US 2001/0017918 A1 · ' Virtual' encryption scheme combining different encryption operators into compound-encryption mechanism

Abstract

A ‘virtual’ encryption scheme combines selected ones of plurality of different encryption operators stored in an encryption operator database into a compound sequence of encryption operators. Data to be transported from a data source site, such as a user workstation, to a data recipient site, such as another workstation, is sequentially encrypted by performing a compound sequential data flow through this sequence prior to transmission. Because of the use of successively different encryption operators, the final output of the sequence will be a compound-encrypted data stream that has no readily discernible encryption footprint. Therefore, even if a skilled data communications usurper possesses a decryption key for each encryption operators, there is a very low likelihood that he would be able to recognize the characteristics of any individual encryption operator. Moreover, without knowledge of the sequence of encryption operators a potential usurper will be forced to operate under a severe resource penalty that makes decryption of such a compound sequence a practical impossibility. At the recipient end of the data communications path, the recovery process involves the use of a complementary virtual decryption scheme that is the exact reverse of that used at the data source site.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method for controllably encrypting data to be transmitted over a communication path between a data source and a data recipient, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of respectively different data encryption operators, and of which may be used, but none of which is necessarily required to encrypt said data into an unintelligible form for transmission over said communication path;
(b) passing said data to be transported over said communication path through a first of said respectively different encryption operators to thereby produce a first encrypted data stream;
and
(c) passing said first encrypted data stream through a second selected one of said respectively different data encryption operators to thereby produce a compound encrypted output data stream that is an encryption of said first encrypted data stream.

1 more element

A system for controllably encrypting data to be transmitted over a communication path between a data source site and a data recipient site, comprising:

at said data source site,
a data encryption operator database which stores a plurality of respectively different data encryption operators;
an address code generator which generates a sequence of access codes, each of which is associated with a respective one of said data encryption operators stored in said data encryption database, such that immediately successive ones of said access codes of said sequence differ from one another, so as to access from said data encryption operator database a sequence of stored data encryption operators, such that immediately successive ones of retrieved data encryption operators are different from one another;
and
a signal processor which is operative to apply data to be transported over said communication path through said sequence of data encryption operators accessed from said encryption operator database to produce a compound-encrypted data stream for transport over said communication path.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

' Virtual' encryption scheme combining different encryption operators into compound-encryption mechanism

Life of this patent

' Virtual' encryption scheme combining different encryption operators into compound-encryption mechanism

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15