Releasing decrypted digital content to an authenticated path
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsMarcus Peinado, Paul England, Frank Yerrace
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Digital content is released to a rendering application for forwarding by such rendering application to an ultimate destination by way of a path therebetween. The path is defined by at least one module, and the digital content is initially in an encrypted form. An authentication of at least a portion of the path is performed to determine whether each defining module thereof is to be trusted to appropriately handle the digital content passing therethrough. The encrypted digital content is decrypted if in fact each such defining module is to be trusted, and the decrypted digital content is forwarded to the rendering application for further forwarding to the ultimate destination by way of the authenticated path.
Claims38
A method for releasing digital content to a rendering application, the rendering application for forwarding the digital content to an ultimate destination by way of a path therebetween, the path being defined by at least one module, the digital content initially being in an encrypted form, the method comprising:
- performing an authentication of at least a portion of the path to determine whether each defining module thereof is to be trusted to appropriately handle the digital content passing therethrough;
- decrypting the encrypted digital content if in fact each such defining module is to be trusted;
- and
- forwarding the decrypted digital content to the rendering application for further forwarding to the ultimate destination by way of the authenticated path,
- wherein performing the authentication comprises:
- traversing the at least a portion of the path to develop a map of each module in the path;
- and
- authenticating each module in the map, and
- wherein performing the authentication comprises, for each module in the at least a portion of the path:
- receiving from the module a certificate as issued by a certifying authority;
- determining from the received certificate whether such received certificate is acceptable for purposes of authenticating the module;
- checking a revocation list to ensure that the received certificate has not been revoked;
- and
- refusing to decrypt the encrypted digital content if at least one module in the at least a portion of the path fails to provide an acceptable certificate.
A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions thereon for performing a method for releasing digital content to a rendering application, the rendering application for forwarding the digital content to an ultimate destination by way of a path therebetween, the path being defined by at least one module, the digital content initially being in an encrypted form, the method comprising:
- performing an authentication of at least a portion of the path to determine whether each defining module thereof is to be trusted to appropriately handle the digital content passing therethrough;
- decrypting the encrypted digital content if in fact each such defining module is to be trusted;
- and
- forwarding the decrypted digital content to the rendering application for further forwarding to the ultimate destination by way of the authenticated path,
- wherein performing the authentication comprises:
- traversing the at least a portion of the path to develop a map of each module in the path;
- and
- authenticating each module in the map, and
- wherein performing the authentication comprises, for each module in the at least a portion of the path:
- receiving from the module a certificate as issued by a certifying authority;
- determining from the received certificate whether such received certificate is acceptable for purposes of authenticating the module;
- checking a revocation list to ensure that the received certificate has not been revoked;
- and
- refusing to decrypt the encrypted digital content if at least one module in the at least a portion of the path fails to provide an acceptable certificate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.