Secure, easy and/or irreversible customization of cryptographic device

Abstract

The invention enables a cryptographic device to be easily, securely and/or irreversibly customized to provide specified cryptographic functionality. For example, the invention can enable easy and secure modification (expansion, reduction or changing) of application code (which interacts with code stored on a cryptographic device) via the exposure of, for example, the mathematical primitive operations available on the cryptographic device. In particular, the invention can enable modification of available cryptographic operations at a relatively high level of programming abstraction, thus enabling such modification to be accomplished relatively easily. Further, the invention can enable the modification to be accomplished in a manner that does not necessitate or allow access by the application developer to other operations of the cryptographic device, thus providing security for the proprietary code and/or cryptographic keys of other persons or entities that may be present on the cryptographic device. The invention can also enable specification of permissible cryptographic characteristics of a cryptographic device from a set of available cryptographic characteristics of the cryptographic device. In particular, such specification can be done (at device fulfillment, for example) in a manner that is irreversible, thus enabling the cryptographic device to satisfy export regulations for cryptographic devices and/or to meet customer requirements for device security.