a manner that it can only be accessed at a certain
time or during a specific time frame.
[0015] In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the
ciphertext data can be routed through one or more intermediary
distributors before being transmitted to a final receiver. One
method for doing this involves encrypting the data encrypting key
with a location value and key encrypting key for the distributor.
The distributor then decrypts the data encrypting key and
re-encrypts it using a location value and key encrypting key for
the receiver. The distributor does not have to decrypt the
ciphertext, although nothing would prevent it from doing so.
Another method for routing the ciphertext through a distributor
involves encrypting the data encrypting key first with a location
value and key encrypting key for the final receiver and then with a
location value and key encrypting key for the distributor. The
distributor removes its layer of encryption from the key before
forwarding it to the receiver. If there are multiple distributors,
the data encrypting key is successively encrypted with a location
value and key encrypting key for each distributor on the path, but
in reverse order. As the encrypted key is passed from one
distributor to the next, each distributor removes its layer of
encryption. With this method, none of the distributors can decrypt
the data encrypting key because it remains encrypted with the
location value and key encrypting key for the final receiver. Thus,
the distributors cannot access the plaintext. This method also
forces the ciphertext to follow a particular path to the
receiver.
[0016] Another embodiment of the invention provides a method for
distributing shared secret keys, specifically shared key
encrypting/decrypting keys. These secret keys are transmitted from
one place to another using the same techniques as for distributing
any form of digital data. Specifically, a secret key that is to be
distributed to a receiver is encrypted using a data encrypting key.
The data encrypting key, in turn, is encrypted using a location
value and an existing key encrypting associated with the receiver.
The transmission is also digitally signed to ensure that only the
owners of keys can create, change, and delete their keys. The
sender can manage the secret keys required for decryption in a
secure manner that is transparent to the recipient. As a
consequence of its ability to manipulate the secret keys, the
sender of encrypted data retains the ability to control access to
its plaintext even after its initial transmission.
[0017] The aforementioned methods of the present invention employ a
combination of private-key (i.e., symmetric) and public-key (i.e.,
asymmetric) cryptography. Plaintext data is encrypted and decrypted
with private-key cryptography. The random data encryption key,
however, can be encrypted and decrypted using either private-key
cryptography or public-key cryptography. If private-key
cryptography is used, the key encrypting key and key decrypting key
are identical. The key encrypting/decrypting key is also kept
secret. In contrast, if public-key cryptography is used, the key
encrypting key is a separate public key, while the key decrypting
key is a mathematically-related but distinct private key. Only the
private, key decrypting key needs to be kept secret. Public-key
cryptography is also used for authentication of the communications
used to distribute the secret key encrypting/decrypting keys used
with private-key cryptography. Public-key cryptography may also be
used to authenticate other communications. It should be understood
that private-key cryptography, public-key cryptography, or both
could be used to distribute key decrypting keys in accordance with
alternative embodiments of the invention.
[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, a communication network
includes a producer device, a distributor device, a receiver
device, and an administrator device. Each of these devices includes
a key table that stores a plurality of key encrypting and key
decrypting keys, and public and private signature keys. Some of
these keys may be used with private-key cryptography, while others
are used with public-key cryptography. The producer device encrypts
the source digital data, such as a television episode or motion
picture. The distributor device enables the secure transmission of
the digital data initiated by the producer to either other
distributors or to a designated receiver. The receiver device
provides for receipt and end-user access to the plaintext of the
digital data.
[0019] The administrator device has administrative control over
some or all of the keys in the key tables. Providers, including
producers, distributors and administrators, can add new keys to
their own devices and to the devices of others, although they may
be limited in the total number of keys that can be added to any
particular device. Providers also can change and delete any key
they own in any device. In addition, each user of the present
invention may own one or more keys in the key table of their own
device to handle their specific needs. Further, individual
electronic devices within the communications network may
incorporate any combination of producer, distributor, receiver and
administrator functionality within a single unit so that a single
node may embody whatever functionality is deemed appropriate.
[0020] In summary, the geo-encryption methods of the present
invention extend the conventional methods of encryption to
location-based and path-based encryption. If encrypted data is
acquired at an unauthorized location or from an unauthorized
channel through interception, transmission, or downloading, it
cannot be decrypted because the location information pertaining to
this unauthorized location would be inconsistent with the encrypted
data. Further, if a device containing ciphertext is moved to a new,
unauthorized location, it will not be possible to decrypt the
ciphertext even if the device has the correct keys. It should be
understood, however, that data could be securely moved between
locations by authorized persons by re-encrypting or re-locking the
random data encryption key for the new location. In order to
compromise the geo-encryption, an adversary would have to know the
encryption methods, location, and secret keys. Security ultimately
depends on keeping the keys secret, since the methods and location
may become known.
[0021] It should be appreciated that geo-encryption can be used
even when location is not to be a factor in granting access. In
that case, the encryption is made for a universal location that
includes the entire world. This permits decryption anywhere in the
world provided the receiver has the key decrypting key needed to
decrypt the random data encrypting key. It also should be
appreciated that geo-encryption can be used when time is not to be
factor in granting access, thereby permitting decryption over an
indefinite period of time.
[0022] A more complete understanding of the system and method for
delivering encrypted information in a communication network using
location identity and key tables will be afforded to those skilled
in the art, as well as a realization of additional advantages and
objects thereof, by a consideration of the following detailed
description of the preferred embodiment. Reference will be made to
the appended sheets of drawings, which will first be described
briefly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating access to digital
information determined by location identity in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of a
location identity attribute;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating components of a
location value of the location identity attribute;
[0026] FIG. 4A is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a
communications network in accordance with the invention;
[0027] FIG. 4B is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary key
table;
[0028] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for
geo-encrypting digital information using a location identity
attribute;
[0029] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for accessing
geo-encrypted digital information using the location identity
attribute;
[0030] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of exemplary
Geo-Encrypt and Geo-Decrypt functions;
[0031] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the operation of exemplary
Geo-Lock Key and Geo-Unlock Key functions;
[0032] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the operation of an
exemplary Geo-Relock Key function;
[0033] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of an
exemplary Geo-Relay Encrypt function; and
[0034] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the operation of an
exemplary Export Key and Import New Key functions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0035] The present invention satisfies the need to control the
secure interchange of digital data so as to prevent unauthorized
access to the data. More specifically, the present invention
provides methods and apparatus for encrypting digital data in such
a manner that it can be decrypted only at a specified location
within a specified time frame and with a secret key. In the
detailed description that follows, like element numerals are used
to describe like elements illustrated in one or more of the
figures. Various terms are used throughout the detailed
description, including the following:
[0036] Administrator Device. A form of provider device (defined
below) utilized by administrators of the keys stored in other
devices.
[0037] Associating Location Identity. A method of marking digital
data encryption keys with a location identity attribute.
[0038] Coordinate System. Location will be designated by latitude
and longitude which is a coordinate system based on degrees that
uniquely identifies any location on the Earth. Latitude is measured
as an angle from the equator of the Earth (0 degrees) to the North
Pole (90 degrees North) or to the South Pole (90 degrees South).
Circles that run parallel to the plane of the equator form lines of
latitude. All whole number latitude lines are equidistant from each
other. A location's latitude is a measure of the angle between the
plane of the equator and lines projected from the center of the
Earth. Longitude lines are made by great circles that intersect
with both the North and South Poles. Each longitude can be thought
of as dividing the Earth in half. Longitudes are measured in half
circles of 0 degrees to 180 degrees East and from 0 degrees to 180
degrees West from the Royal Greenwich Observatory in Greenwich,
England. The 0 degree longitude line is also referred to as the
prime meridian. A location's longitude is a measure of the angle
between the plane made by its great circle and the prime
meridian.
[0039] Distributor Device. A type of provider device (defined
below) utilized by distributors of digital data.
[0040] Enforcing Location Identity. A method of providing or
denying access to digital information through its associated
location identity attribute.
[0041] Geocode. A unique coding of a location on earth usually
associated with a coordinate system. Some geocodes identify a point
location, such as when a place is identified by its latitude and
longitude. Other geocodes may identify a region such as a zip
code.
[0042] Geo-encrypt. An enforced association between a geographic
area defined by a location identity attribute and digital data
where access is granted to users within an area defined by the
location identity attribute who also hold a secret key.
[0043] Geo-encrypted Data. Digital data containing encryption keys
that have been associated with a location identity attribute, and
that can only be accessed within an area defined by the location
identity attribute using a secret key.
[0044] Location. A geographic place including, but not limited to,
a precise point location, an area or region location, a point
location included within a proximate area, or combinations of
places on earth. Location can also include height (or altitude) to
identify position above or below the surface of the earth, or time
to identify position in a temporal dimension.
[0045] Location Identity. A precise coding of a location including,
but not limited to, an attribute of information to precisely define
the location at which the information is to be accessed. Location
identity may be a coding of a point location, a region, a region
with an associated point location, a corridor (i.e., center line
with length on either side of the center line), or by any other
precise identification of a location in space and time.
[0046] Location Variance. The minimum resolution at which a geocode
of a location may fail to exactly distinguish it from adjacent
locations.
[0047] Playback Location. The location portion of the location
identity attribute at which access to digital information will be
allowed.
[0048] Player Location. The location of a receiver device
attempting to play back a geolocked file.
[0049] Producer Device. A form of provider device (defined below)
utilized by producers of digital data.
[0050] Provider Device. Electronic devices, systems, networks, and
the like with the minimum capacity to geo-encrypt and transmit
digital data.
[0051] Proximity. A zone or area that includes the location.
