Patent Application
20060265338
The present invention relates to data encryption, and particularly to usage based key management rebinding using logical partitions.
The past decade has been marked by a technological revolution driven by the convergence of the data processing industry with the consumer electronics industry. The effect has, in turn, driven technologies that have been known and available but relatively quiescent over the years. A major one of these technologies is Internet related distribution of documents. The Web or Internet, which had quietly existed for over a generation as a loose academic and government data distribution facility, reached, “critical mass” and commenced a period of phenomenal expansion. With this expansion, businesses and consumers have direct access to all matter of documents and media through the Internet.
With the advent of consumer digital technology, content such as music and movies are no longer bound to the physical media that carry them. Advances in consumer digital technology present new challenges to content owners such as record labels, studios, distribution networks, and artists who want to protect their intellectual property from unauthorized reproduction and distribution. Recent advances in broadcast encryption offer an efficient alternative to more traditional content protection solutions based on public key cryptography. In comparison with public key methods, broadcast encryption requires orders of magnitude less computational overhead in compliant devices. Compliant devices are those which follow the key management protocol defined to govern the behavior of devices participating in a particular content protection system, and which have not been altered or used in attacks designed to compromise that system. In addition, broadcast encryption protocols are one-way, not requiring any low-level handshakes, which tend to weaken the security of copy protection schemes. However, by eliminating two-way communications, the potentially expensive return channel on a receiver may be eliminated, lowering overhead costs for device manufacturers and users.
IBM has developed a content protection system based on broadcast encryption called eXtensible Content Protection, referred to as “xCP.” xCP supports a trusted domain called a ‘cluster’ that groups together a number of compliant devices. Content can freely move among these devices, but it is useless to devices that are outside the cluster. Other examples of broadcast encryption applications include Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM) media, Content Protection for Pre-Recorded Media (CPPM) media, and Advanced Access Content System (AACS) next-generation media.
Broadcast encryption schemes bind a piece of content to a particular entity, such as a piece of media (e.g. a compact disk or DVD), a server, a group of authorized devices, or a user. Broadcast encryption binds the content by using a media key block (MKB), also known as a key management block (KMB) or session key block) that allows compliant devices to calculate a cryptographic key (the media or management key) using their internal device keys while preventing circumvention (non-compliant) devices from doing the same. One example of a binding scheme is binding to a specific receiver in standard PKI applications wherein content is encrypted with a session key, which is then encrypted with a receiver's public key. The content can only be retrieved with the receiver's private key. Another example of a binding scheme is binding to a specific media in CPRM and AACS Media wherein content is encrypted with a title key, which is then encrypted with a key resulting from a one-way function of a media identifier and a media key (calculated from the media key block described above). A third example of a binding scheme is binding to a specific group of devices in a user's domain, as in xCP Cluster Protocol, wherein content is encrypted with a title key, which is then encrypted with a key resulting from a one-way function of the user's cluster authorization table and binding ID and the user's current management key (calculated from the user's current key management block). Note, when used in association with the Cluster Protocol described herein, we will refer to the associated key management structure as a key management block (KMB), to acknowledge the protocol's broader applicability beyond media.
Broadcast encryption does not require authentication of a device and can be implemented with symmetric key encryption, allowing it to be much more efficient than public key cryptography. After calculating a media key by processing the key management block (KMB), the scheme uses the media key to bind the content to an entity with a binding identifier, resulting in the binding key. An indirection step occurs when a title key is then chosen and encrypted or decrypted with the binding key, resulting in an encrypted title key or an encrypted indirect key. The content itself may then be encrypted with the title key and the encrypted content may be stored with the encrypted title key. A compliant device that receives the encrypted content and the encrypted title key may use the same KMB and the binding identifier to decrypt the encrypted title key and then to use that title key to decrypt the content. The compliant device first must reproduce the binding key using the KMB, the binding identifier and its device keys, and then decrypt the title key from the encrypted title key using the binding key. Once the compliant device has the title key, it may decrypt the content itself. A circumvention device will not have device keys needed to process the KMB and thus will not be able to reproduce the binding key or be able to decrypt the content. Also, if the content has been copied to a different entity with a different identifier by a non-compliant device, the compliant device with valid device keys will not be able to calculate the correct binding key because the binding identifier associated with the new entity is different than the original one.
Under prior art systems, all content would be encrypted with a title key which would itself be encrypted with the binding key. Content items are referenced and decoded using title keys. Said content items are owned by a single participant in this key management binding scheme, which is responsible for the re-encryption of said title keys when indirections change that result in a new binding key. For example, the introduction of a new device into an existing network cluster causes an update to an authorization table, i.e. an indirection mechanism on the binding key. Ideally, implementations using broadcast encryption perform a re-encryption procedure on all title keys affected by the binding change. This is necessary in order to insure that all content present on devices within the network cluster remains bound to the new definition of that network cluster. Optimally, re-encryption of said title keys occurs in a timely manner so as not to delay a user's access to associated content. Implementations typically attempt to re-encrypt affected title keys immediately, or without regard to use patterns. If the number of content items affected is large, as can often be the case for devices with entertainment content, the operation is time consuming and causes delay to the user.
