An existing video game system is modified to include additional communication
and storage capability via a modem and hard disk drive. In accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention, the primary system security features are incorporated
into a video game system expansion device having a hard disk drive. The security
system does not rely on the relatively insecure video game system. The present
exemplary embodiment focuses security control in a disk drive/mass media controlling
engine which is physically disposed within the expansion device housing as close
as possible to the hard disk drive and the downloaded video games and other data
it is designed to protect. Security features are incorporated into, for example,
a disk drive controlling processing engine to provide security features which extend
far beyond simplistic password systems which have heretofore been utilized in conjunction
with disk drive controllers. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, the disk controller also incorporates an encrypting engine which
encrypts in accordance with a highly secure encrypting algorithm. A further level
of security is provided in the illustrative embodiments by partitioning the hard
drive into various partitions whose security/accessibility is tightly controlled.
Each application program, e.g., a video game, has a predetermined number of private
partitions, including a read only encrypted partition.