Abstract: A human interactive puzzle (HIP) authorization architecture where keyed and animated puzzles are executed by HIP players which are distinct and obfuscated to the point where breaking a single player is a relatively costly operation. A key is created in response to a request for a service, a HIP player is created based on the key, and a small installation executable is created that expands during installation to produce a computationally expensive data structure on the client relative to verification of the solution at the server. Thus, copying of the player or relay of the puzzle to a third system requires more time than allowed to receive the solution at the server.

Abstract: Embodiments are described that leverage variability of a chip. Different areas of a chip vary in terms of reliability under a same operating condition. The variability may be captured by measuring errors over different areas of the chip. A physical factor that affects or controls the likelihood of an error on the chip can be varied. For example, the voltage supplied to a chip may be provided at different levels. At each level of the physical factor, the chip is tested for errors within the regions. Some indication of the error statistics for the regions is stored and then used to adjust power used by the chip, to adjust reliability behavior of the chip, to allow applications to control how the chip is used, to compute a signature uniquely identifying the chip, etc.

Abstract: Human Interaction Proofs (“HIPs”, sometimes referred to as “captchas”), may be generated automatically. An captcha specification language may be defined, which allows a captcha scheme to be defined in terms of how symbols are to be chosen and drawn, and how those symbols are obscured. The language may provide mechanisms to specify the various ways in which to obscure symbols. New captcha schemes may be generated from existing specifications, by using genetic algorithms that combine features from existing captcha schemes that have been successful. Moreover, the likelihood that a captcha scheme has been broken by attackers may be estimated by collecting data on the time that it takes existing captcha schemes to be broken, and using regression to estimate the time to breakage as a function of either the captcha's features or its measured quality.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or method that detect watermarks incorporated within analog and/or digital signals associated with multimedia presentations. The disclosed system can include a component that receives analog and/or digital signals, ascertains the existence of a watermark associated with the received signals, and extracts metadata encapsulated within the watermark, wherein the metadata can both include information regarding the broadcast multimedia presentations as well as information unrelated to the broadcast multimedia. Extracted metadata or more particularly, attributes contained within the metadata can be utilized to establish online social networks based at least on the associated attributes.

Abstract: A data center includes a plurality of computing units that communicate with each other using wireless communication, such as high frequency RF wireless communication. The data center may organize the computing units into groups (e.g., racks). In one implementation, each group may form a three-dimensional structure, such as a column having a free-space region for accommodating intra-group communication among computing units. The data center can include a number of features to facilitate communication, including dual-use memory for handling computing and buffering tasks, failsafe routing mechanisms, provisions to address permanent interface and hidden terminal scenarios, etc.

Abstract: A system is described for allowing a user, operating a trusted device, to remotely log into a server via a potentially untrustworthy client. The system operates by establishing a first secure connection between the client and the server. The system then establishes a second secure connection between the device and the server through the client. The user then remotely logs into the server over the second secure connection using the device. The second secure connection is tunneled within the first secure connection, preventing the untrustworthy client from discovering personal information associated with the user. According to one feature, prior to forming the second secure connection, the user can establish a pairing relationship with the client by reading an address of the client using any kind of reading mechanism. According to another feature, the device can receive marketing information in the course of a transaction.

Abstract: Detecting and/or tolerating races. Races occur due to malicious threads not respecting software locks. A method of detecting and/or correcting races includes making local copie(s) and reference copie(s) of shared data. Any read and write operations performed by a safe thread are caused to be performed on the local copie(s) during a critical section. The critical section defines a time frame which a variable lock is placed on shared data. Any read and write operations performed by malicious threads are allowed to be performed on the shared data during the critical section. The shared data, the local copie(s), and the reference copie(s) are compared to determine that a race has been detected. An indication can be output that a race has occurred or the race can be corrected.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for securing a multicore computer chip with a watchdog processor. In a system with a watchdog process and any number of other processors and components, the watchdog processor monitors bus communications between the second processor and at least one third component. The watchdog processor may be further independently coupled to at least one of the other components so that it can monitor internal operations of such component, thereby acquiring detailed information about the specific operations of at least one component in the system. The watchdog processor can enforce an interaction policy on bus communications between components, as well as enforce an independent security policy on the monitored components.

Abstract: Systems and methods to perform efficient searching for web content using a search engine are provided. In an illustrative implementation, a computing environment comprises a search engine computing application having an essential pages module operative to execute one or more selected selection algorithms to select content from a cooperating data store. In an illustrative operation, the exemplary search engine executes on a received search query to generate search results. Operatively, the retrieved results can be generated based upon their joint coverage of the submitted search query by deploying a selected sequential forward floating selection (SFFS) algorithm executing on the essential pages module. In the illustrative operation, the SFFS algorithm can operate to iteratively add one and delete one element from the set to improve a coverage score until no further improvement can be attained. The resultant processed search results can be considered essential pages.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed to enable utilization of randomly-occurring features of a label (whether embedded or naturally inherent) to provide counterfeit-resistant and/or tamper-resistant labels. More specifically, labels including randomly-occurring features are scanned to determine the labels' features. The information from the scan is utilized to provide identifying indicia which uniquely identifies each label and may be later verified against the label features that are present to determine whether the label is genuine. In a described implementation, the identifying indicia may be cryptographically signed.

