Abstract: Apparatus may be provided including a spectrum analyzer and decision circuitry. The spectrum analyzer may be configured to ascertain wireless signal signature data from a wide range of frequency bands. The decision circuitry may be configured to modify operation of one or both of a receiver and a transmitter based on the signal signature data.

Abstract: Communication and validation of information transfer from a transmitter to a receiver is achieved by generating a cipher (400) from a message m (410) using parameters of an elliptic curve, a generator point P (406) on the elliptic curve and a public key Q (416) of the receiver. The cipher includes a first element that is the product kP of a random number k (404) with the generator point P and a second element that is the product of m and the x-coordinate of the product kQ. The message m is generated from two mathematically independent representations of the information and, optionally, a random number. The cipher is communicated to the receiver and decoded to recover a message m? (502). A validation token (500) is generated by the receiver and passed to the transmitter, which validates communication of the information to the receiver if the product mkQ is equal to the validation token.

Abstract: A server, e.g., a client (105, 107, 109), receives a request for a digital signature to be applied to digital information, obtains a representation of the information, determines a designation of key pair(s) to be applied thereto; and transmits a request for the digital signature to a front end server (103a, 103b). The front end server determines one or more of whether the client is authentic and authorized, the user identifier is authentic, and the user identifier is permitted to make the request. If so, the front end server transmits a request to generate a digital signature to a back end server (101). The back end server determines one or more of whether the front end server is authentic and the designated key pair correspond to the requesting front end server. If so, the back end server generates the digital signature based on the information and the key pair(s).

Abstract: A portable transaction-enablement platform carries out certain actions to improve the protection of sensitive information. This can comprise detecting when a user of the portable transaction-enablement platform prepares to use the portable transaction-enablement platform to facilitate a sensitive transaction and then responding in a corresponding manner. This can comprise, for example, automatically pre-enabling transaction-enablement platform functionality as pertains to the sensitive transaction while also limiting transaction-enablement platform functionality that does not support the sensitive transaction and that poses a risk to the sensitive transaction.

Abstract: A method for distributing content in a communications network including obtaining (210) encrypted content, for example, from a content provider or from another subscriber terminal, obtaining (220) a rights object for the content, and in some embodiments obtaining an encrypted token based on the identity of the subscriber terminal obtaining the rights object, maintaining (230) a relation between the content and identity of the subscriber obtaining the rights object, and tracking (240) distribution of the content by the subscriber terminal that obtained the rights object in the content.

Abstract: A method and apparatus authenticates a component (450) for use in a device (100). The device memory (122) stores a predetermined challenge and a predetermined response (212) associated with the predetermined challenge. The method detects whether the component has been coupled to the device. If the component has been detected (206), the predetermined challenge is provided to the component (208). If a component response is received within a predetermined response time (210), it is compared to the predetermined response. The component is disabled (214) if either the component response is not received within the predetermined response time or the component response is received within the predetermined response time but the component response is not equivalent to the predetermined response. The component is enabled (216) if the component response is received within the predetermined response time and the component response is equivalent to the predetermined response.

Abstract: Apparatus may be provided including a spectrum analyzer and decision circuitry. The spectrum analyzer may be configured to ascertain wireless signal signature data from a wide range of frequency bands. The decision circuitry may be configured to modify operation of one or both of a receiver and a transmitter based on the signal signature data.

Abstract: Buffer overflow exploits in a computer are reduced by encoding linkage information associated with a subroutine, following a call to the subroutine from an application executing on the computer. The encoded linkage information is stored at a first address in a run-time stack in a memory of the computer. Upon exit from the subroutine, the value stored at the first address in the run-time stack is retrieved and decoded to obtain decoded linkage information. Execution of the application continues in accordance with the decoded linkage information. Subroutine data written to the stack is not encoded.

Abstract: During a first time interval, an authentication system produces a fingerprint of a first application, encrypts it and stores the encrypted fingerprint in a memory. In second time interval the authentication system produces a fingerprint of a second application, and retrieves the encrypted fingerprint of the first application from the memory. The encrypted fingerprint of the first application is decrypted to recover the fingerprint of the first application. The second application is authenticated if the fingerprint of the first application is equal to the fingerprint of the second application. The fingerprint may include a hash value of the program of computer instructions of the application. The fingerprint of the first application may be encrypted using an embedded secret key of the authentication system.

Abstract: A method for distributing content in a communications network including obtaining (210) encrypted content, for example, from a content provider or from another subscriber terminal, obtaining (220) a rights object for the content, and in some embodiments obtaining an encrypted token based on the identity of the subscriber terminal obtaining the rights object, maintaining (230) a relation between the content and identity of the subscriber obtaining the rights object, and tracking (240) distribution of the content by the subscriber terminal that obtained the rights object in the content.