[0052] Receiver Device. Electronic devices, systems, networks, and
the like with the minimum capacity to receive and geo-decrypt
digital data and keys, and to acquire location information. These
electronic devices will often include a processing capability to
execute program instructions and a memory capacity for short-term
and long-term data storage, and may further include the ability to
transmit information.
[0053] Universal Location. Any geographic place on earth.
[0054] The foregoing definitions are not intended to limit the
scope of the present invention, but rather are intended to clarify
terms that are used in describing the present invention. It should
be appreciated that the defined terms may also have other meanings
to persons having ordinary skill in the art. These and other terms
are used in the detailed description below.
[0055] Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic illustration of the
present invention depicts how access to digital data is determined
by location identity. As defined above, location identity refers to
an attribute of information that precisely determines the
geographic area or region in which the information is accessible.
Two geographic areas denoted by A and B are shown on a map 101
within the continental United States. Information 130 is
represented in digital format, and has an associated location
identity attribute 131 that precisely defines the geographic area A
as the region in which the digital information can be accessed. If
a receiver device 112 is located within the geographic region A,
then the digital information 130 will be accessible by the receiver
device. Conversely, if a receiver device 122 is located within the
geographic region B (or anywhere else besides geographic region A),
then the digital information 130 will not be accessible. Location
identity thus represents an attribute of digital information that
determines the precise geographic region within which the
information can be accessed. Digital data having location-based
encryption keys are termed "geo-encrypted" and systems that enforce
location identity geolock the associated digital data to the
geographic region defined by the location identity attribute.
[0056] FIG. 2 depicts a location identity attribute 140 as
comprising two items of information: (a) a location value 142, and
(b) a proximity value 143. The location value 142 corresponds to
the unique geographic position of a particular place. Many
different coordinate systems, such as latitude and longitude, have
been developed that provide unique numerical identification of any
location on earth. For the purposes of this invention, any
coordinate system that uniquely identifies a place can be used for
the location value 142 of the location identity attribute 140. The
proximity value 143 corresponds to the extent of a zone or area
that encompasses the location. The location identity attribute 140
may comprise a point location or an exact location if the proximity
value 143 is set to zero, null, empty, etc., or some other value
indicating that the area referred to by the location identity
attribute is a unique point location. It should be appreciated that
the proximity value 143 is different from location variance. The
proximity value 143 refers to a representation of an area or
region, whereas location variance is the minimum resolution at
which a geocode or a location may fail to exactly distinguish it
from an adjacent location.
[0057] FIG. 3 depicts the location value 142 in greater detail. As
noted above, there are numerous different coordinate systems in
common use that provide a set of numbers that uniquely identify
every location within the coordinate system. In the present
invention, the location value 142 is defined in terms of a unique
location designation or geocode as shown at 142a. Latitude 144 and
longitude 145 using a conventional coordinate system may then
further define the geocode. Other known systems, such as the Earth
Centered, Earth Fixed Cartesian coordinate system, Universal
Transverse Mercator (UTM), Military Grid Reference System (MGRS),
World Geographic Reference System (GEOREF) etc., could also be
advantageously utilized. In addition to latitude 144 and longitude
145, the location value could further include an altitude 146 as
shown at 142b, which corresponds to the height of the location
above sea level. Alternatively, the location value could further
include a time value 147 as shown at 142c that may be defined in
terms of a date and/or time range. This allows the definition of
location identity to consider both geographic and/or temporal
access to information.
[0058] Any geographic region or area that contains the location
value 142 of the location identity can serve as the proximity value
143 for the location identity attribute 140. The proximity value
143 may comprise a rectangular region defined by two adjacent
longitude lines (providing horizontal edges) and two adjacent
latitude lines (providing vertical edges). Alternatively, the
proximity value 143 may comprise a circular region represented by a
single number defining the radius around the location. The circular
region can be further defined as an elliptical area either centered
at the location, or a circular or elliptical area that contains the
location but not necessarily as the centroid. In another
alternative, the proximity value 143 may comprise an irregular
closed polygon, or a corridor. In yet another alternative, the
proximity value 143 may correspond to a known geographic region,
such as the country of Brazil. Other types of known geographic
regions that can define the proximity value 143 can include postal
zip codes, states, counties, incorporated cities, etc.
[0059] Referring now to FIG. 4A, a block diagram illustrating an
embodiment of a communications network employing methods and
apparatus according to the invention. The communications network
includes one or more producer devices 300, one or more receiver
devices 400, and one or more administrator devices 310 that are
coupled together via a network 200 (e.g., a wide area network such
as the Internet). The producer devices 300 each denote a
communication system utilized by a producer of digital data, such
as a video production facility. The receiver devices 400 each
denote a communications system utilized by an end user, such as a
television set-top-box. The administrator devices 310 each denote a
communication system utilized by an administrator of the
communication network. As illustrated, producer devices 300,
administrator devices 310, and receiver devices 400 are each
respectively comprised of applications processors 302, 312, 402 and
memory units 304, 314, 404. It should be appreciated that there may
be a plurality of producer devices 300, administrator devices 310,
and receiver devices 400 within the communication network, and that
the network would also be functional with just a single device in
any one of the categories.
[0060] The communications network may be configured with the
producer devices 300 in direct communication with the receiver
devices 400. Alternatively, one or more distributor devices 320 may
also be connected to the aforementioned communications network
interposed between the producer devices 300 and the receiver
devices 400. In this alternative configuration, information
communicated from the producer devices 300 to the receiver devices
400 passes through the distributor devices 320. As illustrated,
distributor devices 320 are each comprised of an applications
processor 322 and a memory unit 324. In the description that
follows, the term "provider device" is used to collectively refer
to producer devices 300, administrator devices 310, and distributor
devices 320 unless specified otherwise. Moreover, the manner in
which the producer devices 300, receiver devices 400,
administrative devices 310 and distributor devices 310 communicate
is not critical to the invention, and any form of communication
network having some or all of these components could be
advantageously utilized. Further, communications from provider
devices may be point-to-point to specific receiver devices or
multicast to plural receiver devices simultaneously.
[0061] The producer devices 300, administrator devices 310,
distributor devices 320 and receiver devices 400 also include
respective GPS receivers 309, 319, 329, 409 coupled to respective
applications processors 302, 312, 322, 402. Specifically, it is
anticipated that each of the devices has access to GPS signals and
the respective GPS receivers can process those signals to produce
location information, including latitude, longitude, altitude, and
time, although all of these values may not be used. The receiver
devices 400 (and in some cases the distributor devices 320) use the
location information processed by the GPS receivers 409 to
determine location identity information (discussed below). The
other devices use the GPS receivers to seed the generation of
random numbers used in the encryption process (also described
below). It should be appreciated that other methods of determining
location identity information and/or generating random numbers
could also be advantageously utilized as well known in the art.
[0062] The respective memory units 304, 314, 324, and 404, of the
producer devices 300, administrator devices 310, distributor
devices 320, and receiver devices 400 may further comprise volatile
and/or non-volatile memory components sufficient to store data,
including information content, software instructions, and
encryption keys. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the
memory units 304, 314, 324, and 404 are further organized to
include key tables 306, 316, 326, and 406 that allow for the
storage of a plurality of keys that are used with private-key and
public-key cryptography. These keys are used by each device 300,
310, 320, and 400 together with location information to encrypt and
decrypt random data encryption keys and to sign and validate
messages. The use and distribution of the keys within the key
tables is an important aspect of the invention that will be
described in greater detail below.
[0063] It should be appreciated that any of the producer devices
300, administrator devices 310, distributor devices 320, and/or
receiver devices 400 can be implemented in hardware or software.
The preferred embodiment is a tamperproof hardware device that
would protect both the secrecy of keys and the integrity of the
functions performed by the devices; however, the functions
themselves do not have to be kept secret. The devices further may
be included in larger systems or devices that handle the
communications and perform other application-related functions and
auditing functions. Auditing functions might log the use of the
device and, possibly, transmit that information to a designated
auditing entity.
[0064] For example, in one embodiment, a receiver device 400 might
be included in a set-top-box (STB) used by video service providers
to receive broadcast entertainment content (e.g., television shows,
movies, and other video programming). Whenever a program is
decrypted, an audit record could be returned to the provider of the
program. The STB would have the capability to show a decrypted
program on the monitor, but not to save or transmit the plaintext.
In another embodiment, a receiver device 400 might be built into
the equipment used at a movie theater. The equipment might have the
capability to show a decrypted program and store the content for a
limited period of time, but not to transmit the plaintext. A
provider device 300, 310, 320 might be built into a computer system
or such other equipment that is used to create, process, and
transmit data.
[0065] In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,
the provider devices 300, 310, 320 need to know the location of the
receiver devices 400 (or other ones of the provider devices). The
provider devices 300, 310, 320 may query the receiver devices 400
upon connection to the communication network, which then report
back the location information derived from GPS signals (or other
method) to the provider devices. Alternatively, in the foregoing
example, the video service providers may already know the location
of the set-top-boxes since they correspond to the physical address
of customers of the video service providers. Each set-top-box may
further include a unique serial number that the provider devices
300, 310, 320 can use to identify the receiver devices 400.
