Patent ID: 6044155
Filing Date: 2000-03-28
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
A method of securely storing and recovering data protection keys, comprising the following steps:deriving a client key from a user secret that is supplied by a user during network logon procedures;securing user data on a client computer with the client key;sending the client key to a network supervisory computer that authenticates network users during user logon procedures;encrypting a data combination at the network supervisory computer, the data combination including the client key and a user identification corresponding to a currently authenticated current user of the client computer;returning the encrypted data combination to the client computer;storing the encrypted data combination at the client computer;sending the encrypted data combination to the network supervisory computer in order to recover the client key;decrypting the data combination at the network supervisory computer to obtain the client key and the user identification in response to receiving the encrypted data combination from the client computer;returning the client key to the client computer only if the obtained user identification corresponds to the currently authenticated user of the client computer.