Secure configuration of a digital certificate for a printer or other network device

Abstract

The system, method, and program of this invention provides a secure configuration of a digital certificate for a printer. The printer has a unique encryption key stored in it at manufacturing time. This key is also recorded in a database, securely controlled by a certificate authority, and the key is associated with the printer by model and serial number. The printer sends a message requesting a digital certificate to the certificate authority. In the message request, the printer sends the model number and serial number of the printer in the clear, i.e., not encrytped, which is needed by the certificate authority to look up the unique encryption key in the database. The message request also contains an encryption, using the built-in key, of some of the same information that was sent in the clear. The database needs the information in the clear to get the key. Then, the database uses the key from its database to decrypt the encrypted part of the message, and compares it to the part of the message that was sent in the clear. If it matches, then the program operating with the database knows that the message has not been tampered with and that the printer is who it says it is. The database machine then creates the digital certificate and encrypts the certificate with the key from its database corresponding to that printer. The encryption key is a secret key only known by the printer and the database. The encrypted certificate is sent to the printer and stored in the printer for use in authenticating itself to others.