[0066] In a preferred embodiment, the key tables 306, 316, 326, 406
contain the keys that each respective device uses to encrypt or
decrypt random data encryption keys and to sign or validate
messages. As shown in FIG. 4B, an exemplary key table 306 contains
a plurality of key records 307.sub.1-307.sub.N. The key records 307
(also referred to herein simply as "keys") each include a unique
key identification (ID) that further comprises an Owner
Identification (ID) code and a key name. The key records 307
further include the associated key value (illustrated as KEY 1
through KEY N). Every key in the table has an owner that is
determined by the corresponding Owner ID. The key name simply gives
the name of the key while the key value gives the actual string of
bits comprising the key. It should be understood that the key
records 307 might also contain other information, including the
type of key and encryption method used with that key. For example,
the key record 307 could specify whether the key is to be used with
private-key cryptography or public-key cryptography, and, if the
latter, whether the key is a public-key encrypting key, private-key
decrypting key, private signature key, or public signature
validation key. The key records 307 might also contain an
expiration date. The key records 307 for the public and private
keys used with public-key cryptography might include digital
certificates for the keys. Some of this additional information may
be part of the key identification. The other key tables 316, 326,
406 will have generally similar construction.
[0067] For example, the keys used by a television producer (e.g.,
AOL-Time Warner, Inc.) to protect the data it produces for
television viewing could have key IDs with an owner ID uniquely
identifying this particular television producer as well as a
plurality of key names, each of which uniquely identifies a
particular channel or network owned by the television producer
(e.g., HBO.RTM., TNT.RTM., TBS.RTM., CARTOON NETWORK.RTM.,
CNN.RTM., CINEMAX.RTM., etc.). Similarly, another television
producer (e.g., The Walt Disney Co.) could have key IDs with an
owner ID unique to this particular television producer along with
key names corresponding to particular channels or networks owned by
this other television producer (e.g., Disney Channel.RTM.,
ESPN.RTM., ABC.RTM., etc.).
[0068] In an embodiment of the invention, administrators will own
at least one key in the key table of every device. It should be
appreciated that these keys could be unique to individual devices
or common among multiple devices. One of these keys might be common
to all devices, allowing any provider device 300, 310, 320 to
transmit encrypted data to any receiver device 400. In addition, a
provider of geo-encrypted data may own one or more keys in the key
tables of devices that are allowed to receive and decrypt data from
that provider. In another embodiment, each device 300, 310, 320,
400 might own its own public-private key pair. The public key of
the exemplary device could be given to any provider device,
allowing the provider device to transmit encrypted data to the
exemplary device without the need for a common key. It should be
appreciated that many possible arrangements of keys are
possible.
[0069] The keys in the key table are used to protect the
transmission of data encryption keys. Specifically, they are used
with location information to encrypt and decrypt the data
encryption key and to sign and validate data. It should be
appreciated that secret keys in the key tables 306, 316, 326, 406
would remain within the associated device while in use and would
never leave the device in unencrypted form. The key table could be
organized in any way, for example, as a sequential or linked list,
binary search tree, or hash table. It also could be implemented as
a database or other type of data repository. Secret keys cannot be
exported from the device in the clear, but they can be exported in
encrypted form. Operations for adding, changing, and deleting keys
to/from a key table will be described later. It should be
appreciated that in any given device keys could be distributed over
multiple key tables or not even stored in a table per se.
Accordingly, the key tables described herein are intended to denote
the entire collection of keys within a device in any manner in
which they are stored, maintained and/or organized.
[0070] In a preferred embodiment, digital data is geo-encrypted
using a set of functions embedded within a provider device 300,
310, 320. This geo-encrypted data is then transmitted to one or
more receiver devices 400 where it is decrypted using a set of
functions embedded within the receiver device 400. The transmission
can be point-to-point, broadcast or multicast. The geo-encrypted
data has a location identity attribute 140 associated therewith so
that subsequent access of the digital information is limited to the
geographic area specified by the location identity attribute 140.
FIG. 5 illustrates a general method for associating digital
information with the location identity attribute 140 that precisely
defines the region in which access or playback of the digital
information will be allowed. In the present invention, this method
would be performed either via a producer device 300, an
administrator device 310 or a distributor device 320.
[0071] More particularly, the method starts at step 500 with a
command to geo-encrypt digital information using a location
identity attribute. A first part of the method provides for the
generation of the location identity attribute. At step 502, a
playback location value 142 for the digital information is
retrieved and stored for later use. The playback location value 142
is not the geographical location at which the method is performed
by the provider device 300, 310, 320, but rather corresponds to the
geographical location for a receiver device 400 at which access to
the digital information will be allowed. At step 504, a proximity
value 143 of the location identity attribute of the receiver device
400 is retrieved and stored for later use. Various methods for
generating the location and proximity values 142, 143 will be
described in greater detail below. In addition to such methods, the
location and proximity values 142, 143 may also be pre-stored and
retrieved from memory, or the end user may be queried to provide
the information. At step 506, the playback location and proximity
values 142, 143 are used to generate the location identity
attribute 140.
[0072] A second part of the method provides for the generation of
encryption keys and the encryption of the plaintext digital
information. At step 508, a key ID 505 is used to select and
retrieve a key encrypting key 307a from the key table of the
corresponding provider device 300, 310, 320. The location identity
140 is then used at step 510 to derive a location value 507 and a
shape parameter 509. The shape parameter 509 defines a shape of an
area of interest without identifying the specific location
corresponding to the area of interest. The shape parameter 509 is a
locationless translation of the proximity portion of the location
identity attribute 140. Locationless refers to the characteristic
of the shape parameter 509 as defining the shape of a proximate
area without reference to any actual location. As will be further
described below, the receiver device 400 uses the shape parameter
509 to fully determine the location value needed for recovering the
location key.
[0073] Then, at step 514, the process generates a random data
encrypting key 524.
[0074] This data encrypting key 524 is used to encrypt the
plaintext digital information 518 at step 516 to produce
geo-encrypted digital information 520. The data encrypting key 524
is then encrypted at step 522 using the location value 507 and the
key encrypting key 307a. The geo-encrypted digital information 520,
the encrypted data encrypting key 526 (also referred to below as a
cipher key), the shape parameter 509, and the key ID 505 are then
communicated to the receiver device 400. Attempts to decrypt the
geo-encrypted information 520 by a receiver device 400 will be
denied unless the location of the receiver device 400 matches the
location specified by the location identity attribute 140 and the
receiver device 400 has the correct key decrypting key identified
by the key ID 505.
[0075] FIG. 6 shows a general method for enforcing access to
geo-encrypted digital information by location. Software or embedded
firmware instructions operating in association with the
applications processor 402 of the receiver device 400 would cause
the method to be performed. Particularly, the method starts at step
600 with a command to decrypt the geo-encrypted digital information
520. A first part of the method provides for the generation of the
location value 507. At step 602, the method determines the location
of the receiver device. It should be appreciated that numerous ways
to determine the receiver device location are possible and are
described in the aforementioned co-pending patent applications
commonly owned by the applicant. In a preferred embodiment, the GPS
receiver 409 within or coupled to the receiver device 400 provides
this location information 604. The device location information 604
is then used in conjunction with the shape parameter 509 received
from the provider of the geo-encrypted digital information to
generate the location value 507 at step 606. As will be
appreciated, the location value 507 generated by the receiver
device must match the location value 507 used by the provider
device to geo-encrypt the digital information, otherwise the
receiver device 400 will be unable to geo-decrypt the encrypted
digital information 520.
[0076] In a second part of the method, the location value 507 is
used with a key decrypting key 307b to geo-decrypt the encrypted
digital information. The key decrypting key 307b is retrieved from
the key table of the receiver device at step 608 in accordance with
the key ID 505 received from the provider device. It should be
appreciated that the key decrypting key 307b retrieved at step 608
must correspond to the key encrypting key 307a used in
geo-encrypting the digital information; otherwise, the
geo-decryption will fail. At step 612, the selected key decrypting
key 307b and the generated location value 507 are used to decrypt
the data encrypting key 526. If the location of the receiver device
is consistent with the location value 507 used by the provider
device, the decryption will recover the original data encrypting
key 524. Lastly, the data encrypting key 524 is used to decrypt the
geo-encrypted digital information 520 to recover the plaintext
digital information 518 at step 614.
[0077] Table 1 provided below lists an exemplary set of functions
used in an embodiment of the present invention. It should be
appreciated that these functions can be incorporated into one or
more of the aforementioned producer devices 300, administrator
devices 310, distributor devices 320, and receiver devices 400. For
each such function, Table 1 lists the values used as inputs (i.e.,
parameters) to the function and the corresponding values produced
as outputs (i.e., results) of the function. It should be
appreciated that all functions using cryptography in Table 1 use
location information in some way. It should be further appreciated
that these functions do not necessarily have to be implemented as
separate procedures or distinct program units of any type, and
could instead be combined or split into multiple units. It should
also be noted that the inputs and outputs shown in Table 1 are not
necessarily external to a device and may instead be passed from one
function to another within a single device. All of the functions
described herein could further include error checking and handling,
and it is anticipated that conventional methods for performing
these functions be utilized. A brief description of each function
listed in Table 1 is provided with greater detail within the text
below.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Basic Functions Function Inputs/Parameters
Outputs/Results Description Geo-Encrypt Location ID, Shape Parm,
Encrypt data and lock the Key ID, Cipher Key, data encryption key
using a Plaintext IV, Ciphertext location-derived secret key
Geo-Decrypt Shape Parm, Plaintext Decrypt data after unlocking Key
ID, the key Cipher Key, IV, Ciphertext Geo-Lock Key Location ID,
Shape Parm, Lock data encryption key Key ID, Cipher Key with
location-derived secret Data Encrypting Key key Geo-Unlock Key
Shape Parm, Data Encrypting Unlock data encryption key Key ID, Key
with location-derived secret Cipher Key key Geo-Relock Key Shape
Parm In, Shape Parm Out, Unlock data encryption key Key ID In,
Cipher Key Out with one location-derived Cipher Key In, secret key
and lock it with Location ID Out, another Key ID Out Geo-Relay
Encrypt n, Shape Parm [j] Encrypt data and lock the Location ID [j]
for j to 1 to n, data encryption key with for j from 1 to n, Cipher
Key, multiple locks that must be Key ID [j] IV, unlocked by
successive relay for j from 1 to n, Ciphertext stations before the
data can Plaintext be decrypted Create Key Key ID Create and add
secret key to Replace Key Key Table, replace key with Delete Key
new value, or delete key Export Key Key ID, Shape Parm, Geo-encrypt
a key record in Location ID, Cipher Key, the Key Table so that it
can Export Key ID IV, Cipher Key be securely exported to Record,
Signature another Key Table Import New Key Shape Parm, Add, change,
or delete a key Import Export Key ID, record in the Key Table by
Replacement Key Cipher Key, importing a geo-encrypted Import
Deletion IV, key record and performing Key Cipher Key Record, the
operation only if signed Provider ID, by the owner or by an
Signature administrator
[0078] As described above, the provider devices 300, 310, 320
include a key table 306, 316, 326 and a private key 308, 318, 328,
respectively, and may receive a GPS signal as an input used to
derive location information for decryption and to generate random
values. The provider devices are adapted to execute a first set of
functions, including Geo-Encrypt, Geo-Lock Key, Geo-Unlock Key,
Geo-Relay Encrypt, and Geo-Relock Key. The provider devices may
also be adapted to execute a second set of functions, including
Create Key, Replace Key, Delete Key, Export Key, Import New Key,
Import Replacement Key, and Import Deletion Key. The first set of
functions are used to manage the encryption and decryption of
information using the keys contained in the key table, and the
second set of functions are used to manage the various key values
in the key tables. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the
provider devices 300, 310, 320 include all of the functions
identified in Table 1, the operation of which will be discussed in
greater detail below.