The present invention is directed to solving this problem by providing a means for intelligently organizing the scheduling and re-encryption processing of title keys into logical groups based upon how frequently and/or how recently each content item has been accessed. The candidate title keys are sorted into these logical groups based upon usage patterns and other configurable parameters. The intelligent organization and scheduling behavior is achieved through the introduction of associated meta-data that describes usage and user preferences, such as usage pattern oriented and user preference oriented. With usage patterns, meta-data can include content last accessed within some defined period of time, most frequently played content within some user defined metric or a policy based default, or the like. With user preference, meta-data can include content classification, usage preference, recently acquired content, or the like.
Therefore, there is a need for an effective and efficient system of encrypting and decrypting content on a cryptographic system, and particularly for the secure and convenient handling of cryptographic binding state information.
The present invention provides a solution to the previously recited problems by a system, method and related computer program for usage and/or preference based key management rebinding using logical partitions. More particularly, the present invention provides a means for associating title keys with binding information for encrypting the title keys of a device, which comprises grouping title keys for processing, organizing scheduling and re-encryption processing of title keys into groups based on access frequency of each content item, sorting candidate title keys into the groups based on usage patterns, and introducing preferences based on associated meta-data describing content. The usage pattern can be based on content last accessed within a defined period of time, on most frequently played content, on user preference, or the like. User preference could include content classification, recently acquired content, or the like. A device used in the present invention could execute an application or render one or more digital formats (including but not limited to audio and/or video), such as an MP3 or DVD player, or some similar device.
The present invention will be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following drawings, in conjunction with the accompanying specification, in which:
Referring to
The network cluster supports a key management block 38 for the cluster, an authorization table 12 that identifies all the devices currently authorized to join in the cluster, a binding key 36 for the cluster, and a cluster ID 46. The key management block 38 is a data structure containing an encryption of a management key with every compliant device key. That is, the key management block contains a multiplicity of encrypted instances of a management key, one for every device key in the set of device keys for a device. The binding key 36 for the cluster is calculated as a cryptographic one-way function of a management key and a cryptographic hash of a cluster ID and a unique data token for the cluster. The management key for the cluster is calculated from the key management block 38 and device keys.
The network of
The network of
A generalized diagram of a cryptographic system that may be used in the practice of the present invention is shown in
Cryptographic system may also be in communication with a source 57 or a recipient 47. Source 57 may be the source of any content to be encrypted or decrypted or any entity capable of sending transmissions, such as a content owner, a content service provider, or a receiver in a home network. Information received from a source 57 may include any type of information, such as encrypted content, content, content usage conditions, a KMB, encrypted title keys, or binding identifiers. Similarly, a recipient 47 may be any entity capable of receiving transmissions or that is a destination for any encrypted content or other information, such as a receiver in a home network.
CPU 19 may include a single processing unit or may be distributed across one or more processing units in one or more locations, such as on a client and server or a multi-processor system. I/O interface 22 may include any system for exchanging information with an external source. External devices 24 may include any known type of external device, such as speakers, a video display, a keyboard to other user input device, or a printer. Database 49 may provide storage for information used to facilitate performance of the disclosed embodiment. Database 49 may include one or more storage devices, such as a magnetic disk drive or optional disk drive.
User application 26 may include components of application specific information, such as media ID, or authorization table. Binding calculation object 28 may include a context key 40 that is set up via a user's specific information, one or more indirection keys 42, and a final encryption key 44 used to encrypt content. The binding calculation object 28 can be reused in several various applications and is a standard defined mechanism. This standard defined mechanism can be used to create trusted entities that handle a state of a binding transaction for an application. Secret information, such as title keys, media keys, or session keys, can be kept inside these trusted entities (binding calculation objects) decreasing the security risks of transmitting sensitive information in application components. Specific measures can be taken to detect and prevent decryption of title keys outside of the trusted entities.
The binding calculation object or trusted cryptography object 28 can be implemented as a trusted software component that executes in a trusted operating system environment. For example, a computer system could be supplied with a trusted Java Virtual Machine (Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.) or other virtual machine embodiment whose execution options are known and controlled by the system owner. In the alternative, binding calculation object 28 can be embodied in a read only memory device or application specific hardware device to ensure that no compromising operations can be performed. The advantage is that the decrypted secret information such as the title key is always maintained in the binding object 28 with external access blocked and thus cannot be compromised.
A simplified run of the process set up in
A simplified run of the process set up in
The present invention is described in this specification in terms of methods for the secure and convenient handling of cryptographic binding state information. One skilled in the art should appreciate that the processes controlling the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of computer readable media of a variety of forms. The invention may also be embodied in a computer program product, such as a diskette or other recording medium, for use with any suitable data processing system. Embodiments of a computer program product may be implemented by use of any recording medium for machine-readable information, including magnetic media, optical media, or other suitable media. Persons skilled in the art will immediately recognize that any computer system having a suitable programming means will be capable of executing the steps of the method of the invention as embodied in a program product. Although certain preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and intent of the appended claims.
Copending application (Attorney Docket No. AUS920050247US1), Ser. No. ______, Rutkowski et al, assigned to common assignee, filed ______. This reference is hereby incorporated by reference.
