Secure digital data format and code enforced policy

A method for enabling use of digital data on a computing device, so as to ensure that the digital data have not been altered and so as to enforce policies regarding use of the digital data, said digital data being distributed along with a header and with an encrypted header digest for the digital data that was produced by encrypting the header digest with a private key, comprising the steps of:

• receiving, at the computing device, the digital data and the header of the digital data, the digital data comprising a plurality of sections, the header comprising:
• the encrypted header digest of the digital data,
• a plurality of session digests each uniquely corresponding to one of the plurality of sessions of the digital data that was produced prior to distribution of the digital data;
• and
• security policy information for controlling use of the digital data at the computing device, wherein the security policy information comprises at least one of:
• an indication of a geographic region in which the digital data are authorized to be used;
• an indication of a type of media from which the digital data are authorized to be loaded into the computing device for use, wherein the type of media is an optical storage disc;
• a console system setting that must be in place prior to use of the digital data;
• a fault tolerance indication of whether the digital data can be trusted when certain system components are determined to be at fault;
• and
• an ejection control indication of whether the digital data can be trusted to permit removal of a portable medium upon which the digital data is stored;
• decrypting, at the computing device, the encrypted header digest with a public key that corresponds to the private key to recover the header digest;
• creating a confirming header digest of the header that was distributed with the digital data, said confirming header digest being produced using a method identical to that employed in producing the header digest that was encrypted;
• comparing the confirming header digest with the header digest that was recovered by decrypting;
• producing a confirming section digest for each of the plurality of sections in the digital data by processing each of the plurality of sections of the digital data with a procedure identical to that previously used to produce the corresponding section digest included in the header,
• comparing the confirming section digest for each of the plurality of sections with the corresponding section digest of the plurality of section digests in the header;
• determining whether the security policy information enables the digital data to be used on the computing device;
• and
• only enabling the digital data that were distributed along with the header and the encrypted header to be used on the computing device if:
• the confirming header digest is identical to the header digest that was recovered;
• the confirming section digest for said section is identical to the corresponding section digest for said section in the header;
• and
• the digital data is allowed for use on the computing device based on the security policy information.

A method of enforcing a secure policy on distributed digital data which are intended to be used on a computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a)securing the digital data using the securing system prior to distribution by:
• determining a data digest for the digital data in accord with a predefined procedure that produces the data digest in a form uniquely related to the digital data;
• including the data digest in a header for the digital data;
• including, in the header of the digital data, security policy information for controlling use of the digital data on the computing device, wherein the security policy information comprises:
• an indication of a geographic region in which the digital data are authorized to be used;
• an indication of a type of media from which the digital data are authorized to be loaded into the computing device for use, wherein the type of media is an optical storage disc;
• a rating that is based upon at least one characteristic of the digital data;
• a console system setting that must be in place prior to use of the digital data;
• a fault tolerance indication of whether the digital data can be trusted when certain system components are determined to be at fault;
• and
• an ejection control indication of whether the digital data can be trusted to permit removal of a portable medium upon which the digital data is stored;
• determining a header digest for the header that includes the data digest using the predefined procedure, said header digest being uniquely related to the header;
• and
• encrypting the header digest using a private key that is secret;
• (b) distributing, by the securing system, the encrypted header digest, the header having the security policy information, and the digital data;
• (c) prior to use of the digital data on the computing device, the computing device confirming an authenticity of the digital data by:
• decrypting the encrypted header digest using a public key that corresponds to the private key, to recover the header digest;
• determining a confirmation digest of the header using the predefined procedure;
• comparing the confirmation header digest of the header to the header digest that was recovered by the step of decrypting, to confirm whether the header that was distributed with the digital data was altered;
• and if not altered,
• determining a confirmation data digest of the digital data, corresponding to the data digest included in the header, using the predefined procedure;
• and
• comparing the confirmation data digest to the data digest included in the header, to confirm whether the digital data that were distributed have been altered after the step of securing;
• (d) determining that the security policy information from the header enables the digital data to be used on the computing device, the determining comprising the computing device comparing indication of one or more criteria included in the security policy information with state of one or more corresponding criteria on the computing device for a match;
• and
• (e) preventing the computing device from farther using the digital data if one or more of the following occurs:
• the confirmation header digest does not match the header digest that was recovered by the step of decrypting;
• the confirmation data digest does not match the data digest that was included in the header;
• and
• the security policy information does not enable the digital data for use on the computing device.

A method of enforcing a secure policy regarding use of digital data distributed for use on a computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

• including with the digital data that are distributed, information to be applied by the computing device to enforce the secure policy regarding use of the digital data by the computing device, and an encrypted digest uniquely derived from a portion of the digital data that includes the information, wherein the information comprises:
• an indication of a type of media from which the digital data are authorized to be loaded into the computing device for use;
• a rating based upon at least one characteristic of the digital data;
• and
• a fault tolerance indication of whether the digital data can be trusted when certain system components are determined to be at fault;
• and
• the information further comprises one or more of:
• an indication of a geographic region in which the digital data are authorized to be used;
• a console system setting that must be in place prior to use of the digital data;
• and
• an ejection control indication of whether the digital data should be trusted to permit removal of an optical storage disc upon which the digital data is stored;
• causing the computing device to decrypt the encrypted digest to recover the digest;
• creating a confirmation digest with the computing device by using an identical technique that was previously used to create the digest that was previously encrypted;
• comparing the confirmation digest with the digest that was decrypted;
• and
• if the confirmation digest matches the digest that was decrypted, using the information to enforce the secure policy regarding use of the digital data on the computing device, and if not, precluding use of the digital data on the computing device.