[0079] The receiver devices 400 also include a key table 406 and
receive a GPS signal as input. In a preferred embodiment, the
receiver devices 400 contain only functions needed to decrypt
geo-encrypted data and receive keys. In particular, receiver
devices 400 are adapted to execute the Geo-Decrypt and Geo-Unlock
functions. The receiver devices may also be adapted to execute the
Import New Key, Import Replacement Key, and Import Deletion Key
functions. These functions enable users to receive and decrypt
geo-encrypted data and keys, but not to geo-encrypt data or keys.
The operation of these functions will also be discussed in greater
detail below.
[0080] It should be appreciated that other combinations of
functions are possible. For example, a distributor device 320 could
be given somewhat different functionality from that of a producer
device 300. Or, a single provider device 300, 310, 320 might be
used by all entities that produce, distribute, and/or receive
geo-encrypted data. If receiver devices 400 are to have the
capability to geo-encrypt their own files and share them with other
users, then they would likely need most, if not all, of the
functionality of a provider device 300, 310, 320, including the
capability to own their own keys and share keys with other devices.
It should also be appreciated that the devices may include
functions that are not described herein. They may have additional
functions to manage the key tables, for example, to limit the
number of keys that an owner can include in a key table or to allow
an owner to determine which of its keys are included in a key
table. The devices may further include functions providing
additional capabilities associated with digital rights
management.
[0081] The operation of the Geo-Encrypt and Geo-Decrypt functions
700, 720 are illustrated in FIG. 7 with reference to Table 1. The
Geo-Encrypt function 700 has three inputs, including: (1) Location
Identity (Loc ID) 140; (2) Key ID 505; and (3) Plaintext 518. The
Geo-Encrypt function 700 encrypts the Plaintext 518 according to
the location identified by Location ID 140 in such a manner that
the data can be decrypted only by a device that both is at that
location and has the secret key identified by the Key ID 505. As a
result, the Geo-Encrypt function 700 yields four outputs,
including: (1) Shape Parameter (Shape Parm) 509; (2) Cipher Key
526; (3) Initialization Value (IV) 708; and (4) Ciphertext 520. The
Geo-Encrypt function 700 includes as sub-functions pseudo-random
number generator (PRNG) 704 and Encrypt 706, and also accesses the
Geo-Lock Key function 800 (described below with respect to FIG.
8).
[0082] More particularly, the Geo-Encrypt function 700 generates a
Data Encrypting Key 524 using the PRNG sub-function 704. In a
preferred embodiment, the PRNG sub-function 704 is provided with
raw GPS signal data 707 in addition to other non-deterministic
information (e.g., determined by the state of the device). Assuming
an initialization value (IV) is to be used, the PRNG sub-function
704 also generates a random IV 708. The Encrypt sub-function 706
then encrypts the Plaintext 518 using both the Data Encrypting Key
524 and the IV 708 to produce a Ciphertext output 520. The Data
Encrypting Key 524 is locked (i.e., encrypted) using the Geo-Lock
Key function 800, using a location value derived from the location
identified by the Location ID 140 and from the key encrypting key
identified by the Key ID 505. The Geo-Lock Key function 800
provides as outputs Shape Parameter 509 and Cipher Key 526.
[0083] In a preferred embodiment, the Encrypt sub-function 706
comprises a strong encryption method, such as the Advanced
Encryption Standard (AES), which has a block size of 128 bits and
uses keys of size 128, 192, and 256 bits. It should be appreciated
that any other method of encryption can also be used. The
particular mode of encryption would depend on the algorithm, length
of the Plaintext 518, and the application. Normally, when the
Plaintext 518 is longer than a block or two, a mode such as output
feedback, cipher feedback, or cipher block chaining is used. In
that case, the encryption process uses the initialization vector
(IV) 708 to initialize the encryption process. In a preferred
embodiment, the IV 708 is transmitted to the receiver device 400 in
order to initialize the decryption process. It should be noted,
however, that the IV 708 does not have to be encrypted.
[0084] The Geo-Decrypt function 720 has five inputs, including: (1)
Shape Parm 509; (2) Key ID 505; (3) Cipher Key 526; (4) IV 708; and
(5) Ciphertext 520. The Geo-Decrypt function 720 decrypts
Ciphertext 520 using Data Encrypting Key 524 and IV 708, and
includes sub-function Decrypt 724 and accesses the Geo-Unlock Key
function 820 (described below with respect to FIG. 8). Data
Encrypting Key 524 is determined by unlocking the Cipher Key using
the Geo-Unlock Key function 820. The Geo-Unlock Key function 820
decrypts the Cipher Key 526 using the key decrypting key identified
by Key ID and a location value determined from the Shape Parm 509
and a GPS signal 727 in order to yield the Data Encrypting Key 524.
The Decrypt sub-function 724 decrypts the Ciphertext 520 using the
Data Encrypting Key 524 and IV 708 in order to reconstruct the
Plaintext 518. It should be appreciated that the Decrypt
sub-function 724 would be the inverse of the Encrypt sub-function
706 used by the Geo-Encrypt function 700 described above.
[0085] In an embodiment of the invention, the Geo-Decrypt function
720 goes further and tests whether the recovered Plaintext 518 is
authentic. For example, this procedure may be done using a message
authentication code (MAC) that would be computed by the Geo-Encrypt
function 700 as a function of the Plaintext 518 and included with
the data. It should be understood that any known method of
computing a MAC could be used. After decrypting the Ciphertext 520,
the Geo-Decrypt function 720 would then compute a MAC for the
recovered Plaintext 518 If the MAC matches that computed by the
Geo-Encrypt function 700 and included with the data, then it can be
assumed that the data was correctly decrypted. This implies that
the Geo-Decrypt function 720 was performed at the correct location
and that it used the correct key decrypting key. If the MAC does
not match, then the Geo-Decrypt function 720 could output an
indicator to this effect. Alternatively, the Geo-Decrypt function
720 could take action that would henceforth render the data
undecipherable. For example, the Geo-Decrypt function 720 could
nullify the Cipher Key 526 by replacing it with all zeros. With
this additional capability, the Geo-Decrypt function 720 can ensure
that, if an attempt is made to decrypt data at an incorrect
location or using an incorrect key decrypting key, any further
attempts to decrypt the data will fail.
[0086] FIG. 8 illustrates the operation of the Geo-Lock Key and
Geo-Unlock Key functions 800, 820 with reference to Table 1. The
Geo-Lock Key function 800 is used to encrypt the Data Encrypting
Key 524 so that it can be securely distributed to a receiver device
400. The Geo-Lock Key function 800 has three inputs, including: (1)
Location ID (Loc ID) 140; (2) Key ID 505; and (3) Data Encrypting
Key 524. The Geo-Lock Key function 800 further includes a Mapping
Encrypt (Mapping Enc) sub-function 802, a Get Key sub-function 806,
and a Key Encrypt sub-function 812. The Geo-Lock Key function
generates two outputs, including: (1) Cipher Key 526; and (2) Shape
Parm 509.
[0087] The Mapping Encrypt sub-function 802 converts the Location
ID 140 into a Location Value (Loc Val) 507 and the Shape Parm 509.
In a preferred embodiment, the Mapping Encrypt sub-function 802
comprises a mapping function such as that described in co-pending
patent application Ser. No. 09/758,637 commonly owned by the
applicant, incorporated by reference herein. Particularly, the
mapping function is used to map different coordinates within a
proximate area into the same values. The mapping function is as
follows:
f(x)=.DELTA.*int(x/.DELTA.)
where int is a function that returns the integer part of its
argument in parentheses. Using x as the latitude of the geocode
location and A as the length of the side between the bounding
latitudes; or x as the longitude of the geocode location and A as
the length of the side between the bounding longitudes, a grid may
be constructed over the entire latitude/longitude coordinate
system. Every geocode within a grid cell will be transformed into
the same value when the above function is applied to its latitude
and longitude. Since the "great rectangle" boundaries may not fall
directly on boundaries that are exact multiples of the length of
the bounding sides, a locationless offset measure is calculated
using the lower bounding side and is used to linearly shift the
grid. It should be appreciated that other methods for computing
Location Value 507 and Shape Parm 509 may also be employed within
the scope and spirit of the present invention.
