Patents by Inventor Alex M. Semenko

Alex M. Semenko has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10615967
    Abstract: A computing device uses a data encryption and decryption system that includes a trusted runtime and an inline cryptographic processor. The trusted runtime provides a trusted execution environment, and the inline cryptographic processor provides decryption and encryption of data in-line with storage device read and write operations. When a portion (e.g., partition) of a storage device is defined, the trusted runtime generates an encryption key and provides the encryption key to the inline cryptographic processor, which uses the encryption key to encrypt data written to the portion and decrypt data read from the portion. Access to the portion can be subsequently protected by associating the key with authentication credentials of a user or other entity. The trusted runtime protects the encryption key based on an authentication key associated with the authentication credentials, allowing subsequent access to the encryption key only in response to the proper authentication credentials being provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Innokentiy Basmov, Magnus Bo Gustaf Nyström, Niels T. Ferguson, Alex M. Semenko
  • Patent number: 10204241
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for adding security to client data by maintaining keys providing access to the client data remotely from the client data. In some circumstances, the systems encrypt a cluster of data using an encryption key, associate the cluster of encrypted data with a unique identifier and send the unique identifier and the decryption key to a server for storage. The decryption key is then received from the server and is used to decrypt the cluster of encrypted data. A server can also perform policy checks or trigger additional authentication such as SMS, phone, or email notification before allowing access to a key. Furthermore, in some instances, the server can also prevent access to the stored keys in response to anomalies, such as decommissioning and other asset management events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Scott A. Field, Aravind N. Thoram, John Michael Walton, Dayi Zhou, Alex M. Semenko, Avraham Michael Ben-Menahem
  • Patent number: 10200194
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for adding security to client data by maintaining decryption keys at a server that provide access to encrypted keys that are maintained at a client system with encrypted client data. A specialized protocol is utilized for accessing the decryption keys from the server. Once obtained, the decryption key is used to decrypt the encrypted key at the client and then the newly decrypted decryption key is used to decrypt the encrypted data. A server can also perform policy checks or trigger additional authentication such as SMS, phone, or email notification before allowing access to the server decryption key. Furthermore, in some instances, the server can also prevent access to the server decryption keys in response to anomalies, such as decommissioning and other asset management events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Scott A. Field, Aravind N. Thoram, John Michael Walton, Dayi Zhou, Alex M. Semenko, Avraham Michael Ben-Menahem
  • Publication number: 20190007204
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for adding security to client data by maintaining decryption keys at a server that provide access to encrypted keys that are maintained at a client system with encrypted client data. A specialized protocol is utilized for accessing the decryption keys from the server. Once obtained, the decryption key is used to decrypt the encrypted key at the client and then the newly decrypted decryption key is used to decrypt the encrypted data. A server can also perform policy checks or trigger additional authentication such as SMS, phone, or email notification before allowing access to the server decryption key. Furthermore, in some instances, the server can also prevent access to the server decryption keys in response to anomalies, such as decommissioning and other asset management events.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Inventors: Scott A. Field, Aravind N. Thoram, John Michael Walton, Dayi Zhou, Alex M. Semenko, Avraham Michael Ben-Menahem
  • Publication number: 20190005274
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for adding security to client data by maintaining keys providing access to the client data remotely from the client data. In some circumstances, the systems encrypt a cluster of data using an encryption key, associate the cluster of encrypted data with a unique identifier and send the unique identifier and the decryption key to a server for storage. The decryption key is then received from the server and is used to decrypt the cluster of encrypted data. A server can also perform policy checks or trigger additional authentication such as SMS, phone, or email notification before allowing access to a key. Furthermore, in some instances, the server can also prevent access to the stored keys in response to anomalies, such as decommissioning and other asset management events.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Inventors: Scott A. Field, Aravind N. Thoram, John Michael Walton, Dayi Zhou, Alex M. Semenko, Avraham Michael Ben-Menahem
  • Patent number: 9900325
    Abstract: A data protection policy is implemented on a computing device, the data protection policy indicating how organization data on the computing device is to be protected. Protection of the organization data includes encrypting the organization data, and allowing the organization data to be decrypted only by particular programs and/or under particular circumstances (as indicated by the data protection policy). When implementing a data protection policy, files already stored on the computing device are encrypted using a passive encryption technique. The passive encryption technique can include one or more of an encrypt on close technique, an encrypt on open technique, an encrypt without exclusive access technique, and an encrypt location technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Alex M. Semenko, Preston Derek Adam, Innokentiy Basmov, Narendra S. Acharya, Peter J. Novotney, Salil Arun Bhagurkar, Yogesh A. Mehta
  • Patent number: 9825945
    Abstract: Data files are encrypted based on a key associated with an entity that sets a data protection policy controlling access to the data files. The data protection policy identifies various restrictions on how the plaintext data of the encrypted data in the data files can be used. The data files have corresponding metadata identifying the entity that sets the data protection policy, and processes that are running instances of applications that are allowed to access the plaintext data are also associated with the identifier of the entity. These identifiers of the entity, as well as the data protection policy, are used by an operating system of a computing device to protect the data in accordance with the data protection policy, including having the protection be transferred to other devices with the protected data, or preventing the protected data from being transferred to other devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Preston Derek Adam, Narendra S. Acharya, Innokentiy Basmov, Octavian T. Ureche, Yogesh A. Mehta, Alex M. Semenko
