Abstract: A method for measuring the trustworthiness of a self-protecting drive includes receiving a measurement from an element within a transitive chain of trust, processing the received measurement, storing the measurement as a verification value, comparing the verification value with a reference verification value stored on the self-protecting drive, and unlocking at least a portion of the self-protecting drive when the reference verification value corresponds to the verification value. A self-protecting drive includes a boot partition, a trusted partition, a master boot partition, a primary partition, a secondary partition, and a particular table that has a verification platform configuration register and a reference platform configuration register. The primary partition is inaccessible until the self-protecting drive determines that a value stored in the verification platform configuration register corresponds to a value stored in the reference platform configuration register.

Abstract: A trusted hard disk drive (“THDD”) contains cryptographic primitives and support functions in a trusted partition (“TP”). In particular, a master boot record (“MBR”) of the THDD is replaced with an alternative MBR and the normal MBR is stored elsewhere on the THDD. The program(s) loaded from the alternative MBR performs measurements of the TP. The TP, in turn, performs all necessary measurements of the MBR, a personal computer platform's OS, and the OS-present applications, including a platform trust service (“PTS”) kernel. The program(s) also performs functions to clear the PC platform's state such that any events that occurred prior to its execution do not alter the functionality of the OS-present applications. This may include clearing the PC's microprocessor, system memory and cache, for example. DRTM types of system resets may also be performed after the PC's OS has booted to force system clears without requiring OS or VMM infrastructure.

Abstract: A universally available, public cryptographic control unit (crypto unit) is used in a cryptographic system shared by multiple independent users. The crypto unit, which is installed as a peripheral device to a general-purpose computer, loads and unloads encrypted security applets into an onboard RAM memory of the crypto unit, where each security applet is run. The crypto unit and the system of which it is a part, provides a secure internal environment in which only pre-approved security applets are granted permission to load and run. The computing environment within the crypto unit is secured by a cryptographic operation center (OPC) which communicates with each crypto unit. The software developer submits a proposed security applet to the OPC prior to distributing a given security applet in order to obtain the necessary permission for the given security applet. Only if all necessary permissions are obtained from the OPC will a given security applet be allowed to load and run in the crypto unit.

Abstract: The disclosed system relates to metered use cryptographic systems, and particularly to a data package and system operation for effecting metered purchases of encrypted data from a local encrypted database. A local CD ROM encrypted database includes one or more data package records containing one or more message keys encrypted under a database key, and one or more data packages encrypted under said message keys. The user decrypts portions of the database, and the data used is metered locally and recorded as a stored data usage record. The local stored data usage record is reported by telephone modem or other telecommunications link from a remote user terminal, such as a host personal computer containing a remote cryptographic control unit, to a cryptographic operations center.

Abstract: A cryptographic communications system includes a method and apparatus for sending and receiving a plurality of encrypted signal packets in a system for metering the use of encrypted information. Plural packet communication between a user terminal containing a remote cryptographic control unit and a cryptographic operations center typically includes uploading usage records and downloading credit. Plural packet messages are protected to detect alterations in the form of packet reordering by cross linking data cryptographic codes and message authentication codes (MAC). In particular, a first cryptographic code key is used to encrypt a first plurality of signal packets. A second cryptographic code key is used to encrypt the encrypted first plurality of signal packets to form an appended MAC. The initial vector for computing the MAC for a given packet is the last encrypted data block of the previous packet encrypted with the first cryptographic code key.

Abstract: The disclosed system relates to metered use cryptographic systems, and particularly to a data package and system operation for effecting metered purchases of encrypted data from a local encrypted database. A local CD ROM encrypted database includes one or more data package records containing one or more message keys encrypted under a database key, and one or more data packages encrypted under said message keys. The user decrypts portions of the database, and the data used is metered locally and recorded as a stored data usage record. The local stored data usage record is reported by telephone modem or other telecommunications link from a remote user terminal, such as a host personal computer containing a remote cryptographic control unit, to a cryptographic operations center.