Patent ID: 7953987

Claim:
A master key device which protects secret information stored in an electronic secret storage memory comprising: a controller device for a security module operated within an electronically secure environment having a plurality of sensors designed to detect various forms of tampering as well as fluctuations in temperature, x-ray, voltage, and power fluctuations located within a secure tamper respondent system, which security module provides the encryption of data secrets, said controller device being coupled to a tamper detection subsystem used to control a power supply for said controller device and secret storage memory and used to control a reset input to a master key storage, and to a host controller for to generate and store a master key, said tamper detection subsystem also including management logic to reset the master key storage, and remove, shunt to ground or reverse polarity power to the secret storage memory and controller device containing said master key based on information from said tamper detection subsystem, said controller device having a master key storage with a master key storage register connected to an inverter which periodically inverts or toggles the master key storage register to periodically invert keys stored in said master key storage register, and used to perform and control the encryption and decryption of data in the secret storage memory, said master key storage register providing an encryption key storage with a data register located in said master key storage register having an encryption key used to encrypt the sensitive data in said secret storage memory such that said master key becomes the critical sensitive data that can be destroyed upon a tamper event without having to immediately destroy all encrypted data secrets, the encryption key storage having a reset input; an inverter which continuously inverts the encryption key in the storage register; and a tamper respondent device which provides an output signal to the reset input of the encryption key storage upon start up and upon a tamper event to destroy the encryption key with a tamper event output signal reset signal from said tamper detection subsystem to said encryption key storage reset input such that said critical sensitive data of said master key is erased and cannot function, preventing access to the data secrets.