System and method for hardware strengthened passwords
AssigneesBlackBerry Limited, Certicom Corp.
InventorsRobert John Lambert, Christopher Lyle Bender
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cryptographic module and a computing device implemented method for securing data using a cryptographic module is provided. The cryptographic module may include an input component for receiving a password, an output component for outputting data to the computing device, a random number generator for generating a random number and a module processor operative to generate at least one cryptographic key using the generated random number, and to record an association between the received password linking the received password with the at least one cryptographic key in a data store accessible to the cryptographic module.
Claims19
A computing device implemented method for using a cryptographic module located within the computing device, the method comprising:
- a processor of the cryptographic module:
- receiving a password together with a cryptographic state identifier, the cryptographic state identifier specifying either an encryption mode or a decryption mode for the cryptographic module;
- checking a data store for a cryptographic key previously recorded in association with the received password;
- when the data store contains a cryptographic key previously recorded in association with the received password,
- retrieving said cryptographic key;
- and
- entering the encryption mode or the decryption mode as specified by the received cryptographic state identifier, and while in said mode, receiving data to be processed from a component of the computing device, processing said received data in accordance with said mode using said retrieved cryptographic key, and outputting the processed data;
- and
- when the data store does not contain a cryptographic key previously recorded in association with the password,
- generating a random number using a random number generator;
- generating at least one cryptographic key using the generated random number;
- and,
- recording an association of the received password and the at least one cryptographic key in the data store.
A cryptographic module for a computing device, the cryptographic module comprising:
- an input for receiving a password together with a cryptographic state identifier, the cryptographic state identifier specifying either an encryption mode or a decryption mode for the cryptographic module;
- an output for outputting data to the computing device;
- a random number generator for generating a random number;
- a module processor operative to:
- receive the password together with the cryptographic state identifier;
- check a data store for a cryptographic key previously recorded in association with the received password;
- when the data store contains a cryptographic key previously recorded in association with the received password,
- retrieve said cryptographic key;
- and
- enter the encryption mode or the decryption mode as specified by the received cryptographic state identifier, and while in said mode, receive data to be processed from a component of the computing device, process said received data in accordance with said mode using said retrieved cryptographic key, and output the processed data;
- and
- when the data store does not contain a cryptographic key recorded in association with the password,
- generate a random number using the random number generator;
- generate at least one cryptographic key using the generated random number;
- and
- record an association between the received password and the at least one cryptographic key in the data store.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.