Patent ID: 8776212
Filing Date: 2014-07-08
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for authenticating, a peripheral device to a computer when the apparatus is interposed between the peripheral device and the computer, the apparatus comprising: a first hardware interface capable of transmitting data to, and receiving data from, the computer first; a second hardware interface capable of transmitting data to, and receiving data from, the peripheral device, the peripheral device having a unique identifier; a third hardware interface capable of transmitting data to, and receiving data from, an authentication service; a memory in which is stored a set of unique identifiers; and a processor coupled to the first, second, and third interfaces and to the memory, the processor being configured to: (i) receive the unique identifier, a cryptographic nonce, and encrypted data from the peripheral device using the second interface, (ii) transmit the unique identifier to the authentication service using the third interface, (iii) receive, from the authentication service using the third interface, a decryption key associated with the unique identifier, (iv) decrypt the encrypted data using the decryption key to form decrypted data, and (v) permit transmission of data from the second interface to the first interface, when simultaneously (1) the decrypted data comprise the cryptographic nonce and (2) the received unique identifier is contained in the set of unique identifiers stored in the memory; wherein the peripheral device has a network address, and wherein the processor is further configured to: (vi) receive input data and the network address from the first hardware interface, (vii) transmit the network address to the authentication service using the third hardware interface, (viii) receive, from the authentication service using the third interface, an encryption key associated with the network address, (ix) encrypt the input data using the encryption key, and (x) transmit the encrypted data to the network address of the peripheral device using the second hardware interface.