Patent ID: 7725739

Claim:
A method for using sensitive data, said method implemented on a hardware computing device having a hardware processor and a hardware memory, the hardware computing device also having a library of secure buffer APIs for manipulating secure buffers associated with the hardware computing device and a separate library of regular memory manipulation APIs for manipulating unencrypted accessible locations associated with the hardware computing device, each secure buffer being manipulatable only by way of APIs in the library of secure buffer APIs and not by way of APIs in the library of regular memory manipulation APIs, the method comprising the hardware processor: storing said sensitive data in a secure buffer in the hardware memory, the storing comprising: accessing an allocation API (application programming interface) from the library of secure buffer APIs; directing the allocation API to create the secure buffer; and accessing a storing API from the library of secure buffer APIs; directing the storing API to store the sensitive data in the created secure buffer; preventing any allocation API from the library of regular memory manipulation APIs from creating any secure buffer; and preventing any storing API from the library of regular memory manipulation APIs from storing the sensitive data in any created secure buffer; and providing a portion of said stored sensitive data from the secure buffer for use, where said portion is less than all of said sensitive data.