The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 07, 2000
Filed:
Jan. 20, 1998
Don Earl Witt, Mesa, AZ (US);
James T Lynn, Mesa, AZ (US);
Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for protecting software objects from external modification is described. A cryptographic seal protects the object at the object level and also supports secure inter-object communication. A software object (101) is packaged in a crypto seal (103), which provides a cryptographic code hasher (105) for performing a cryptographic form of hashing on the code of object (101), a crypto seal communications authenticator (107) which authenticates communications received by object (101), a crypto seal encryptor (108) which encrypts communications sent by the object (101), a challenge manager (106) which causes the cryptographic code hasher (105) to perform its hashing function on the code of object (101) periodically and on demand when a challenge message is received, and a communications interface (109) which controls inter-object communication. A system (100) which employs crypto sealed objects includes a crypto seal coordinator (119). Coordinator (119) coordinates activities of all crypto seals (103) in the network and causes each crypto seal (103) to be periodically challenged to perform a hash function on the code of its packaged object. Coordinator (119) is provided with a coordinator authenticator/encryptor (123) which authenticates communications received from crypto seals (103) and encrypts communications sent by coordinator (119), a registry (121) in which the identification and location of each crypto seal (103) is recorded, and a network activity monitor (125) which monitors for excess processing by crypto seals (103).