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Company receives patent on cryptographic key distribution method

September 11, 2003

CONCORD, N.C. - Dennis Abraham, president of Trusted Security Solutions, says his company has received a patent on its A98 system, which establishes a cryptographic key between a host cryptographic security module and ATMs.

According to Abraham, the system works this way: key components are generated from a pool of random numbers and a unique reference number indexes each of the key components. The key components are encrypted, stored and indexed in the host security module by the corresponding reference numbers.

The key components are then arbitrarily distributed to field personnel in tamper evident envelopes to be entered into the ATM. Each of the tamper evident envelopes is marked with the reference number corresponding to the key component contained in the envelope.

At least two field personnel each enter a different key component into the ATM to form the cryptographic key, then communicates the reference number corresponding  to the key component and the identification number of the ATM to the host security module.

The host security module retrieves the encrypted key components corresponding to the reference numbers provided by the field personnel, decrypts them, and combines the two
decrypted key components to recreate the cryptographic key created in the ATM. The encrypted cryptographic key may be transmitted to a third cryptographic device by means of a
previously established cryptographic key.

The system works with all makes and models of ATMs and is compliant with Visa, NYCE and Star requirements, according to the company's Web site.