System and method for authenticating data using incompatible digest functions

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a marking node comprising a marking engine, storage, and a communications interface interconnected for data communication with one another by a communication channel;

a data of interest identifier to identify a data of interest;

a first digest creator to create a first digest of said data of interest, using a first digest function; and

a second digest creator to create a second digest of said data of interest, using a second digest function that is incompatible with said first digest function, with said first digest and said second digest undeceptively identifying said data of interest,

said marking engine to append said first digest and said second digest to a file holding said data of interest to create said file including said first digest, said second digest and said data of interest.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first digest and said second digest are appended to the end of said file.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first digest and said second digest are appended to hide said first digest and said second digest within said data of interest in said file.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said data of interest identifier is a user.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first digest function and said second digest function each include a checksum function.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first digest function and said second digest function each include a weighted checksum function.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first digest function and said second digest function each include at least one periodic function.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein said first digest function and said second digest function each have different periods.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first digest function and said second digest function each include at least one a periodic function.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a plurality of digest creators to create additional digests of said set of data using additional digest functions that are incompatible with one another; and

said marking engine to append said additional digests to said file holding said data of interest.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a data interface system to receive said data file, and said data of interest identifier to identify said data of interest in said received data file.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

an authenticating node comprising a digest comparator engine, storage, and a communications interface interconnected for data communication with one another by a communication channel;

a data of interest locator to locate a first digest result and a second digest result in a file, said file including data of interest, and said first digest result and said second digest result undeceptively identifying said data of interest;

a first digest creator to create a first digest of said data of interest, using a first digest function, said first digest function being identical to a digest function used to create said first digest result;

a second digest creator to create a second digest of said data of interest, using a second digest function that is incompatible with said first digest function, said second digest function being identical to a second digest function used to create said second digest result;

said digest comparator engine to compare said first digest and said second digest with said first digest result and said second digest result respectively to create a match of the digests to undeceivably authenticate said data of interest; and

an output interface to display a positive authentication message if said match of said digests indicates said first digest and said second digest match said first digest result and said second digest result respectively, undeceivably authenticating said data of interest.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said data of interest locator is a user.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said first digest function and said second digest function each include a checksum function.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said first digest function and said second digest function each include a weighted checksum function.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said first digest function and said second digest function each include at least one periodic function.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein said first digest function and said second digest function each have different periods.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein said first digest function and said second digest function each include at least one a periodic function.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:

said digest locator engine to locate additional digest results in said file, said data file including said data of interest;

a plurality of digest creators to create, using additional digest functions that are incompatible with one another, additional digests of data of interest, said additional digest functions being identical to said additional digest functions used to create said additional digest results in said file; and

said digest comparator engine to compare said additional digests with said additional digest results respectively to further create said match.