Blackberry Corporation

Research in Motion Corporation

Ryan Jeffrey Hickey

Richard C Madter

Herbert Anthony Little

Jerrold Richard Randell

Christopher Pattenden

Andrew Ashraf Fergusson

Grant Henry Robert Bartnik

Andrew A Fergusson

A system and method for encrypting data provides for retrievial of an encryption key; identification of the address in memory of a first portion of the data to be encrypted; derivation of a first unique key from the encryption key and the address of the first portion of data; encryption of the first portion of data using the first unique key; identification of the address in memory of a second portion of data to be encrypted; derivation of a second unique key from the encryption key and the address of the second portion of data; and encryption of the second portion of data using the second unique key.

On-chip storage, creation, and manipulation of an encryption key

An electronic device may include a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and a temperature sensor. The electronic device may also include a controller configured to cooperate with the VCO and the temperature sensor to determine both a temperature and a frequency error of the VCO for each of a plurality of most recent samples. Each of the most recent samples may have a given age associated therewith. The controller may also be configured to align the temperature, the frequency error, and the given age for each of most recent samples in a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system having respective temperature, frequency error and age axes. The controller may also be configured to estimate a predicted frequency error of the VCO based upon the aligned temperature, frequency error, and given age of the most recent samples.

Electronic device including predicted frequency error estimation of a voltage controlled oscillator and related methods

A boot method an apparatus are described which reduce the likelihood of a security breach in a mobile device, preferably in a situation where a reset has been initiated. A predetermined security value, or password, is stored, for example in BootROM. A value of a security location within FLASH memory is read and the two values are compared. Polling of the serial port is selectively performed, depending on the result of such comparison. In a presently preferred embodiment, if the value in the security location matches the predetermined security value, then polling of the serial port is not performed. This reduces potential security breaches caused in conventional arrangements where code may be downloaded from the serial port and executed, which allows anyone to access and upload programs and data in the FLASH memory, including confidential and proprietary information.

On-chip security method and apparatus

The present invention provides a secure JTAG interface to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In the preferred embodiment the invention operates through the combined efforts of a Security Module (SM) comprising a state machine that controls the security modes for the ASIC, and a Test Control Module (TCM) which contains the JTAG interface. The TCM operates in either a restricted mode or an unrestricted mode, depending on the state of the SM state machine. In a restricted mode, only limited access to memory content is permitted. In an unrestricted mode, full access to memory content is permitted.

Debugging port security interface

A system and method of creating and managing encryption keys in a data processing device generates subsequent encryption keys by combining the existing encryption key with an existing password and seed value. In the preferred embodiment, the initial encryption key is embedded during manufacture and is unknown to the user and manufacturer, thus ensuring that all subsequent encryption keys are derived from an unknown value. When a subsequent encryption key is generated, all data encrypted using the existing encryption key is decrypted using the existing encryption key and re-encrypted using the subsequent encryption key before the existing encryption key is overwritten. In a further aspect, during encryption/decryption the encryption key is combined with the sector address of the data to be encrypted/decrypted in order to generate a unique key for each sector of data to be encrypted/decrypted.

A boot method an apparatus arc described which reduce the likelihood of a security breach in a mobile device, preferably in a situation where a reset has been initiated. A predetermined security value, or password, is stored, for example in BootROM. A value of a security location within FLASH memory is read and the two values are compared. Polling of the serial port is selectively performed, depending on the result of such comparison. In a presently preferred embodiment, if the value in the security location matches the predetermined security value, then polling of the serial port is not performed. This reduces potential security breaches caused in conventional arrangements where code may be downloaded from the serial port and executed, which allows anyone to access and upload programs and data in the FLASH memory, including confidential and proprietary information.

Growing community of inventors

Waterloo, Canada

Ryan Jeffrey Hickey