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US 10,855,465 B2Granted
Audited use of a cryptographic key
OwnerErnest Brickellinventor
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Abstract
Methods and apparati for auditing uses of cryptographic keys. In a method embodiment of the present invention, a set of audited uses for a cryptographic key is defined; the key is generated inside a protected execution environment of a digital computer; all software and firmware that is usable in the execution environment to access the key is demonstrated to an auditor; and, for each audited use of the key, a non-tamperable audit record describing said use is released.
Claims1
Method for auditing use of a cryptographic key, said method comprising the steps of:
- defining a set of audited uses for the cryptographic key;
- generating the key inside a protected execution environment of a digital computer;
- demonstrating to an auditor all software and firmware usable in the execution environment to access the cryptographic key;
- demonstrating to an auditor that the cryptographic key is protected in the protected execution environment;
- for each audited use of the cryptographic key, releasing a non-tamperable audit record describing said use of the cryptographic key;
- inputting a public verification key of an auditor into the protected execution environment;
- and
- taking the following actions prior to any audited use of the cryptographic key:
- sending a description of the use of the cryptographic key to an auditor;
- and
- verifying a digital signature of an auditor inside the protected execution environment using the public verification key of an auditor.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.