Secure Time and Crypto System

摘要

A system that performs time dependent cryptographic operations on input material resulting in outputs valid only over limited preconfigured life times to mitigate the security drawbacks of unattended operations while capturing the benefits of automation. Tamper protection circuitry is used to ensure the integrity of the system's internal independent source of time, cryptographic processor and key material. Configuration management of the system is authorized only after authenticated credentials held by multiple personnel are presented to the system.

主权项

1. An automated system and method for performing secure unattended cryptographic operations, comprising the steps of:
providing for a standalone source of time independent of external inputs; providing for a processor to perform cryptographic operations; providing for tamper protection for above time source and cryptographic processor; providing for the reception of data and associated time information to be processed; providing for the comparison of the received time information with protected time source above; providing for the execution of requested cryptographic operations only if received time information falls within a preconfigured range of the protected time source; providing for the encoding of received time in the result of any cryptographic operation such that the result may not be modified without detection;