Abstract:
It is a process that allows a user to make secure PIN-based transactions using his personal computer. The steps are: a) Preparing transaction data b) Storing it in non-volatile memory, c) Restarting or hibernating the computer, d) Booting into a secure, un-networked, environment from a bootable media or device; this bootable media or device must be sufficiently difficult to counterfeit and sufficiently difficult to tamper with the data stored in it and optionally difficult to copy, e) Securely launching the secure PIN entry software, f) Loading transaction data from the non-volatile memory, g) Presenting the transaction data to the user and optionally allowing the user to modify and/or complete it, h) Secure PIN entry resulting in an encrypted PIN block and/ or enabling the use and/or the generation of the appropriate keys for creating message authentication code(s) and/or cryptogram(s) and/or digital signature(s) according to the transaction security standards; The user can also enter a password to enable secure access to password encrypted secret keys, private keys and confidential data; The user can also enter secure information to update his records in the server side system, like a user choosable CVV2/CVC2 or new 3D Secure password , i) Storing the secured transaction request in non-volatile memory, j) Restarting the computer back to normal operation, k) Loading the secured transaction request from non-volatile memory, 1) Sending the transaction for authorization, m) Receiving the response, n) Presenting the response to the user and optionally storing it. The process radically protects the user from any malicious software that might affect the security of PIN entry; it dramatically reduces the user responsibilities to physical security considerations only, like those in ATM transactions. The user should use a personal computer that he is knows that it does not contain malicious hardware; this could easily be his own notebook or PC at home. He should still quickly check that there is no external hardware key logger attached to the computer. The process enables non-repudiation in e-commerce transactions. The process is also an ideal solution for securing the use of smartcards on personal computers. The ability for the user to specify the CVV2/CVC2 that will be used in the next Internet ecommerce transaction is invaluable because it allows for extermely secure e-commerce without requiring any change in the merchant system, acquirer bank system and the card transactions network, like VISA and MasterCard. In the case where the personal computer by default boots into a system that fulfills the security requirements mentioned, like an MIDP2.0 Java mobile phone for example, then the personal computer, which is the mobile phone, is already secure, hence a stripped down version of the process is the only thing needed. A Java mobile phone is secure because it either allows the application to run in the sand-box model or the application must be digitally signed to execute with the requested privileges; this prevents any malicious software from having the privilege to make any critical action.
Abstract:
A system and method for automated image analysis which may enhance, for example, capsule endoscopy diagnosis. The system and methods may reduce the time required for diagnosis, and also help improve diagnostic consistency using an interactive feedback tool. Furthermore, the system and methods may be applicable to any procedure where efficient and accurate visual assessment of a large set of images is required.
Abstract:
A full-fledged practical Host Security Module, HSM, using a collection of smartcards. It is a new way for making an HSM at a very small fraction of the cost of making a traditional HSM for the same throughput-performance and without trade-offs. From the hardware prespective, it is made of a collection of smartcards and a communication handler that can communicate with these smartcards, this communication handler can be even be a process that runs on the host computer itself that will use the HSM. From the software prespective it is made of a security module software that resides on each of the smartcards in the collection and a communication handler software that would reside on the computer that manages the smartcards collection from the communications point of view. This invention eliminates the need for the very expensive physically secure enclosures of the HSMs and gives many other benefits described in detail in the disclosure. It is a full-fledged practical HSM in the sense that it does not miss any of the capabilities of traditional HSMs, like secure printing of secrets and keys, secure interaction with the security officers, interaction with other critical devices, interaction with the host computer...etc. The invention also describes the method for managing such a possibly very large collection of tiny security devices through maintaining secure signed list of ID's of these security devices. All the security officers must agree in order to add or remove a "security module" from the list. This prevents fraudulent smartcards from being added to the collection. Also, if one or more smartcards were stolen from the collection, anti-theft techniques ensure that they will not be usable and in all cases the local master keys are never brought out in clear from any of the smartcards in the collection.
