# US 12,007,908 B2 · Method and apparatus to dynamically encode data at runtime > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,007,908 B2 - Document ID: US12007908B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/841,743 - Filed: 2017-12-14 - Published: 2019-06-20 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2017-12-14 - Assignees: ARRIS Enterprises LLC - Applicants: ARRIS Enterprises LLC - Inventors: Rafie Shamsaasef; Lex Aaron Anderson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12007908B2 ## CPC - G06F 8/423: {Preprocessors} - G06F 9/544: {Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes} - G06F 12/1408: {by using cryptography (for digital transmission H04L9/00)} - G06F 21/14: against software analysis or reverse engineering, e.g. by obfuscation - G06F 21/54: by adding security routines or objects to programs - G06F 21/60: Protecting data - H04L 9/0631: {Substitution permutation network [SPN], i.e. cipher composed of a number of stages or rounds each involving linear and nonlinear transformations, e.g. AES algorithms} - G06F 2221/2125: Just-in-time application of countermeasures, e.g., on-the-fly decryption, just-in-time obfuscation or de-obfuscation - H04L 63/0428: {wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload} - H04L 2209/16: Obfuscation or hiding, e.g. involving white box - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method is provided to dynamically encode data at runtime with a tagged data element in a program associated with an obfuscation algorithm randomly selected during runtime. Instructions for invoking the obfuscation algorithm are generated when a compiler encounters the tagged variable in the source code. At runtime, unencoded data is encoded by the obfuscation algorithm when the unencoded data is copied to the tagged data element; encoded data is re-encoded by the obfuscation algorithm when the encoded data is copied from a differently tagged data element to the tagged data element, wherein the differently tagged data element is associated with a different obfuscation algorithm; and encoded data is decoded by the obfuscation algorithm when the encoded data is copied from the tagged data element to an untagged data element. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: randomly selecting at least one dynamic encoding algorithm at runtime during execution of a program by a processor when the processor performs at least one of encoding, decoding and/or re-encoding a data flow of the program, the selecting at runtime made randomly from a pool of encoding algorithms injected into the program at build-time, where the encoding algorithms in the pool each comprise at least one function for encoding, decoding and/or re-encoding the data flow by altering a data value without altering a data type associated with said data value; wherein the selected at least one dynamic encoding algorithm is associated with at least one tagged data element in the program for encoding, decoding or re-encoding data stored in the tagged data element; and wherein: unencoded data is encoded by the selected at least one dynamic encoding algorithm when the unencoded data is copied to the tagged data element; encoded data is re-encoded by the selected at least one dynamic encoding algorithm when the encoded data is copied from a differently tagged data element to the tagged data element; or encoded data is decoded by the selected at least one dynamic encoding algorithm when the encoded data is copied from the tagged data element to an untagged data element. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the encoding algorithms in the pool are injected into the program at randomly selected locations. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the encoding algorithms in the pool are randomly selected from a library of obfuscation algorithms. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the differently tagged data element is associated with a different encoding algorithm. ### Claim 5 An apparatus comprising: a processor for executing a program; wherein at least one dynamic encoding algorithm is randomly selected at runtime during execution of the program when the processor performs at least one of encoding, decoding and/or re-encoding a data flow of the program, the selection at runtime made randomly from a pool of encoding algorithms injected into the program at build-time, where the encoding algorithms in the pool each comprise at least one function for encoding, decoding and/or re-encoding the data-flows by altering a data value without altering a data type associated with said data value; wherein the selected at least one dynamic encoding algorithm is associated with at least one tagged data element in the program for encoding, decoding or re-encoding data stored in the tagged data element; and wherein: unencoded data is encoded by the selected at least one dynamic encoding algorithm when the unencoded data is copied to the tagged data element; encoded data is re-encoded by the selected at least one dynamic encoding algorithm when the encoded data is copied from a differently tagged data element to the tagged data element; or encoded data is decoded by the selected at least one dynamic encoding algorithm when the encoded data is copied from the tagged data element to an untagged data element. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the encoding algorithms in the pool are injected into the program at randomly selected locations. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the encoding algorithms in the pool are randomly selected from a library of obfuscation algorithms. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the differently tagged data element is associated with a different encoding algorithm. ### Claim 9 A method implemented by a processor and comprising: tagging at least one data element when editing source code of a program while performing at least one of encoding, decoding and/or re-encoding a data flow of the program; wherein the tagged data element is associated with a dynamic encoding algorithm randomly selected at runtime during execution of the program from a pool of encoding algorithms injected into the program at build-time, where the encoding algorithms each comprise at least one function for encoding, decoding or re-encoding data stored in the tagged data element by altering a data value without altering a data type associated with said data value; and wherein: unencoded data is encoded by the dynamic encoding algorithm when the unencoded data is copied to the tagged data element; encoded data is re-encoded by the dynamic encoding algorithm when the encoded data is copied from a differently tagged data element to the tagged data element; or encoded data is decoded by the dynamic encoding algorithm when the encoded data is copied from the tagged data element to an untagged data element. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the data element is tagged in the source code of the program. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein instructions for invoking the encoding algorithm associated with the tagged data element are generated when a compiler encounters the tagged data element in the source code. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the data element is tagged with an encoding identifier. ### Claim 13 An apparatus comprising: a processor for editing source code of a program and tagging at least one data element when performing at least one of encoding, decoding and/or re-encoding a data flow of the program, wherein the tagged data element is associated with a dynamic encoding algorithm randomly selected at runtime during execution of the program from a pool of encoding algorithms injected into the program at build-time, for encoding, where the encoding algorithms in the pool each comprise at least one function for decoding or re-encoding data stored in the tagged data element by altering a data value without altering a data type associated with said data value; and wherein: unencoded data is encoded by the encoding algorithm when the unencoded data is copied to the tagged data element; encoded data is re-encoded by the encoding algorithm when the encoded data is copied from a differently tagged data element to the tagged data element; or encoded data is decoded by the encoding algorithm when the encoded data is copied from the tagged data element to an untagged data element. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the data element is tagged in the source code of the program. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein instructions for invoking the encoding algorithm associated with the tagged data element are generated when a compiler encounters the tagged data element in the source code. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the data element is tagged with an encoding identifier.