[0088] The Get Key sub-function 806 uses the Key ID 505 to retrieve
the appropriate key encrypting key 307a from a key table 306. Then,
the Key Encrypt sub-function 812 encrypts the Data Encrypting Key
524 using the Location Value 507 and the key encrypting key 307a.
In a preferred embodiment, the Key Encrypt sub-function 812 first
takes the exclusive-OR of the Data Encrypting Key 524 and the
Location Value 507, and then encrypts the result using the key
encrypting key 307a. The encryption would be implemented with a
strong encryption method such as the AES if private-key encryption
is being used or RSA if public-key encryption is being used,
although it should be appreciated that other encryption methods
could be used. In an alternative embodiment, the Key Encrypt
sub-function 812 first encrypts the Location Value 507 with the key
encrypting key 307a and then uses the result of that to encrypt the
Data Encrypting Key 524. With this embodiment, the Key Encrypt
sub-function 812 must use private-key cryptography.
[0089] It should be appreciated that the Geo-Lock Key function 800
can be used to encrypt any key, not just the Data Encrypting Key
524 used to encrypt the Plaintext data. For example, the Geo-Lock
Key function 800 can be used to place an additional lock on an
already encrypted key. Thus, the Data Encrypting Key 524 used by
the Geo-Lock Key function 800 (and Geo-Unlock Key function 820)
should be understood to refer to any key, whether already encrypted
or not.
[0090] The Geo-Unlock Key function 820 is used to recover the Data
Encrypting Key 524 from the Cipher Key 526. The Geo-Unlock Key
function 820 has three inputs, including: (1) Shape Parm 509; (2)
Key ID 505; and (3) Cipher Key 526. The Geo-Unlock Key function 820
further includes a Mapping Decrypt (Mapping Dec) sub-function 822,
a GPS Signal Processing sub-function 826, a Get Key sub-function
832, and a Key Decrypt sub-function 836. The Geo-Unlock Key
function 820 generates a single output, i.e., Data Encrypting Key
524.
[0091] The GPS Signal Processing sub-function 826 receives a GPS
signal 727 and processes the signal to determine the location of
the receiver device 400 in terms of GPS coordinate data 824. The
Mapping Decrypt sub-function 822 uses the GPS data 824 along with
the Shape Parm 509 to determine the Location Value 507. As
described above, the Mapping Decrypt sub-function 822 employs a
mapping function such as that described in co-pending patent
application Ser. No. 09/758,637. It should be appreciated that
different methods for computing Location Value 507 could also be
used. The Get Key sub-function 832 operates substantially the same
as the Get Key sub-function 806 described above. Particularly, the
Get Key sub-function 832 uses the Key ID 505 to retrieve the
appropriate key decrypting key 307b from a key table 406 of the
receiver device 400. The Key Decrypt sub-function 836 decrypts the
Cipher Key 526 using the Location Value 507 and the key decrypting
key 307b to recover the Data Encrypting Key 524. It should be noted
that the Key Decrypt sub-function 836 is substantially the inverse
of the Key Encrypt sub-function 812 described above. In a preferred
embodiment, the Key Decrypt sub-function 836 first decrypts the
Cipher Key 526 using the key decrypting key 307b. This is performed
using either private-key or public-key cryptography, depending on
which was used by the Key Encrypt sub-function 812. The Key Decrypt
sub-function 836 then takes the exclusive-OR of the result with the
Location Value 507 to recover the Data Encrypting Key 524. In an
alternative embodiment, the Key Decrypt sub-function 836 first
encrypts the Location Value 507 with the key decrypting key 307b,
and then uses the result to decrypt the Cipher Key 526 and recover
the Data Encrypting Key 524. In this case, private-key cryptography
is used for all steps, so the key decrypting key 307b is the same
as the key encrypting key 307a. If the receiver device 400 does not
have access to GPS signals either because it is not GPS-enabled or
for some other reason, it should be appreciated that Location Value
507 may be set to a universal location. As a result, this will
allow data intended for all locations to be decrypted from any
location, but not other data.
[0092] When encrypted data (i.e., Ciphertext 520) is transmitted to
a receiver device 400, it is transmitted along with a Cipher Key
526. The Cipher Key 526 contains the Data Encrypting Key 524
enciphered in a location-dependent manner. In a preferred
embodiment, re-encryption would then involve deciphering (i.e.,
unlocking) the Data Encrypting Key 524 and re-enciphering (i.e.,
locking it with a different location value). It should be
appreciated that the Ciphertext 520 itself is not decrypted and
re-encrypted. Relay encryption is similar, except that the Cipher
Key 526 is not initially unlocked. Instead, one or more additional
locks are placed on top of the Cipher Key 526. Thus, the original
key may be nested under several layers of encryption, all of which
have to be removed in order to restore the original key. The
specific functions used to perform these tasks are described in
greater detail below.
[0093] FIG. 9 illustrates the operation of the Geo-Relock Key
function 900 with reference to Table 1. The Geo-Relock Key function
900 receives five inputs, including: (1) Shape Parm In 902; (2) Key
ID In 904; (3) Cipher Key In 906; (4) Location ID Out 908; and (5)
Key ID Out 910. The Geo-Relock Key function 900 also receives a GPS
signal 920. The Geo-Relock Key function 900 produces two outputs,
including: (1) Shape Parm Out 912; and (2) Cipher Key Out 914. The
Geo-Relock Key function 900 accesses the Geo-Unlock Key function
820 (described above) and the Geo-Lock Key function 800 (described
above). The Geo-Unlock Key function 820 decrypts the Cipher Key In
906 using Shape Parm In 902 and Key ID In 904 in order to recover
the Data Encrypting Key 524. Then, the Geo-Lock Key function 800
re-encrypts Data Encrypting Key 524 using the new location value as
determined by Location ID Out 908 and Key ID Out 910. It should be
noted that the values for Key ID In and Key ID Out could be the
same or different depending on whether a new key encrypting key
307a is to be used in the process. Similarly, the location values
could be the same or different, depending on whether decryption is
to take place at the same or different location.
[0094] FIG. 10 illustrates the operation of the Geo-Relay Encrypt
function 1000 with reference to Table 1. The Geo-Relay Encrypt
function 1000 has inputs n 1002, Location ID [j] 1004j, Key ID [j]
1006j, Location ID [n] 1004n, Key Id [n] 1006n, and Plaintext 518.
The input n 1002 corresponds to the total number of sites the data
is to pass through on its way to a final receiver (i.e., the nth
site) and j is the set of all integers from 1 to n-1. Thus, for
every one of the 1 through n-1 receiver sites, there is a
corresponding Location ID [j] and Key ID [j], and for the nth
receiver site there is a Location ID [n] and Key ID [n]. As a
result, the Geo-Relay Encrypt function 1000 will output Shape Parm
[j] 1010j (namely, Shape Parm [1], Shape Parm [2], . . . Shape Parm
[n-1]), Shape Parm [n] 1010n, Cipher Key 1008, IV 1012, and
Ciphertext 520. The Geo-Relay Encrypt function 1000 accesses the
Geo-Encrypt function 700 (described above with respect to FIG. 7)
and the Geo-Lock Key function 800 (described above with respect to
FIG. 8). The Geo-Lock Key function 800 is embedded in a loop so
that it is executed n-1 times, as will be further described
below.
[0095] The Geo-Relay Encrypt function 1000 accesses the Geo-Encrypt
function 700 to encrypt the Plaintext 518 and yield Ciphertext 520
substantially as described above with respect to FIG. 7. The Data
encrypting key generated as part of that process is locked using
the Geo-Lock Key function 800 with inputs Location ID [n] 1004n and
Key ID [n] 1006n to yield Cipher Key 1008, Shape Parm [n] 1010n,
and IV 1012. The Cipher Key 1008 is then used as the Data
encrypting key input in a loop in which the Geo-Lock Key function
800 is executed n-1 times. The loop begins at step 1020 by
initializing a counter by setting j equal to n-1. At step 1022, the
counter is tested to determine whether j<1, i.e., a condition
indicating that the end of the loop has been reached. If the end
condition is met, the Geo-Relay Encrypt function 1000 is
terminated. Conversely, if the end condition has not been met, the
Geo-Lock Key function 800 is accessed with inputs Location ID [j]
1004j and Key ID [j] 1006j to yield a new Cipher Key 1008 and Shape
Parm [j] 1010j. The counter j is then decremented at step 1024, and
the loop returns to step 1022 whereupon the end condition for the
loop is again tested and the Geo-Lock Key function 800 again
accessed if the end condition is not met. With each decrement of
the counter, another layer of encryption is added to the Cipher Key
1008. When the end condition for the loop is finally met, and the
Geo-Relay Encrypt function 1000 terminated, the final Cipher Key
1008 is passed with the n-1 values of Shape Parm [j] 1010j, Shape
Parm [n] 1010n, Ciphertext 520, and IV 708 to the first relay
station (e.g., distributor device). The first relay station will
use the Geo-Unlock Key function 820 with Shape Parm [1] and Key ID
[1] to remove the first layer of encryption from Cipher Key 1008,
the next station will use Shape Parm [2] and Key ID [2] to remove
the second layer of encryption from Cipher Key 1008, and so forth.
