Core to any secure system based on a known secret (or key) is the need to store that information such that it can be accessed, verified, and securely utilized.
The risk to most systems today is that a skilled hacker can analyze this key verification process, accessing the key itself and the mechanisms used to verify it, thus giving the hacker information he or she can use to gain access at a later date, or sell or distribute online to others.
MetaSure provides a new proprietary method of storing such a known secret in a manner that is difficult to analyse and identify, thus making the hackers’ first task of analysis time-consuming and perhaps impossible. In simple terms, elements of the known secret are effectively scattered throughout the application to be protected. During operation of the application, the data is interwoven and stored securely. Stored data contains the application state and timer state: any attempt to change the saved data or the timer invalidates both in a detectable manner. In order that the application be accessible, or the content to which that application has access, the key has to be re-constituted and verified.
MetaSure also provides a tamper-resistant clock, which can be critical for situations involving timed trials, multi-computer coordination, information exchange, and so forth.
Many systems today rely on links to a central server to supply time and verification, but this can prove problematic under certain deployment paradigms or operational fallback scenarios. It can often be quite important to facilitate "intermittent" connectivity, and a secure clock can enable temporarily disconnected nodes to operate for a pre-determined amount of time without exposing the node to unlimited disconnected operation via clock resets.
A 2010 Symantec study found that executives now fear cyber attack more than any other traditional threat, including natural disasters, terrorism, and traditional criminal activity.
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