  • Patent number: 9740639
    Abstract: To comply with a policy for a computing device indicating that data written by the computing device to the storage volume after activation of the policy be encrypted, a sector map is accessed. The sector map identifies one or more sectors of a storage volume and also identifies, for each of the one or more sectors of the storage volume, a signature of the content of the sector. In response to a request to read the content of a sector, the content of the sector is returned without decrypting the content if the sector is one of the one or more sectors and the signature of the content of the sector matches the signature of the sector identified in the sector map. Otherwise, the content of the sector is decrypted and the decrypted content is returned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Innokentiy Basmov, Magnus Bo Gustaf Nyström, Alex M. Semenko, Douglas M. MacIver, Donghui Li
  • Publication number: 20170104768
    Abstract: A data protection policy is implemented on a computing device, the data protection policy indicating how organization data on the computing device is to be protected. Protection of the organization data includes encrypting the organization data, and allowing the organization data to be decrypted only by particular programs and/or under particular circumstances (as indicated by the data protection policy). When implementing a data protection policy, files already stored on the computing device are encrypted using a passive encryption technique. The passive encryption technique can include one or more of an encrypt on close technique, an encrypt on open technique, an encrypt without exclusive access technique, and an encrypt location technique.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Publication date: April 13, 2017
    Inventors: Alex M. Semenko, Preston Derek Adam, Innokentiy Basmov, Narendra S. Acharya, Peter J. Novotney, Salil Arun Bhagurkar, Yogesh A. Mehta
  • Patent number: 9582513
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide access to data in a compressed container through dynamic redirection, without storing decompressed data in persistent memory. The compressed container is stored in a first portion of memory. User data and reference files, with redirect pointers, for accessing corresponding files in the compressed container are stored in a second portion of memory. A command to access data is detected by a computing device. The redirect pointer in the reference file associated with the command redirects access to the corresponding compressed version of data stored in the compressed container. The corresponding accessed compressed version of data is decompressed on the fly and provided in response to the command without storing the decompressed data in persistent memory. Some embodiments provide integrity protection to validate the data coming from the compressed container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Richard A. Pletcher, Malcolm J. Smith, Alain F. Gefflaut, Alex Bendetov, Andrey Shedel, David J. Linsley, Aaron M. Farmer, James Aaron Holmes, Troy E. Shaw, Emily N. Wilson, Innokentiy Basmov, Michael J. Grass, Alex M. Semenko, Scott D. Anderson, Kinshuman Kinshumann
  • Publication number: 20170004094
    Abstract: To comply with a policy for a computing device indicating that data written by the computing device to the storage volume after activation of the policy be encrypted, a sector map is accessed. The sector map identifies one or more sectors of a storage volume and also identifies, for each of the one or more sectors of the storage volume, a signature of the content of the sector. In response to a request to read the content of a sector, the content of the sector is returned without decrypting the content if the sector is one of the one or more sectors and the signature of the content of the sector matches the signature of the sector identified in the sector map. Otherwise, the content of the sector is decrypted and the decrypted content is returned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Innokentiy Basmov, Magnus Bo Gustaf Nyström, Alex M. Semenko, Douglas M. MacIver, Donghui Li
  • Patent number: 9477614
    Abstract: To comply with a policy for a computing device indicating that data written by the computing device to the storage volume after activation of the policy be encrypted, a sector map is accessed. The sector map identifies one or more sectors of a storage volume and also identifies, for each of the one or more sectors of the storage volume, a signature of the content of the sector. In response to a request to read the content of a sector, the content of the sector is returned without decrypting the content if the sector is one of the one or more sectors and the signature of the content of the sector matches the signature of the sector identified in the sector map. Otherwise, the content of the sector is decrypted and the decrypted content is returned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Innokentiy Basmov, Magnus Bo Gustaf Nyström, Alex M. Semenko, Douglas M. MacIver, Donghui Li
  • Publication number: 20160072796
    Abstract: Data files are encrypted based on a key associated with an entity that sets a data protection policy controlling access to the data files. The data protection policy identifies various restrictions on how the plaintext data of the encrypted data in the data files can be used. The data files have corresponding metadata identifying the entity that sets the data protection policy, and processes that are running instances of applications that are allowed to access the plaintext data are also associated with the identifier of the entity. These identifiers of the entity, as well as the data protection policy, are used by an operating system of a computing device to protect the data in accordance with the data protection policy, including having the protection be transferred to other devices with the protected data, or preventing the protected data from being transferred to other devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventors: Preston Derek Adam, Narendra S. Acharya, Innokentiy Basmov, Octavian T. Ureche, Yogesh A. Mehta, Alex M. Semenko
  • Publication number: 20150270956