Finally, the end relay station will produce the final Cipher Key
after performing its unlock. Assuming the final Cipher Key has been
properly passed through all relay stations and in the
pre-determined order, the Ciphertext 520 can be decrypted.
[0096] A preferred embodiment of the invention also includes a set
of functions for managing secret key encrypting/decrypting keys in
the key tables when the keys are used with private-key
cryptography. The functions provide for the creation, replacement,
deletion, and distribution of the keys, using geo-encryption and
geo-decryption for the distribution. It should be appreciated that
the keys themselves can be distributed using either private-key
cryptography or public-key cryptography with the geo-encryption and
geo-decryption functions. It should also be appreciated that
somewhat different functions are needed to manage the public and
private keys used with public-key cryptography, in particular any
public-key encrypting keys, private-key decrypting keys, private
signature keys, and public signature validation keys. A preferred
embodiment of this invention uses existing methods to manage these
keys, using the key table for storage of the keys. It should be
further appreciated that if public-key cryptography is used
exclusively for key management, then the functions described herein
to manage keys for private-key cryptography would not be required.
It should also be appreciated that a combination of public-key and
private-key cryptography could be used for key management.
[0097] Turning now to the management of secret key
encrypting/decrypting keys used with private-key cryptography,
every key in the key table of a producer device 300, administrator
device 310, distributor device 320, or receiver device 400 is owned
by a particular provider. The provider can be a producer,
distributor, administrator or any other entity that provides
encrypted data. It should be appreciated that administrators are
special providers having administrative control over keys. It
should be further appreciated that each user of the present
invention may further own one or more keys in a given key table to
handle their specific needs. In an embodiment of the invention, a
key owned by a particular provider is stored in the key table of
the provider's device 300, 310, 320 so that the provider can use it
to encrypt data or keys. Providers can add new keys to their own
devices 300, 310, 320 and to the devices of others, although they
may be limited in the total number of keys that can be added to any
particular device. Providers also can change and delete any key
they own in any device.
[0098] When a new provider is added to the network, the
administrator device 310 will create one or more keys for the
provider that can be used with each device that could receive
encrypted data from that provider. Some of these keys may be unique
to the devices and will be owned by the provider. The keys will be
loaded into the key tables of the producer devices 300,
administrator device 310, distributor devices 320, and/or receiver
devices 400 that are to receive encrypted data from that provider.
The keys will be transmitted remotely to the devices if the devices
are already in use in the field. In one embodiment of the
invention, the administrator device 310 can change and delete any
key in the key table of any other device even if it does not own
the key. In another embodiment, the administrator device 310 cannot
change or delete keys that it does not own. It should be
appreciated that if public-key cryptography is used for key
management, it is not necessary for the administrator device 310 to
create and distribute keys on behalf of the provider as described
above. Instead, a provider can communicate with any other device
using the public key of that device.
[0099] The functions described below support management of the
secret key encrypting/decrypting keys in key tables as shown in
Table 1. As previously noted, these keys are used with private-key
cryptography, but may be distributed using either public-key or
private-key cryptography. In particular, the functions Create Key,
Replace Key, and Delete Key are used to manage a provider's own
secret keys in its own device. An Export Key function is used to
obtain a Key Record from the provider's key table and geo-encrypt
it so that the secret key can be securely exported from the
provider device 300, 310, 320 and transmitted to another device.
Finally, the functions Import New Key, Import Replacement Key, and
Import Deletion Key are used in remote devices to handle the import
of a previously exported key from another device and update its
corresponding key table. In a preferred embodiment of the
invention, public-key cryptography is used to authenticate the
entity requesting a change in the key table of another device. This
ensures that providers can only add, change, and delete keys that
they own. The preferred embodiment uses a strong public-key
signature algorithm for this purpose, such as RSA or DSA with keys
of 2,048 bits or more.
[0100] As listed in Table 1, the Create Key function is used to
create a new key that is added to a key table. The Create Key
function receives as an input a Key ID. The PRNG sub-function may
be used to generate a random Key Value. Then, a Key Record is
created using the Key Id and the randomly generated Key Value. This
newly created Key Record is then added to the key table of the
device. Similarly, the Replace Key is used to replace the Key Value
corresponding to a Key ID with a new value in a key table. The
Replace Key function receives as an input the Key ID, and retrieves
the Key Record corresponding to the Key ID from the key table.
Then, the Key Value in the Key Record is replaced with a new value
generated by the PRNG sub-function. For some applications, it may
be desirable to provide a Delete Key function that deletes
particular keys from a key table of a device. The Delete Key
function receives as an input a particular Key ID in order to
delete the corresponding key from the key table.
[0101] FIG. 11 illustrates the operation of the Export Key function
1100 with reference to Table 1. The Export Key function 1100 is
performed by a provider device 300, 310, 320 in order to export one
of its own keys to one or more other devices at specified locations
so that the provider can use the key to communicate securely with
these other devices. As listed in Table 1, the Export Key function
1100 has three inputs, including: (1) Key ID 505; (2) Location ID
140; and (3) Export Key ID 1102. These inputs are used by the
Export Key function 1100 in order to geo-encrypt the Key Record
corresponding to Key ID in the device's key table. This encryption
is done using Location ID 140 and the key identified by Export Key
ID 1102. As a result, a Cipher Key Record 1112 is produced along
with a corresponding Cipher Key 526, IV 708, and Shape Parm 509. In
a preferred embodiment, the Export Key function 1100 signs the
Cipher Key Record 1112 using a private key 308 owned by the
provider that is stored in the key table of the provider along with
other keys. The private key 308 includes the Provider ID in the key
ID field and Priv Key Value in the key value field. As a result, a
unique Signature 1116 is generated for the Cipher Key Record
1112.
[0102] The Get Key Record sub-function 1110 will first retrieve the
Key Record 307 corresponding to the key identified by Key ID 505
from a key table 306 of the device. As described previously, the
Key Record 307 includes a specific Key ID and a Key value. The
Geo-Encrypt function 700 is accessed to geo-encrypt the retrieved
Key Record 307 using the Location ID 140 and Export Key ID 1102. It
should be appreciated that in this context the Key Record 307
corresponds to the Plaintext being geo-encrypted in the foregoing
description with reference to FIG. 7. This results in a Cipher Key
Record 1112 that comprises the geo-encrypted Key Record 307, along
with a corresponding Cipher Key 526, IV 708, and Shape Parm 509.
The Sign sub-function 1114 is used to digitally sign the Cipher Key
Record 1112 using the private key 308 stored in the key table of
the device, and thereby provide the Signature 1116. In a preferred
embodiment, the Sign sub-function 1114 uses public-key
cryptography, as noted above.
[0103] The Import New Key function 1150 is also shown in FIG. 11
with reference to Table 1. The Import New Key function 1150 is
performed by a provider device 300, 310, 320 or receiver device 400
in order to import a key from another device in order to
communicate securely with the other device. As listed in Table 1,
the Import New Key function 1150 has seven inputs, including: (1)
Shape Parm 509; (2) Export Key ID 1102; (3) Cipher Key 526; (4) IV
708; (5) Cipher Key Record 1112; (6) Provider ID 1152; and (7)
Signature 1116. The Cipher Key Record 1112 is decrypted using the
key identified by Export Key ID 1102 and Shape Parm 509.
[0104] More specifically, the Cipher Key Record 1112 is
geo-decrypted using the Geo-Decrypt function 720 with Shape Parm
509, Export Key ID 1102, Cipher Key 526, IV 708, GPS location
signal 727, and Cipher Key Record 1112 as inputs to recover the Key
Record 307. A Provider ID Verification sub-function 1160 will then
determine whether the Provider ID 1152 corresponds to either the
Owner D of the deciphered Key Record 307 or a Geo-encryption Key
Authority (GKA) (i.e., an accepted key authority). If the Provider
ID 1152 corresponds to one of these, i.e., the Owner D or the GKA,
then the Signature 1116 for the Key Record 307 is validated using a
Check Signatures sub-function 1170. The Check Signatures
sub-function 1170 validates the Signature 1116 for Key Record 307
using the public key associated with the Provider ID, which would
be obtained from the key table using Provider ID 1152 and possibly
other information to identify the key. If the Signature 1116 proves
to be valid, the Key Record 307 is added to the key table 406 by
sub-function 1166. Conversely, if the Provider ID Verification
sub-function 1160 determines that the Provider ID 1152 corresponds
to neither the Owner ID of the deciphered Key Record 307 or the
GKA, the key table 406 is not updated. It should be noted that the
public key associated with Provider D 1152 might itself be
validated using a certificate stored with the key in the key table
or obtained using any of several methods without altering the scope
and spirit of the invention.
[0105] The Import New Key function allows administrator devices 310
to add any key in a key table, including those it does not own. In
a preferred embodiment that does not use public-key cryptography
for key distribution, this capability of administrator devices 310
is necessary for distributing keys used by new provider devices
300, 320 to communicate with receiver devices 400. If the
conditions described above are met, then the Import New Key
function updates the key table to include the new Key Record 307.
Similarly, the Import Replacement Key function allows administrator
devices 310 to change any key in a key table, including those it
does not own. Namely, the Import Replacement Key function updates
the key table by replacing the old Key Record corresponding to a
particular Key ID with a new one (i.e., the one just imported). The
purpose of giving administrator devices 310 this capability is so
that they can handle a situation where a provider loses its keys or
has its keys sabotaged in some way. It may alternatively be
desirable in some circumstances to deny administrator devices 310
this capability. The Import Deletion Key function allows
administrator devices 310 to delete any key in a key table,
including those it does not own. The Import Deletion Key function
updates the key table by deleting the Key Record corresponding to a
particular Key ID. The purpose of giving administrator devices 310
this capability is so that they can clear out the keys owned by a
defunct provider. It may alternatively be desirable in some
circumstances to deny administrator devices 310 this
capability.
