Patent ID: 8300822

Claim:
A computer system comprising a processor and a computer readable physically tangible storage device coupled to the processor, said storage device containing computer readable program code that when executed by the processor implements a method for processing a communication data item, said method comprising: dividing the communication data item into a plurality of unencrypted packets, said unencrypted packets being physically isolated from each other, a packet header and plaintext data being contained within each unencrypted packet, the packet header of each unencrypted packet comprising an identifier field that includes a packet identifier, the packet identifier being identical for all of said unencrypted packets; and generating an encrypted packet from each unencrypted packet by: determining a vector identifier from the identical packet identifier, said vector identifier having an association with the identical packet identifier; generating an initial vector from the vector identifier, said initial vector differing from the vector identifier; and forming an encrypted packet header, said forming the encrypted packet header comprising inserting the vector identifier into a first portion of the packet header and encrypting a second portion of the packet header through use of an encryption key, said first and second portions of the packet header being different portions of the packet header, said encrypting the second portion of the packet header being implemented through use of the initial vector, wherein said generated encrypted packets are physically isolated from each other.