Re: Executing Encrypted Code

[Bill Frantz <frantz@netcom.com>]

At 11:16 PM -0800 12/19/96, Peter Hendrickson wrote:
>At 9:52 PM 12/19/1996, Bill Frantz wrote:
>>At 12:08 PM -0800 12/19/96, Peter Hendrickson wrote:
>>> If each chip has a unique public/secret key pair, and executes
>>> authenticated code only, there are some interesting implications.
>
>>> Software piracy becomes difficult, if not impossible.  Code is sold
>>> on a processor by processor basis.  Code for a different physical
>>> processor cannot be decrypted or executed.
>
>> This makes backup hard.  That is the rock the routine copy protection hit
>> up against.  There were many, me included, who simply said, "If your
>> product is copy protected then I will buy from your competitor."
>
>No, you can backup just as much as many times as you like.  The code
>isn't stored on the chip permanently, it is only decrypted there.
>
>There is a similar problem, though.  If your processor dies you could
>lose your software library.  There are ways to mitigate this.  One is
>for the vendors to just trust people and reissue the code to a new
>processor.  Of course, you track how often you have to do this.
>
>Or, you could turn in the broken processor and have the manufacturer
>certify that it was turned in to the software vendors and that
>a new version of the software should be generated.

I meant processor backup of course.  When my processor breaks at 2AM and I
need to get the report out by 8AM, I'm going to call the software support
line and get help.  Or the friendly hardware manufacturer is going to come
right out and certify my processor is dead.  Come on and get real.  With
most software vendors I can't even submit a bug report.

Note that I am not saying there is a technical problem here.  I do see big
problems with infrastructure and marketing.  The last time software
companies tried to market copy protection, it failed in the market place.
I predict that encyphered instruction streams will too, and for the same
reasons.


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