[0106] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, digital
information is associated with the location identity attribute 140
by encrypting the digital information using a location-based key.
Particularly, a random data encrypting key is generated as
described above, and a location value is derived from a location
identity. The random data encrypting key and the location value are
combined together using an exclusive-OR operation to provide a
location-based key. The location-based key is used to encrypt the
digital information. The random data encrypting key is encrypted
using a key encrypting key, and the encrypted random data
encrypting key and the encrypted digital information is
communicated to the receiver. The receiver decrypts the random data
encrypting key, determines the location value, and takes the
exclusive-OR of the two numbers together to recover the location
key. The digital data can then be decrypted using the recovered
location key. A drawback of this alternative approach is that it is
not well suited to re-locking or relay encryption because the
digital data is encrypted using location information. Hence, the
data itself would have to be re-encrypted, and not just the key. In
applications in which the data is relatively short, then
re-encrypting the data may be acceptable.
[0107] The functions described above can be used to restrict access
to data that is transmitted over networks and telecommunications
systems as well as data that is stored on a digital medium. As
noted earlier, the data can be of any type and any form. Access to
the data may be controlled for several reasons. For example, the
data could be copyright-protected, classified, or sensitive. The
following describes exemplary methods for using these functions to
restrict access to transmitted and stored data when private-key
cryptography is used for key distribution. In this description, it
should be appreciated that references are made with respect to
various functions listed in Table 1 along with their corresponding
flow charts provided in FIGS. 7-11. These methods may be used to
support a variety of applications. For example, they can be used to
support the secure distribution of movies, television programs,
lectures, documents, and other types of data. These methods allow a
producer or distributor of data to limit access to the data. Within
this context, receivers may include customers or subscribers. It
should be appreciated that different methods may be used if
public-key cryptography is used for key management exclusively or
in combination with private-key cryptography.
[0108] In order for a provider to send encrypted data to a
receiver, both the provider device 300, 310, 320 and the receiver
device 400 must share a common secret key encrypting/decrypting key
in their respective key tables. This key is owned by the provider,
thereby allowing the provider to change it or delete it as desired.
It should be noted that the key is not actually used to encrypt the
data. Rather, it is used with location information to encrypt a
random data encryption key. Initially, both the provider devices
300, 310, 320 and the receiver device 400 are initialized with a
secret key that is specific to the administrator device 310. These
keys are loaded into the respective key tables of provider devices
300, 310, 320 and receiver device 400 at the time the devices are
produced.
[0109] As previously described, the first step is for the
administrator device 310 to create a key that is owned by the
provider and can be used by the provider to communicate with the
receiver. Letting Provider ID denote the identity of the provider,
administrator device 310 first performs the operation Create Key
with input Key ID, where Key ID=(Provider ID, Key Name) for some
Key Name. This operation may be performed at the request of the
provider. The effect of the Create Key operation is that a new
secret key is created with this Key ID. A record with the key is
added to the key table 316 of the administrator device 310. Next,
the administrator device 310 performs the operation Export Key with
inputs Key ID, Provider Location ID, and Provider Export Key ID,
where Key ID is the same as before, Provider Location ID is the
location of the provider device 300, 320 and Provider Export Key ID
is the identifier of the key shared by administrator device 310 and
the provider device 300, 320. This will yield values Provider Shape
Parm, Provider Cipher Key, IV, Provider Cipher Key Record, and
Signature, which administrator device 310 transmits to the provider
device 300, 320. Upon receipt, the provider devices 300, 320 then
perform the function Import New Key with inputs Provider Shape
Parm, Provider Export Key ID, Provider Cipher Key, IV, Provider
Cipher Key Record, and Signature. The purpose of this function is
to decrypt Provider Cipher Key Record in order to produce a
plaintext Key Record, to validate that the Key Record was signed by
administrator device 310, and then to insert the record into the
key table of the device.
[0110] In addition, the administrator device 310 exports the key in
a form that can be decrypted by the receiver device 400. In
particular, the administrator device 310 performs the function
Export Key with inputs Key ID, Receiver Location ID, and Receiver
Export Key ID, where Key ID is the same as before, Receiver
Location ID is the location of the receiver device 400, and
Receiver Export Key ID is the identifier of a key shared by
administrator device 310 and the receiver device 400. This will
yield the values Receiver Shape Parm, Receiver Cipher Key, IV,
Receiver Cipher Key Record, and Signature, which the administrator
device 310 transmits to the receiver device 400. Upon receipt, the
receiver device 400 then performs the function Import New Key with
inputs Receiver Shape Parm, Receiver Export Key ID, Receiver Cipher
Key, IV, Receiver Cipher Key Record, and Signature. The purpose of
this function is to decrypt Cipher Key Record in order to produce a
plaintext Key Record, to validate that the administrator device 310
signed the Key Record, and then to insert the record into the
device's key table.
[0111] If the provider devices 300, 320 request that the secret key
be shared with multiple receiver devices 400, perhaps even all
receiver devices 400, then the administrator device 310 exports the
secret key to each such receiver device 400 separately using the
unique key and location of each receiver device 400. Alternatively,
the administrator device 310 can export the secret key to all
receiver devices 400 simultaneously if the devices have a common
key that is shared with the administrator device 310. The location
used for this would be large enough to include all the receiver
devices 400 that are authorized to receive data from this
particular provider device 300, 320. It could be, for example, a
universal location that encompasses the entire world.
Alternatively, if a provider device 300, 310 is only authorized to
send data to receiver devices 400 in certain locations, then the
administrator device 310 could set up the keys in such manner that
the provider device 300, 310 does not have a shared key with
receiver devices 400 outside of these locations. As new receiver
devices 400 join the system, the key can be exported to them
accordingly. This approach for establishing a secure key can be
used for any pair of entities, for example, a producer device 300
and a receiver device 400, or a producer device 300 and a
distributor device 320, or a distributor device 320 and a receiver
device 400, or two distributor devices 320.
[0112] Once a provider device 300, 320 has a shared key with a
receiver device 400 or with multiple receiver devices 400, it can
create and export keys of its own to these receiver devices 400
using the same technique used by the administrator device 310 to
create and export keys. For example, a cable-TV company might
create a monthly key for paid subscribers using the Create Key
function. This key would be exported from its device using the
Export Key function and sent to paid subscribers. Then, each month
the key would be replaced with a new one using the Replace Key
function. The new key would be exported with the Export Key
function and sent to paid subscribers, who would receive and
install it with the Import Replacement Key function. Subscribers
who failed to pay would not get the new key, and, therefore, would
be unable to decrypt future programs.
[0113] As another example, a provider device 300, 320 might issue
daily keys, identified with key names such as Monday, Tuesday, and
so forth. It would issue the key for a particular day at the
beginning of the day. The daily keys could be exported under
longer-term keys such as monthly keys or individual receiver device
400 keys. Each weekly key would be good for seven days, and would
be replaced when that period ends.
[0114] As a third example, a provider device 300, 320 might issue
keys that are associated with classification levels. For example,
the Key Names might be "secret", "confidential", and
"unclassified". Secret keys would be issued to receiver devices 400
that are cleared at the "secret" level, "confidential" keys to
receiver devices 400 that are cleared at the "confidential" or
"secret" level, and "unclassified" keys to all receiver devices 400
allowed to receive data from the provider device 300, 320. Data
that is classified "secret" would be enciphered using a Location
Key derived from location and the secret key. "Confidential" and
"unclassified" data would be handled in a similar manner.
[0115] The administrator device 310 can at any time replace one of
its own keys using the Replace Key function with input Key ID. This
function will put a new secret Key Value in its key table record
for that Key ID. The administrator device 310 then exports the key
to provider devices 300, 320 and receiver devices 400 using it in
the same manner as the original key that was exported. At the
receiving end, either the provider device 300, 320 or receiver
device 400 will then use the Import Replacement Key function to
import this key.
[0116] Once a secret key is established between a producer device
300 and a receiver device 400, the producer device 300 can transmit
data to the customer at a specific location in such a manner that
the data is not accessible either at other locations or by receiver
devices 400 lacking the key. First, the producer device 300
performs the Geo-Encrypt function with inputs Location ID, Key ID,
and Plaintext, where Plaintext is the digital data, Location ID
identifies the location of the customer(s), and Key ID identifies
the shared key as before. This produces the values Shape Parm,
Cipher Key, IV, and Ciphertext, where Ciphertext is the Plaintext
encrypted under a random data encrypting key and Cipher Key is the
encryption of the data encrypting key using the location specified
by Location ID and the key specified by Key ID. These values are
transmitted to one or more receiver devices 400 along with the Key
ID. The intended receiver devices 400 would all share a location
identified by Location ID.
[0117] The receiver devices 400 at the specified location can
decrypt the data by performing the Geo-Decrypt function with inputs
Shape Parm, Key ID, Cipher Key, IV, and Ciphertext. If the location
of the receiver device 400 is not correct, or if the receiver
device 400 does not have the key identified by Key ID, the
decryption will fail. If the receiver device 400 is implemented
with a Geo-Decrypt function that destroys the Cipher Key when
decryption fails, the Ciphertext will henceforth become
undecipherable.
