A Set Top Box (STB) or client computer includes a communication interface operable to receive digital messages and digital content, memory operable, and processing circuitry coupled to the communication interface and to the memory. The STB is operable to receive a digital message, extract a key portion from the digital message, extract a rights portion from the digital message, determine a code version based upon the rights portion, read a stored code version from the memory, and compare the code version to the stored code version to validate the software instructions. Upon an unfavorable comparison of the code version to the stored code version, initiates an error action that may include sending a message to a service provider device for software instruction reloading, rebooting, and/or disable decryption of the digital content. Extracting the rights portion from the digital message may include decrypting the key portion to produce a decrypted result and decrypting the rights portion using the decrypted result to produce the decrypted rights portion.