    Abstract: A computing device uses a data encryption and decryption system that includes a trusted runtime and an inline cryptographic processor. The trusted runtime provides a trusted execution environment, and the inline cryptographic processor provides decryption and encryption of data in-line with storage device read and write operations. When a portion (e.g., partition) of a storage device is defined, the trusted runtime generates an encryption key and provides the encryption key to the inline cryptographic processor, which uses the encryption key to encrypt data written to the portion and decrypt data read from the portion. Access to the portion can be subsequently protected by associating the key with authentication credentials of a user or other entity. The trusted runtime protects the encryption key based on an authentication key associated with the authentication credentials, allowing subsequent access to the encryption key only in response to the proper authentication credentials being provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Innokentiy Basmov, Magnus Bo Gustaf Nyström, Niels T. Ferguson, Alex M. Semenko
  • Publication number: 20150161155
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide access to data in a compressed container through dynamic redirection, without storing decompressed data in persistent memory. The compressed container is stored in a first portion of memory. User data and reference files, with redirect pointers, for accessing corresponding files in the compressed container are stored in a second portion of memory. A command to access data is detected by a computing device. The redirect pointer in the reference file associated with the command redirects access to the corresponding compressed version of data stored in the compressed container. The corresponding accessed compressed version of data is decompressed on the fly and provided in response to the command without storing the decompressed data in persistent memory. Some embodiments provide integrity protection to validate the data coming from the compressed container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2013
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Richard A. Pletcher, Malcolm J. Smith, Alain F. Gefflaut, Alex Bendetov, Andrey Shedel, David J. Linsley, Aaron M. Farmer, James Aaron Holmes, Troy E. Shaw, Emily N. Wilson, Innokentiy Basmov, Michael J. Grass, Alex M. Semenko, Scott D. Anderson, Kinshuman Kinshumann
  • Publication number: 20150033039
    Abstract: To comply with a policy for a computing device indicating that data written by the computing device to the storage volume after activation of the policy be encrypted, a sector map is accessed. The sector map identifies one or more sectors of a storage volume and also identifies, for each of the one or more sectors of the storage volume, a signature of the content of the sector. In response to a request to read the content of a sector, the content of the sector is returned without decrypting the content if the sector is one of the one or more sectors and the signature of the content of the sector matches the signature of the sector identified in the sector map. Otherwise, the content of the sector is decrypted and the decrypted content is returned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: Innokentiy Basmov, Magnus Bo Gustaf Nyström, Alex M. Semenko, Douglas M. MacIver, Donghui Li
  • Patent number: 8914874
    Abstract: A set of security claims for a communication channel are obtained, the set of security claims including one or more security claims each identifying a security characteristic of the communication channel. The security claims are stored, as is a digital signature generated over the set of security claims by an entity. The security claims and digital signature are subsequently accessed when a computing device is to transfer data to and/or from the communication channel. The set of security claims is compared to a security policy of the computing device, and the entity that digitally signed the set of security claims is identified. One or more security precautions that the computing device is to use in transferring data to and/or from the communication channel are determined based at least in part on the comparing and the entity that has digitally signed the set of security claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Octavian T. Ureche, Alex M. Semenko, Sai Vinayak, Carl M. Ellison
  • Patent number: 8874935
    Abstract: To comply with a policy for a computing device indicating that data written by the computing device to the storage volume after activation of the policy be encrypted, a sector map is accessed. The sector map identifies one or more sectors of a storage volume and also identifies, for each of the one or more sectors of the storage volume, a signature of the content of the sector. In response to a request to read the content of a sector, the content of the sector is returned without decrypting the content if the sector is one of the one or more sectors and the signature of the content of the sector matches the signature of the sector identified in the sector map. Otherwise, the content of the sector is decrypted and the decrypted content is returned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Innokentiy Basmov, Magnus Bo Gustaf Nyström, Alex M. Semenko, Douglas M. MacIver, Donghui Li
  • Patent number: 8838981
    Abstract: A communication channel has an associated channel authenticator that includes a channel identifier, a use policy identifying how an owner of the communication channel indicates the communication channel is used, and a digital signature over the channel identifier and use policy. The identifier of the communication channel and the use policy can be verified by a computing device, and a check made as to whether a current security policy of the computing device is satisfied by the use policy. An access that the computing device is allowed to have to the communication channel is determined based at least in part on both whether the current security policy is satisfied by the use policy and whether the identifier of the communication channel and the use policy are verified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Octavian T. Ureche, Alex M. Semenko, Sai Vinayak, Carl M. Ellison
  • Patent number: 8689279
    Abstract: To comply with a policy for a computing device indicating that data written by the computing device to the storage volume after activation of the policy be encrypted, an encrypted chunks map is accessed. The encrypted chunks map identifies whether, for each chunk of sectors of a storage volume, the sectors in the chunk are unencrypted. In response to a request to write content to a sector, the encrypted chunks map is checked to determine whether a chunk that includes the sector is unencrypted. If the chunk that includes the sector is unencrypted, then the sectors in the chunk are encrypted, and the content is encrypted and written to the sector. If the chunk that includes the sector is encrypted or not in use, then the content is encrypted and written to the sector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Innokentiy Basmov, Alex M. Semenko, Dustin L. Green, Magnus Bo Gustaf Nyström