[0118] A producer device 300 can transmit the same data to multiple
receiver devices 400 at different locations with different secret
keys without the need to re-encrypt the data. Instead, it suffices
to re-lock the key under the different locations and keys. The
following shows the method for doing this when there are three
receiver devices 400. First, the producer device 300 geo-encrypts
the Plaintext for the first receiver device 400 using the
Geo-Encrypt function with inputs Location ID[1], Key ID[1], and
Plaintext. This function produces the results Shape Parm [1],
Cipher Key [1], IV, and Ciphertext. These values along with Key ID
[1] are transmitted to the first receiver device 400. Next, Cipher
Key [1] is re-locked with the location and secret key of the second
receiver device 400 using the Geo-Relock function with inputs Shape
Parm [1], Key Id [1], Cipher Key [1], Location ID [2], and Key ID
[2]. This function produces the results Shape Parm [2] and Cipher
Key [2]. These values along with Key ID [2], IV, and Ciphertext are
transmitted to the second receiver device 400.
[0119] Cipher Key [1] is then also re-locked with the location and
secret key of the third receiver device 400 using the Geo-Relock
Key function with inputs Shape Parm [1], Key ID [1], Cipher Key
[1], Location ID [3], and Key ID [3]. This function produces the
results Shape Parm [3] and Cipher Key [3]. These values along with
Key ID [3], IV and Ciphertext are transmitted to the third receiver
device 400. Each of the three receiver devices 400 then uses the
Geo-Decrypt function 720 to decrypt the common Ciphertext. It
should be appreciated that this method can be extended to any
number of receiver devices 400. Furthermore, if there are multiple
receiver devices 400 at a common location and with a common secret
key, they can be sent the same values.
[0120] A method for securing data distribution from a producer
device 300 to a receiver device 400 via a distributor device 320 is
similar to the preceding method except that the producer device 300
does not distribute its data directly to the receiver devices 400.
Instead, the data is forwarded to a distributor device 320, which
in turn forwards it on to appropriate receiver devices 400. The
distributor device 320 re-encrypts the data (actually, the key) for
transmission to these receiver devices 400. Initially, the producer
device 300 and distributor device 320 share a secret key that is
owned by the producer. In addition, the distributor device 320 and
receiver devices 400 share a key that is owned by the distributor.
Within this embodiment, it should be appreciated that the producer
device 300 does not need to share a key with the receiver devices
400 or even know the identity of the receivers.
[0121] The producer device 300 begins this process by
geo-encrypting the data for transmission to the distributor device
320. This is done by performing the Geo-Encrypt function with
inputs Distributor Location ID, Distributor Key ID, and Plaintext,
where Distributor Key ID is the identifier of the key that is owned
by the producer and shared with the distributor device 320 and
Distributor Location ID is the location of the distributor device
320. The result of this operation yields the values Distributor
Shape Parm, Distributor Cipher Key, IV, and Ciphertext. The
producer device 300 then transmits these values to the distributor
device 320 along with Distributor Key ID. The distributor device
320 then performs the Geo-Relock Key function with inputs
Distributor Shape Parm, Distributor Key ID, Distributor Cipher Key,
Receiver Location ID, and Receiver Key ID, where Receiver Key ID is
the identifier of the key that is owned by the distributor and
shared with the receiver device 400 and Receiver Location ID is the
location of the receiver device 400. The result of this operation
is a value for Receiver Shape Parm and Receiver Cipher Key. These
values are transmitted to the receiver device 400 along with
Receiver Key ID, IV, and Ciphertext. In order to yield Plaintext,
the receiver device 400 then performs the Geo-Decrypt function with
inputs Receiver Shape Parm, Receiver Key ID, Receiver Cipher Key,
IV, and Ciphertext. The advantage of this approach is that the
producer does not need to know anything about the receivers.
Moreover, the distributor 320 manages the receiver devices 400.
Such an embodiment could be attractive for a small producer 300.
For example, a distributor could keep track of sales of the
producer's data to receivers, and then pass along the sales income,
minus a service fee, to the producer. Of course, other arrangements
are also possible. For example, the producer could license use of
its data by the distributor without regard to individual sales.
[0122] With the preceding method, a distributor may readily decrypt
and access plaintext. The distributor could then re-encrypt the
data for any receiver device 400 to which it has access regardless
of the producer's intentions. With the implementation of a relay
encryption function this is not possible because the producer
device 300 locks the data encryption key first with a location and
key that is shared with the receiver device 400 and then with a
location and key that is shared with the distributor device 320.
The distributor device 320 can strip off its own encryption layer,
but not the receiver device's 400 encryption layer, so the data can
never go to a receiver device 400 other than the one authorized by
the producer device 320. With relay encryption, the producer can
also be sure that the data will pass through the distributor device
320 before it is decrypted, as the receiver device 400 cannot
remove the encryption layer of the distributor device 320.
[0123] In order to achieve this task, the producer device 300 first
performs the Geo-Relay Encrypt function with inputs n, Distributor
Location ID, Distributor Key ID, Receiver Location ID, Receiver Key
ID, and Plaintext, where it is understood that n=2. This operation
yields the values Distributor Shape Parm, Receiver Shape Parm,
Cipher Key, IV, and Ciphertext. These values are transmitted to the
distributor device 320 along with Distributor Key ID and Receiver
Key ID. The distributor device 320 then uses the key identified by
Distributor Key ID to strip off its layer of key encryption on
Cipher Key. This is done by performing the Geo-Unlock Key function
with inputs Distributor Shape Parm, Distributor Key ID, and Cipher
Key. This operation yields New Cipher Key, which is transmitted to
the receiver device 400 along with Receiver Key ID, Receiver Shape
Parm, IV, and Ciphertext. Finally, the receiver device 400
deciphers the Ciphertext by performing the Geo-Decrypt function
with inputs Receiver Shape Parm, Receiver Key ID, New Cipher Key,
IV, and Ciphertext. It should be noted that the above method could
also be used to relay data through multiple distributor devices 320
instead of just one.
[0124] With relay encryption, a producer maintains control over
access to its data, while still benefiting from the use of a
distributor. Such an embodiment could be attractive to large
producers. A producer may, for example, use relay encryption to
control the distribution of its data from multiple distributors.
Within such embodiment, one distributor device 320 could be given
encrypted data destined for receiver devices 400 in one geographic
region. A second distributor device 320 could then be given the
same encrypted data, but with the data encryption key re-locked so
as to be decipherable only by receiver devices 400 in a second
region, and so on. Distributors owning the distribution rights of
different geographic regions would thus be unable to infringe upon
each other's regions.
[0125] In another embodiment, the Geo-Encrypt 700 and Geo-Decrypt
720 functions may be used by any provider device 300, 310, 320 to
respectively encrypt and decrypt data that is stored by the
provider. Within such embodiment, encryption and decryption are
specific to the location of the provider device 300, 310 and a
secret key stored in the provider's key table. In order to achieve
this task, the provider device 300, 310, 320 first encrypts the
data by performing the Geo-Encrypt function with inputs Location
ID, Key ID, and Plaintext, where Location ID identifies the
location of the provider device 300, 310, 320 and Key ID identifies
the key of the provider device 300, 310, 320. This produces the
values Shape Parm, Cipher Key, IV, and Ciphertext, which would then
be stored in the ciphertext file along with Key ID. At a later
time, the provider device 300, 310, 320 decrypts the data by
performing the Geo-Decrypt function with inputs Shape Parm, Key ID,
Cipher Key, IV, and Ciphertext, using the values obtained from the
ciphertext file.
[0126] If the data is to be stored for an extended period, the
Cipher Key might be relocked with a new key from time to time.
Also, if the Key Value associated with this particular Key ID ever
changes as the result of an Update Key operation, Cipher Key would
have to be unlocked with the old value and re-locked with a new
value before the old value is discarded. Otherwise, the data would
become undecipherable.
[0127] In summary, by enabling location-based encryption and
path-dependent encryption, the present invention has numerous
advantages over the prior art. One such advantage is that it adds
an additional layer of security to any encryption system. Not only
does the recipient need access to a secret key, but the recipient
also must be at a particular location in order to decrypt data.
Another advantage pertains to the distribution of confidential
materials where one of the parties in the communication cannot be
trusted to maintain the confidentiality of the materials. The
present invention uses a combination of location and key table
keys, both of which can be implemented transparently to the user,
to defeat the threat of disclosure by a user who cannot be trusted
with the cryptographic keys. As previously described, the present
invention may also be implemented to render digital information
unusable if access is attempted that is invalid, by destroying or
re-encrypting the digital information.
[0128] The present invention enables producers to actively control
and participate in the encryption of their proprietary data, even
after release from their protected domain, through their ability to
own and control keys in receiver devices 400 and to multi-lock keys
so that data can only be unlocked by a final receiver 400 and not
by intermediate distributor devices 320. Specifically, digital
information can be encrypted in such a way that it can only be
decrypted at the receiver device 400 if its transmission has
followed a pre-defined path over the network 200, passing through
specific geographic locations. A unique method is provided by the
present invention in which digital information can be encrypted in
such a way that, as it moves from provider device 300, 310, 320 to
final receiver device 400, each distributor on the path to the
target location must remove its lock from the cipher key. Final
decryption is possible only after all locks have been removed.
[0129] Key management is often the weakness of a cryptographic
system. The present invention addresses this weakness by allowing
for the dynamic management of all keys over a network in a secure
manner that is transparent to the user and by allowing for the use
of public-key cryptography. Also, unlike DRM systems that require
separate steps to access both the Ciphertext and the key or license
required for decryption, the present invention uses a single
digital data acquisition step.
[0130] Having thus described a preferred embodiment of a system and
method for delivering encrypted information in a communication
network using location identity and key tables, it should be
apparent to those skilled in the art that certain advantages have
been achieved. It should also be appreciated that various
modifications, adaptations, and alternative embodiments thereof may
be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention. The
invention is further defined by the following claims.
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