Method and system for securing data utilizing reconfigurable logic

Abstract

A method, an article of manufacture, and a process are provided for securing data sets by dynamically hopping amongst a variety of data encryption and/or manipulation protocols. Such dynamic protocol hopping can be implemented in reconfigurable logic. The encryption protocol applied to the data set is selected from among a plurality of encryption protocols. Preferably, the selection can be driven by a random number generator.

1 . An article of manufacture for securing data based on protocol hopping and utilizing reconfigurable logic, comprising:
 a computer-readable storage medium adapted to store a plurality of encryption protocols and the reconfigurable logic, wherein the reconfigurable logic is adapted to:
 select an encryption protocol from plurality of encryption protocols, the selected encryption protocol selected using a random number generatator seeded via a security characteristic of one or more hardware devices associated with the article of manufacture; 
 encript the data based on the selected encryption protocol; and repeat the selecting and encrypting steps to encrypt a plurality of data. 
   
     
     
         2 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the medium is a memory. 
     
     
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         4 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of encryption protocols is selected from the group consisting of encryption algorithms, compression algorithms, whitening algorithms, data manipulation algorithms, and modes. 
     
     
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         23 . An apparatus for securing data based on protocol hopping and utilizing reconfigurable logic driven by a random number generator, comprising:
 a memory containing data describing a plurality of encryption algorithms therein;   a communications interface configured to receive data;   a random number generator;   a processor adapted to read from the memory one of the plurality of encryption algorithms, selected based on output of the random number generator;   wherein at least a portion of the logic defining the memory, the random number generator, and the processor is reconfigurable;   wherein the processor is also configured to encrypt the received data block based on the encryption algorithm read from the memory.   
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein the random number generator comprises a pseudo random number generator. 
     
     
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         36 . A method for achieving encrypted-communications compatibility of a first device with a second device, wherein the first device includes reconfigurable logic and is adapted to:
 process data based on the reconfigurable logic and communicate with the second device;   wherein the method comprises:   storing, in the reconfigurable logic of the first device, one or more encryption protocols necessary for encrypted-communications compatibility with the second device,   whereby encrypted-communications compatibility of the first device with the second device is achieved.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein design of the second device predates design of the first device,
 whereby the encrypted-communications compatibility comprises legacy compatibility.   
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the first device and the second device are in use by a legal entity,
 whereby the encrypted-communications compatibility comprises cross-compatibility.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the first device is in use by one legal entity and the second device is in use by a different legal entity,
 whereby the encrypted communications compatibility comprises interoperability.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein design of the first device predates design of the second device,
 whereby the encrypted-communications compatibility comprises forward compatibility.   
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein each of the one or more encryption protocols is selected from the group consisting of encryption algorithms, compression algorithms, whitening algorithms, data manipulation algorithms, and modes. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein each of the one or more encryption protocols comprises an encryption algorithm. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein each of the one or moreencryption protocols comprises a compression algorithm. 
     
     
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