Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus are provided for policy protected cryptographic Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that are deployed in secure memory. One embodiment is a method of software execution. The method includes executing an application in a first secure memory partition; formatting a request to comply with a pre-defined secure communication protocol; transmitting the request from the application to a cryptographic application programming interface (API) of the application, the API being in a second secure memory partition that is separate and secure from the first secure memory partition; and verifying, in the second secure memory partition, that the request complies with a security policy before executing the request.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provides cryptographic parameters for use in cryptographic applications in response to requests therefor. The method includes the steps of: pre-computing one or more different types of sets of cryptographic parameters, each the type of set being adapted for use by an associated type of cryptographic application; securely storing the pre-computed sets of cryptographic parameters in a memory storage unit; receiving a request for a set of cryptographic parameters having specified characteristics for use in a particular cryptographic application; determining one of the sets of cryptographic parameters stored in the memory storage unit that has specified characteristics; accessing the determined set of cryptographic parameters from the memory storage unit; and providing the determined set of cryptographic parameters with minimal latency.

Abstract: A PIN verification apparatus comprises a plurality of cipher blocks linked in a Cipher Block Chain (CBC) and keyed with a secret PIN Verification Key (PVK). A first input block is coupled to a first cipher block in the CBC chain and is configured to receive a plaintext block derived from a secret PIN. A second input block is coupled to a second cipher block in the CBC chain capable of receiving a plaintext block derived from a non-secret entity-identifier and ciphertext from a cipher block in the CBC chain.