International Business Machines Corporation

Philippe A Janson

Marcel Mordechay Yung

Shay Kutten

Raymond F Bird

Gene Y Tsudik

Refik A Molva

Inder Sarat Gopal

Helmut Scherzer

Amir Herzberg

Ernst H Rothauser

Elsie A Van Herreweghen

Hans R Mueller

Daniel T Sze

Refik Molva

Ralf Ch Hauser

Hans R Muller

An integrated software development system including an interface description language adapted to specify constraints on input parameters, a program analyzer adapted to identify input parameters of a software program, and a validation enforcement system adapted to enforce that an interface description in the interface description language complying with a predefined set of validation rules is provided for the input parameters of the software program.

Integrated software development system, method for validation, computer arrangement and computer program product

The invention relates to an integrated software development system, comprising an interface description language adapted to specify constraints on input parameters, a program analyzeradapted to identify input parameters of a software program, and a validation enforcement systemadapted to enforce that an interface descriptionin the interface description language complying with a predefined set of validation rulesis provided for the input parameters of the software program. The invention further relates to a method for validation, a computer arrangement and a computer program product.

The invention relates to data integrity in applications employing smartcards, in particular smartcards in connection with remote stations like personal or desktop card readers or similar inexpensive terminals. Since smartcards today are extensively used particularly in the financial and banking field, the data integrity issue is of particular importance. In such applications, any interrupted data transfer between the smartcard and a terminal can result in making the smartcard unusable and/or corrupt the data, any of which in turn often greatly affects the user. The solution according to the invention is, in brief, to apply an &ldquo;adapted atomicity approach&rdquo; to the smartcard environment, i.e. to adapt and use an atomic approach for smartcard transactions. To implement this, two essential features are incorporated, one being the provision and use of an internal trigger mechanism on the smartcard, the other being the provision and use of a failure-resistant recovery scheme on the smartcard, in particular a record index swapping scheme for data handling on the smartcard during the transaction.

Data integrity in smartcard transactions

A robust and secure password (or key) change method between a user and an authentication server in a distributed communication network is disclosed. The protocol requires the exchange of only two messages between the user desiring the key change and the server, the user's request including, at least partly encrypted, an identification of the sending user, old and new keys, and two nonces, at least one including a time indication. The authentication server's response includes a possibly encrypted accept/reject indication and the regularly encrypted request from the user.

Method and system for changing an authorization password or key in a

Method and system for providing secure key distribution in a

A method and apparatus for providing authentication among a dynamically selected group of users in a communication system with a dynamically changing network topology. With this invention, freshness information and alleged identity information are transmitted from each of the users in the group using available paths in the network. A group key is then generated, and coded information, derived from the group key and the above transmitted information, is sent to each of the users. Each unit of coded information is accompanied by an identifying tag so as to identify which of the users is to use the appropriate unit of coded information. Each alleged user will then extract the group key from a corresponding coded information unit only if it shares an appropriate secret with a server. Without knowledge of the group key, a user cannot be authenticated.

Multi-party secure session/conference

An arrangement of authenticating communications network users and means for carrying out the arrangement. A first challenge N1 is transmitted from a first user A to a second user B. In response to the first challenge, B transmits a first response and second challenge N2 to A. A verifies the first response. A then generates and transmits a second response to the second challenge to B, where the second response is verified. The first response must be of a minimum form

Authentication protocols in communication networks

In a ring communication system comprising several stations, access to the ring is granted to one station at a time by a circulating token indication. A method is provided guaranteeing a transmission opportunity for synchronous or circuit-switched data in periodic time intervals to authorized stations. A CS monitor station issues a frame header which is marked in a specific bit position to allow only authorized stations to transmit their synchronous data together with a destination address. In a first embodiment, a single frame comprises a plurality of slots each having a free/busy indication, a destination address field and a field for synchronous data, and each authorized station can occupy one such slot. In a second embodiment, a marked frame can be used by only one authorized station for transmitting synchronous data, but a new marked frame header is reissued until all authorized stations around the ring have transmitted synchronous data.

Method of transmitting information between stations attached to a

In a communication network comprising block switching nodes interconnected by transmission links, a flow control mechanism is provided in each switching node for regulating the flow of addressed data blocks or messages. A hardware look-ahead mechanism effective within each node tests for each data block received from a link and buffered at an input port, whether it can be accepted at the appropriate output port of the same node for further transmission. A token mechanism effective over links permits maintenance at each output port of a node of an indication whether any data block can be accepted in the input port at the other end of the respective link. By the combined operation of look-ahead mechanisms and token mechanisms the flow of addressed messages in a direction where the transmission path is already filled up is prevented. This has a positive smoothing effect on overall traffic flow where short-time or local overloads occur.

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Wadenswil, Switzerland

Philippe A Janson