Patent ID: 7758422

Claim:
A method for authenticating a game console peripheral, said method comprising: receiving from said peripheral by a game console, an unencrypted first device identification parameter; querying said peripheral to determine the presence of an encrypted certificate of authenticity encrypted with a private key of a public-private key cryptographic key pair; when said encrypted certificate is not present in said peripheral, declaring said peripheral an unauthorized peripheral; when said encrypted certificate is present in said peripheral, retrieving said encrypted certificate; decrypting said encrypted certificate with a corresponding public key of said cryptographic key pair, for retrieving a second device identification parameter contained in said encrypted certificate, said second device identification parameter comprising a mark indicative of an authenticity of said peripheral; comparing said first device identification parameter received in unencrypted form from said peripheral, against said second device identification parameter obtained by decrypting said encrypted certificate further received from said peripheral, and comparing said mark decrypted from said encrypted certificate that is retrieved from said peripheral against an unencrypted mark that is stored in said game console; and declaring said peripheral an authorized peripheral upon determining that said first device identification parameter matches said second device identification parameter.