A method for determining that all of a scrambled message has been
successfully received, the scrambled message being scrambled in
accordance with a scrambling key and being capable of being descrambled
in accordance with a descrambling key, descrambling key generating
information for generating the descrambling key being included within a
control message (ECM) associated with the scrambled message. The method
includes providing a scrambled message scrambled in accordance with a
scrambling key, generating an unmodified ECM including descrambling key
generating information for generating a descrambling key for descrambling
the scrambled message, generating a first derived value based on the
scrambled message using a first value derivation function, applying a
first modification function to the unmodified ECM, the first modification
function being based, at least in part, on the first derived value,
thereby producing a modified ECM, transmitting the scrambled message and
the modified ECM to a receiver, and performing, at the receiver, the
following steps: generating a second derived value based on the received
scrambled message using a second value derivation function, applying a
second modification function to the modified ECM, the second modification
function being based, at least in part, on the second derived value and
being an inverse of the first modification function, thereby producing
the unmodified ECM, and employing the unmodified ECM to determine that
all of the message has been successfully received. Related apparatus and
methods are also provided.