Secure generation and inversion of tokens
View Patent ↗Described herein are various technologies related to secure generation of tokens and secure inversion of tokens. A tokenization system executes in a secure execution environment, and is configured to receive a string and an encrypted tokenization function. The tokenization system decrypts the encrypted tokenization function, and executes the tokenization function over the string to generate a token. The token is transmitted to a logically separate computing environment, and the tokenization system deletes the tokenization function and the string.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a secure execution environment that comprises:
a processor; and
memory that is operably coupled to the processor, the memory loaded with instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts for generating a token that represents a string that conforms to a predefined format, the acts comprising:
receiving a request to generate the token that is representative of the string from a logically separate computing environment, the request comprising an encrypted tokenization function and the string;
decrypting the encrypted tokenization function based upon a decryption algorithm that is securely retained in the secure execution environment;
generating the token by executing the tokenization function over the string;
deleting the tokenization function and the string responsive to the token being generated;
outputting the token to the logically separate computing environment;
subsequent to outputting the token to the logically separate computing environment, receiving the encrypted tokenization function and the token from the logically separate computing environment;
decrypting the encrypted tokenization function based upon the decryption algorithm that is securely retained in the secure execution environment;
inverting the tokenization function;
executing the inverted tokenization function over the token to generate the string;
deleting the inverted tokenization function responsive to the string being generated; and
outputting the string to the logically separate computing environment.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the secure execution environment comprises a first virtual machine executing on the apparatus, the processor being a virtual processor and the memory being a virtual memory, and wherein further the logically separate computing environment comprises a second virtual machine executing on the apparatus.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 being coupleable to a computing device that comprises the logically separate computing environment.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 being a Universal Serial Bus stick.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , the secure execution environment being a portion of an application specific integrated circuit.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , the string being a credit card number or a debit card number.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , the string being a number that identifies a person.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , the acts further comprising encrypting the string prior to outputting the string to the logically separate computing environment.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the string is encrypted, and wherein the acts further comprise decrypting the string prior to executing the tokenization function over the string.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein executing the tokenization function causes the token to have the predefined format.
11. A method for generating a token that represents a string that conforms to a predefined format, wherein the method is performed by a processor in a secure execution environment, the method comprising:
receiving a request to generate the token that is representative of the string from a computing environment that is logically separate from the secure execution environment, the request comprising an encrypted tokenization function and the string;
decrypting the encrypted tokenization function based upon a decryption algorithm that is securely retained in the secure execution environment;
generating the token by executing the tokenization function over the string;
deleting the tokenization function and the string responsive to the token being generated;
outputting the token to the logically separate computing environment;
subsequent to outputting the token to the logically separate computing environment, receiving the encrypted tokenization function and the token from the logically separate computing environment;
decrypting the encrypted tokenization function based upon the decryption algorithm that is securely retained in the secure execution environment;
inverting the tokenization function;
executing the inverted tokenization function over the token to generate the string;
deleting the inverted tokenization function responsive to the string being generated; and
outputting the string to the logically separate computing environment.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the secure execution environment comprises a first virtual machine executing on an apparatus that comprises the secure execution environment, the processor being a virtual processor and the memory being a virtual memory, and wherein further the logically separate computing environment comprises a second virtual machine executing on the apparatus.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein an apparatus that comprises the secure execution environment is coupleable to a computing device that comprises the computing environment that is logically separate from the secure execution environment.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the apparatus is a Universal Serial Bus stick.
15. The method of claim 11 , the secure execution environment being a portion of an application specific integrated circuit.
16. The method of claim 11 , the string being a credit card number or a debit card number.
17. The method of claim 11 , the string being a number that identifies a person.
18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising encrypting the string prior to outputting the string to the computing environment that is logically separate from the secure execution environment.
19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the string is encrypted, and wherein the method further comprises decrypting the string prior to executing the tokenization function over the string.
20. A memory device in a secure execution environment of an apparatus, wherein the memory device comprises instructions for generating a token that represents a string that conforms to a predefined format, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor in the secure execution environment of the apparatus, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:
receiving a request to generate the token that is representative of a first the string from a computing environment that is logically separate from the secure execution environment, the request comprising an encrypted tokenization function and the string;
decrypting the encrypted tokenization function based upon a decryption algorithm that is securely retained in the secure execution environment;
generating the token by executing the tokenization function over the string;
deleting the tokenization function and the string responsive to the token being generated;
outputting the token to the logically separate computing environment;
subsequent to outputting the token to the logically separate computing environment, receiving the encrypted tokenization function and the token from the logically separate computing environment;
decrypting the encrypted tokenization function based upon the decryption algorithm that is securely retained in the secure execution environment;
inverting the tokenization function;
executing the inverted tokenization function over the token to generate the string;
deleting the inverted tokenization function responsive to the string being generated; and
outputting the string to the logically separate computing environment.