Patent ID: 8009829

Claim:
A method for deploying a suite of advanced cryptographic algorithms, the method comprising: I. configuring at least one processor to perform the functions of: a. providing a legacy cryptographic interface that is associated with a legacy operating system and a legacy application, and supports a suite of legacy cryptographic algorithms; b. providing a suite of advanced cryptographic algorithms that includes one or more processes selected from the group consisting of an advanced asymmetric key algorithm, an advanced symmetric key algorithm, and an advanced hash function; c. providing an advanced cryptographic interface that is: i. independent of the legacy operating system and the legacy application, ii. backwards compatible with the legacy cryptographic interface, and iii. capable of supporting the suite of advanced cryptographic algorithms; and d. transparently augmenting the legacy cryptographic algorithms by automatically substituting the suite of advanced cryptographic algorithms through one or more processes, i. generating one or more than one advanced public/private key pair comprising one or more than one advanced public key, using the advanced asymmetric key algorithm; wherein the one or more than one advanced public/private key pair is associated with the legacy public/private key pair, substituted for the legacy public/private key pair, or both associated and substituted for the legacy public/private key pair; ii. generating one or more than one legacy public/private key pair, utilizing a watermarking process to construct one or more than one legacy private key and one or more than one legacy public key, such that the one or more than one legacy public key comprises one or more than one advanced public key embedded within the one or more than one legacy public key that is embedded within the legacy public key format, and retaining the cryptographic strength and functionality of the legacy public/private key pair for the relevant legacy public key operations, where generating one or more than one legacy public/private key pair comprises using one or more of the legacy cryptographic algorithms; iii. conveying one or more than one legacy public key and one or more than one embedded advanced public key to a recipient: e. wherein invocation of the advanced cryptographic interface at the time of an initial performance of an operation is selected from the group consisting of encrypting an item, hashing the item, digitally signing the hash of the item, digitally signing the item itself, decrypting the item, re-hashing the item, validating the digital signature of the item and validating the digital signature of the hash of the item.