Abstract: Functionality is described for reducing the unauthorized reproduction of optical media, such as optical discs of various types. The functionality operates by adding a physical descriptor to an optical medium, forming reference descriptor information based on the descriptor, signing the reference descriptor information to produce authenticity information, and adding the authenticity information to the optical medium. At a point of consumption, the functionality operates by reading the authenticity information and reading the descriptor. Based on the information that is read, the functionality performs cryptographic analysis and descriptor-based analysis to validate the optical medium. The functionality includes various provisions to reduce the impact of wear and tear on the above-summarized analysis. The functionality can be applied to stamped or recordable optical media.

Abstract: A beat analysis module is described for determining beat information associated with an audio item. The beat analysis module uses an Expectation-Maximization (EM) approach to determine an average beat period, where correlation is performed over diverse representations of the audio item. The beat analysis module can determine the beat information in a relative short period of time. As such, the beat analysis module can perform its analysis together with another application task (such as a game application task) without disrupting the real time performance of that application task. In one application, a user may select his or her own audio items to be used in conjunction with the application task.

Abstract: An off-line economy for digital media. In one implementation, exemplary media devices of buyer and seller participate in the off-line economy by performing secure off-line transfers of digital media content between themselves. The media devices store proof of the off-line sales transactions, so that a percentage of the sale price can be applied to a copyright owner and a percentage of the sale price can be applied to the seller as an incentive. Even resale of pirated media content benefits the copyright holder. The off-line economy opens an effective and inexpensive distribution channel for copyright holders and allows buyers to obtain media content anywhere, at any time, from any participant in the off-line economy without connecting to the Internet. The off-line economy allows copyright holders and media sellers to optimize pricing by market probing.

Abstract: Systems and methods to perform efficient searching for web content using a search engine are provided. In an illustrative implementation, a computing environment comprises a search engine computing application having an essential pages module operative to execute one or more selected selection algorithms to select content from a cooperating data store. In an illustrative operation, the exemplary search engine executes on a received search query to generate search results. Operatively, the retrieved results can be generated based upon their joint coverage of the submitted search query by deploying a selected sequential forward floating selection (SFFS) algorithm executing on the essential pages module. In the illustrative operation, the SFFS algorithm can operate to iteratively add one and delete one element from the set to improve a coverage score until no further improvement can be attained. The resultant processed search results can be considered essential pages.

Abstract: Functionality is described for reducing the unauthorized reproduction of optical media, such as optical discs of various types. The functionality operates by adding a physical descriptor to an optical medium, forming reference descriptor information based on the descriptor (by reading the descriptor Lr times), producing authenticity information based on the reference descriptor information, and providing the authenticity information to a disc use site via various modes. At the disc use site, the functionality operates by reading the authenticity information and reading the descriptor Lv times (where Lv may not equal Lr). Based on the information that is read, the functionality performs cryptographic analysis and descriptor-based analysis to validate the optical medium. The descriptor can be formed on a closed loop of the optical medium. The functionality also includes provisions for reducing the possibility that unwanted correction is performed, which may interfere with analysis of the descriptor.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides systems and/or methods that generates a soft keyboard projected onto a touch sensitive surface. The system includes components that form and associate groups of characters, symbols, numerals, letters, or punctuation to a small number of soft keys projected onto the touch sensitive surface, animates the groups of characters, symbols, numerals, letters, or punctuation assigned to the small number of soft keys, and obtains indication of a character, symbol, numeral, letter, or punctuation selected by a user when the user touches the surface while the groups of characters, symbols, numerals, letters, or punctuation are in animation.

Abstract: Methods, systems, devices and/or storage media for passwords. An exemplary method tiles an image, associates an index with each tile and optionally determines offsets for select tiles. Further, the tiling optionally relies on probability and/or entropy. An exemplary password system includes an image; a grid associated with the image, the grid composed of polygons; an index associated with each polygon; and an offset associated with each polygon wherein password identification relies on one or more indices and one or more offsets.

Abstract: Radio frequency certificates of authenticity (RFCOAs) and associated scanners and methods are presented. In one implementation, an array of miniaturized antenna elements in an RFCOA scanner occupies an area smaller than a credit card yet obtains a unique electromagnetic fingerprint from an RFCOA associated with an item, such as the credit card. The antenna elements are miniaturized by a combination of both folding and meandering the antenna patch components. The electromagnetic fingerprint of an exemplary RFCOA embeddable in a credit card or other item is computationally infeasible to fake, and the RFCOA cannot be physically copied or counterfeited based only on possession of the electromagnetic fingerprint.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates enhancing coupon distribution in a non-evasive manner based upon a referral. A social network can include two or more users with at least one actively acknowledged connection that indicates a relationship between a first user and a second user. An interface can receive a referral from the first user associated with the social network, wherein the referral describes an experience related to at least one of a business or a service. A viral coupon component can implement a non-evasive delivery of a coupon to the second user based upon leveraging the relationship between the first user and the second user, wherein the coupon is incorporated within at least one of an advertisement or a listing. The vial coupon component delivery of the coupon can be triggered based upon the second user actively investigating at least one of the business or the service.

Abstract: Exemplary systems and methods implement an exemplary visual perception model. This model can be implemented in such applications as imaging, compression, denoising, annotation of hi-fidelity images, etc. In one implementation a perceptual filter estimates an entropy statistic and a standard deviation statistic associated with each pixel of an image, then mixes the entropy statistic and the standard deviation statistic to map an estimation of human perceptual tolerance to noise or alteration in parts of the image. In one application, metadata may be added to an image via a system of synergistic watermarks, in which the watermarks strengthen each other and are placed according to the noise tolerance of the pixels in order to maintain hi-fidelity of the image.