A system for securing digital data so that a secure policy is enforced on the digital data to control its use on a computing device, the system comprising:

• a memory having stored thereon machine instructions;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory, said processor executing the machine instructions, which configure the processor to carry out a plurality of functions, including:
• processing the digital data to create a data digest that uniquely corresponds to the digital data, wherein the digital data comprise a plurality of sections;
• including the data digest in a header of the digital data;
• processing each of the plurality of sections to produce a plurality of section digests uniquely corresponding to the plurality of sections of the digital data;
• including the plurality of section digests in the header;
• including, in the header of the digital data, information to be applied by the computing device to enforce the secure policy regarding use of the digital data by the computing device, wherein the information comprises one or more of:
• an indication of a geographic region in which the digital data are authorized to be used;
• an indication of a type of media from which the digital data are authorized to be loaded into the computing device for use, wherein the type of media is an optical storage disc;
• a console system setting that must be in place prior to use of the digital data;
• a fault tolerance indication of whether the digital data can be trusted when certain system components are determined to be at fault;
• and
• an ejection control indication of whether the digital data can be trusted to permit removal of a portable medium upon which the digital data is stored;
• processing the header that includes the data digest to create a header digest that uniquely corresponds to the header;
• and
• encrypting the header digest with a private key to produce an encrypted header digest, said private key having a corresponding public key that is provided when the digital data are to be used on the computing device, producing secured digital data that include the digital data, the header, and the encrypted header digest for distribution and use on the computing device.

A system for authenticating digital data, so as to ensure that the digital data have not been altered and so as to enforce secure policies regarding use of the digital data, said digital data being distributed along with a header and with an encrypted header digest for the digital data that was produced by encrypting the header digest with a private key, the system comprising:

• a memory having stored thereon machine instructions;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory, said processor executing the machine instructions, which configure the processor to carry out a plurality of functions, including:
• decrypting the encrypted header digest with a public key that corresponds to the private key, to recover the header digest having information to be applied by the system to enforce the secure policies regarding use of the digital data at the system, the digital data comprising a plurality of sections, the header including a plurality of session digests each uniquely corresponding to one of the plurality of sections of the digital data that was produced prior to distribution of the digital data, wherein the information comprises one or more of:
• an indication of a geographic region in which the digital data are authorized to be used;
• an indication of a type of media from which the digital data are authorized to be loaded into the computing device for use, wherein the type of media is an optical storage disc;
• a console system setting that must be in place prior to use of the digital data;
• a fault tolerance indication of whether the digital data can be trusted when certain system components are determined to be at fault;
• and
• an ejection control indication of whether the digital data can be trusted to permit removal of a portable medium upon which the digital data is stored;
• creating a confirming header digest of the header that was distributed with the digital data, said confirming header digest being produced in accord with the machine instructions that carry out a method identical to that employed in producing the header digest that was encrypted;
• comparing the confirming header digest with the header digest that was recovered by decrypting;
• producing a confirming section digest for each of the plurality of sections by processing each of the plurality of sections of the digital data with a procedure identical to that previously used to produce the corresponding section digest in the header;
• comparing the confirming section digest for each of the plurality of sections with the corresponding section digest of the plurality of sections digests in the header;
• determining that the secure policies enable the digital data to be used on the system, the determining comprising comparing indication of one or more parameters included in the secure policies with state of one or more corresponding parameters on the system for a match;
• and
• only enabling the digital data to be used on the system if:
• the confirming header digest is identical to the header digest that was recovered;
• the confirming section digest for said section is identical to the corresponding section digest for said section included in the header;
• and
• the digital data is allowed for use on the system based on the secure policies.

A system for enforcing a secure policy regarding use of digital data distributed for use on the system, said digital data including information to be applied by the system to enforce the secure policy regarding use of the digital data on the system and an encrypted digest, a digest that was encrypted to provide the encrypted digest being uniquely derived from a portion of the digital data that includes the information, comprising:

• a memory having stored thereon a plurality of machine instructions;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory and which executes the machine instructions, configuring the processor to carry out the following functions:
• decrypting the encrypted digest to recover the digest having a plurality of parameters to be applied by the system to enforce the secure policy regarding use of the digital data at the system, wherein the plurality of parameters comprise:
• an indication of a geographic region in which the digital data are authorized to be used;
• an indication of a type of media from which the digital data are authorized to be loaded into the computing device for use;
• a rating that is based upon at least one characteristic of the digital data;
• a console system setting that must be in place prior to use of the digital data;
• a fault tolerance indication of whether the digital data can be trusted when certain system components are determined to be at fault;
• and
• an ejection control indication of whether the digital data can be trusted to permit removal of a portable medium upon which the digital data is stored;
• creating a confirmation digest, using an identical technique that was previously used to create the digest that was previously encrypted;
• comparing the confirmation digest with the digest that was decrypted;
• and
• if the confirmation digest matches the digest that was decrypted, using the information to enforce use of the digital data on the system in accord with the secure policy, and if not, precluding use of the digital data on the system, wherein the using the information to enforce use of the digital data on the system comprises comparing each of the plurality of parameters with a corresponding parameter on the system for a match.