System and method for authenticating streamed data

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium upon which a plurality of instructions executable by a processor is stored, the instructions for performing a method of authenticating data streamed as indexed data packets to a device, in which authentication data is not distributed over the packets, the method comprising:

• receiving, at the device, data in a streamed plurality of packets transmitted by a data server;
• detecting an interruption in transmission of the streamed plurality of packets from the data server, wherein the streamed plurality of packets comprises a truncated packet;
• determining, at the device, a packet preceding the truncated packet within the streamed plurality of packets, and identifying the packet preceding the truncated packet as a last non-truncated packet;
• after detecting the interruption in the streamed plurality of packets, submitting a request for a server-computed authentication value to a network-connected data authentication server with an identification of the last non-truncated packet that precedes the truncated packet as determined at the device, the data authentication server connected to the device by a network, the server-computed authentication value based on a subset of the data transmitted by the data server that comprises the last non-truncated packet but does not include the truncated packet, and the network-connected data authentication server having access to the data that was transmitted from the data server to the device;
• receiving the server-computed authentication value from the network-connected data authentication server, computed in response to the request;
• and
• comparing a device-computed authentication value based on a subset of the data received at the device corresponding to the subset of the data transmitted by the data server with the server-computed authentication value in order to determine if the subset of the data received at the device is authentic.

A mobile device for authenticating data streamed as indexed data packets received at the device, in which authentication data is not distributed over the packets, the mobile device comprising a processor and a memory storing a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

• receive data in a streamed plurality of packets transmitted by a data server;
• detect an interruption in transmission of the streamed plurality of packets from the data server, wherein the streamed plurality of packets comprises a truncated packet;
• determine a packet preceding the truncated packet within the streamed plurality of packets, and identify the packet preceding the truncated packet as a last non-truncated packet;
• after detecting the interruption in the streamed plurality of packets, submit a request for a server-computed authentication value to a network-connected data authentication server with an identification of the last non-truncated packet that precedes the truncated packet as determined at the device, the data authentication server connected to the device by a network, the server-computed authentication value based on a subset of the data transmitted by the data server that comprises the last non-truncated packet but does not include the truncated packet, and the network-connected data authentication server having access to the data that was transmitted from the data server to the device;
• receive the server-computed authentication value from the network-connected data authentication server, computed in response to the request;
• and
• compare a device-computed authentication value based on a subset of the data received at the device corresponding to the subset of the data transmitted by the data server with the server-computed authentication value in order to determine if the subset of the data received at the device is authentic.

A system for authenticating data streamed as indexed data packets, wherein authentication data is not distributed over the packets, the system comprising:

• a data server adapted to transmit data in a streamed plurality of packets;
• a device adapted to receive data in the streamed plurality of packets transmitted by the data server;
• detect an interruption in transmission of the streamed plurality of packets from the data server, wherein the streamed plurality of packets comprises a truncated packet;
• and
• determine a packet preceding the truncated packet within the streamed plurality of packets, and identify the packet preceding the truncated packet as a last non-truncated packet;
• and
• a network-connected data authentication server adapted to compute a server-computed authentication value based on a subset of the data transmitted by the data server, said network-connected data authentication server being connected to said device by a network and having access to the data that was transmitted from the data server to the device;
• wherein the device is further adapted to:
• after detecting the interruption in the streamed plurality of packets, submit a request for the server-computed authentication value to the network-connected data authentication server with an identification of the last non-truncated packet that precedes the truncated packet, the server-computed authentication value based on a subset of the data transmitted by the data server that comprises the last non-truncated packet but does not include the truncated packet,
• receive the server-computed authentication value from the network-connected data authentication server over the network, computed in response to the request;
• compute a device-computed authentication value based on a subset of the data received at the device corresponding to the subset of the data transmitted by the data server;
• and
• determine if the subset of the data received at the device is authentic by comparing the server-computed and device-computed authentication values.