Colloquium Details
Protection of Program Execution With a Co-Processor Token
| Author: | Jean-Christophe Cuenod CTO, Validy Net Inc. |
|---|---|
| Date: | May 04, 2006 |
| Time: | 15:30 |
| Location: | 220 Deschutes |
| Host: | Jun Li |
Abstract
Many solutions have been devised to protect computer programs against piracy and tampering. Up until now the protection systems proposed have not been able to resist attacks or have turned out to be difficult to implement. In this talk we discuss a new protection method, called "Validy Technology" dramatically changing the state of things without requiring expensive architecture modifications. This method uses a small secure token connected to the computer using an external port in the same manner as USB keys. It consists in using the token as a co-processor keeping part of the program variables and modifying them with secure instructions. An instruction level interlocking mechanism detects and thwarts any attack allowing for real-time intrinsic program integrity protection.
Biography
Jean-Christophe Cuenod is CTO of Validy Net Inc., a Portland, Oregon company, and co-inventor of "Validy Technology". His fields of interest include security, as well as hardware and system architecture. Previously he held computer design responsibilities for different companies, including Digital Equipment Corp where he designed several of their workstations. He also held different research positions, in particular in Xerox PARC. Jean-Christophe Graduated from "Ecole Normale Supérieure" in France and holds a Thesis in Computer Science.