System and method for defining programmable processing steps applied when protecting the data

A computerized client device for using encrypted digital rights management (DRM) data comprising:

• an input data interface module to receive protected DRM data and encrypted sequencer data that defines a sequence of selected ones of a plurality of decryption functions;
• a memory storing the plurality of decryption functions;
• and
• a processor coupled to the input data interface module and the memory and arranged to decrypt the encrypted sequencer data and sequentially apply the selected ones of the plurality of the decryption functions to the protected DRM data in the sequence defined by the decrypted sequencer data,
• wherein the sequence defined by the decrypted sequencer data includes a first function identified by a first portion of the decrypted sequencer data and a second function identified by a portion of self-modified sequencer data, the self-modified sequencer data generated by performing the first function on at least a portion of the decrypted sequencer data.

A computer server comprising:

• an input data interface module for receiving input digital rights management (DRM) data to be protected;
• a memory storing a plurality of encryption functions and sequencer data that defines a sequence of selected ones of the plurality of encryption functions;
• and
• a processor coupled to the input data interface module and the memory and configured to protect the input DRM data by sequentially applying the selected ones of the plurality of encryption functions in the sequence defined by the sequencer data to produce protected output DRM data for transmission to a client device, the processor being further configured to encrypt the sequencer data for transmission to the client device,
• wherein the sequence defined by the sequencer data includes a first function identified by a first portion of the sequencer data and a second function identified by a portion of self-modified sequencer data, the self-modified sequencer data generated by performing the first function on at least a portion of the sequencer data.

A method of protecting digital rights management (DRM) data to be transmitted to client devices, the method comprising:

• receiving input DRM data to be protected;
• generating sequencer data that describes an order in which selected protection functions will be applied to the input DRM data;
• mapping the sequencer data for each of the client devices based on a mapping used by the respective client device for selecting the protection functions from the sequencer data, wherein each of the client devices has a unique mapping for selecting protection functions from sequencer data;
• sequentially applying the selected protection functions, by executing a software program, to the input DRM data according to the order described by the mapped sequencer data to generate protected output DRM data for each of the client devices, the sequence defined by the mapped sequencer data including a first function identified by a first portion of the mapped sequencer data and a second function identified by a portion of self-modified sequencer data, the self-modified sequencer data generated by performing the first function on at least a portion of the mapped sequencer data;
• transmitting the respective protected output DRM data to each of the client devices;
• and
• transmitting the sequencer data to the client devices.