US 2019/0103975 A1 · VALIDATION OF THE INTEGRITY OF DATA

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of permitting authentication of data added to an initial plurality of unique data items stored on a computer, all of the data items being converted via a one-way function to respective equal length unique digests (or hashes); and the hashes being stored as a linked dataset in which the value of each successive hash is dependent on the value of the previous hash combined with a new hash resulting from the hashing of the most recently added data. The most recent hash in the linked dataset (hash chain) is the cumulative result of all previous hashes in their original sequence, each hash in the dataset being unique to the most recently added data. Each cumulative hash is constructed by incorporating one or more pre-existing cumulative hashes into the source data, before the new hash is calculated.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method of enabling validation of the integrity of data by reference to a plurality of unique data items stored on at least one computing device, wherein each data item is the result of hashing respective data to create respective equal length hashes and combining each new hash with its predecessor hash;

the method comprising:
storing the hashes on the computing device as a linked dataset comprising a hash chain in which the value of each successive hash is dependent on the value of the predecessor hash combined with a new hash resulting from the hashing of new data that has been combined with a different previous hash, wherein a most recent hash in the linked dataset is a cumulative result of all previous hashes in their original sequence, each hash in the linked dataset being unique to the new data.

An apparatus comprising

a storage device containing a plurality of data sources,
an input via which data content of the data sources can be added to the storage device,
a processor programmed to convert all of the data content of the data sources by reference to a plurality of unique data items stored or recorded on at least one computing device, the unique data items being the result of (i) hashing a respective data source to create respective hashes and (ii) combining each new hash with its predecessor hash, the processor being programmed to store the hashes as a linked dataset in which the processor applies a value to each successive hash which is dependent on the value of the previous hash combined with a new hash resulting from hashing of a new data source that has itself been combined with a different previous hash;
the processor being further programmed such that the most recent hash in the dataset is the cumulative result of all previous hashes in their original sequence (a linked dataset including such a cumulative result being referred to herein as a linked hash chain, and the cumulative hashes on the linked hash chain being referred to herein as HASH_LINKED), and such that each hash in the dataset is unique to a new data source.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Validation of the integrity of data

Life of this patent

Validation of the integrity of data

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12