Abstract:
A transaction terminal and a process which allows a user to make secure transactions, such as PIN-based transactions, using his personal computer. The steps are: (a) Preparing transaction data (b) Storing it in non-volatile memory, (c) Restarting or hibernating the computer, (d) booting into a secure, un-networked, environment from a bootable media or device; this bootable media or device must be sufficiently difficult to counterfeit and sufficiently difficult to tamper with the data stored in it and optionally difficult to copy, (e) Securely launching the secure PIN entry software, (f) Loading transaction data from the non-volatile memory, (g) Presenting the transaction data to the user and optionally allowing the user to modify and/or complete it, (h) Secure PIN entry resulting in an encrypted PIN block and/or enabling the user and/or the generation of the appropriate keys for creating message authentication codes(s) and/or cryptogram(s) and/or digital signature(s) according to the transaction security standards; The user can also enter a password to enable secure access to password encrypted secret keys, private keys and confidential data; The user can also enter secure information to update his records in the server side system, like a user choosable CVV2/CVC2 or new 3D Secure password, (i) Storing the secured transaction request in non-volatile memory, (j) Restarting the computer back to normal operation, (k) Loading the secured transaction request from non-volatile memory, (i) Sending the transaction for authorisation, (m) Receiving the response, (n) Presenting the response to the user and optionally storing it. The process radically protects the user from any malicious software that might affect the security of PIN entry; it dramatically reduces the user responsibilities to physical security considerations only, like those in ATM transactions. The user should use a personal computer that he knows that it does not contain malicious hardware; this could easily be his own notebook or PC at home.
Abstract:
A system and method for automated image analysis which may enhance, for example, capsule endoscopy diagnosis. The system and methods may reduce the time required for diagnosis, and also help improve diagnostic consistency using an interactive feedback tool. Furthermore, the system and methods may be applicable to any procedure where efficient and accurate visual assessment of a large set of images is required.
Abstract:
Given a trusted computer (such as a micro-processor based smartcard) but with limited I/O capabilities and an un-trusted terminal (such as a PC) with rich user oriented I/O capabilities. It is desired to realize a transaction making environment made of the un-trusted terminal and the trusted computer such that the resulting transaction making environment would benefit from the rich I/O capabilities of the un-trusted terminal, yet the environment would be considered secure and trusted. The current invention can be viewed as an improvement to the known cryptographic devices such as smartcards or smart tokens. In a preferred embodiment the smart token would have an embedded optical sensor and a small LCD display enabling the user to verify whether what is displayed on the un-trusted terminal was tampered or not.
Abstract:
Problem: great need for a reliable, secure, fast and very easy-to-use smart authentication token technology that does not require expensive hardware to be distributed to users. Solution: Most mobile phones and PDA's today, even the very low-cost ones, have illuminating color screens and are able to display animations with greatly very fast frame rates such as 80 frame/second! Even the very old-fashion low-cost, but color, mobile phones are able to display animations at a frame rate of at least 35 frames per second. The current invention enables the use of such devices for easy secure authentication such as access to buildings, train tickets, e-payments, logon to a computer…etc. All of this without any change in the hardware of the user's mobile device. The mobile device after preparing the information to be transmitted which can include secure one-time-passcodes, would encode this information and treat the screen of the user's mobile device as a single strong color-light source to optically transmit the encoded data as colorful flashing light and repeat this flashing sequence continuously at the maximum speed of the device and its screen. The user simply taps any part of his mobile device's screen on the reader's "eye opening" for less than a second in order to get authenticated! The reader is usually a very low-cost device that essentially has color-sensing capability. Compared to the readers of other smart authentication token technologies, like NFC, it is very low-cost and can be easily integrated in existing systems. Additionally, the system reliability and good qualities are preserved in-spite of the great discrepancies and variations among the users' color mobile devices as described in the invention description. The figure is a side-view showing (1) a user's device, (2) its screen, (3) the tiny low-cost reader, (4) the eye opening of the reader, (5) the terminal to which the reader is attached.