An apparatus and method provides one or more controlled, dynamically
loaded, modular, cryptographic fillers. Fillers may be loaded by a single
loader, multiple independent loaders, or nested loaders. Loaders may be
adapted to load other loaders, within cryptographic controls extant and
applicable thereto. Integration into a base executable having one or more
slots, minimizes, controls, and links the interface between the fillers
and base executables. The filler may itself operate recursively to load
another filler in nested operations, whether or not the fillers are in
nested relation to one another. An ability of any filler to be loaded may
be controlled by the base executable verifying the integrity,
authorization, or both for any filler. The base executable may rely on an
integrated loader to control loading and linking of fillers and
submodules. A policy may limit each module function, access, and
potential for modification or substitution. Dynamically loaded modules
(loaders, other fillers, and submodules thereof), typically represent a
relatively small portion of the overall coding required by the base
executable, and may provide strong controls limiting integration by
providing access that is nested, layered, or both between modules
excluding direct access to or by them from the base executable or
supported applications.