Secure Authenticated Channel

Enforcing the rights associated with rights-managed content requires that all modules that are given access to clear (unencrypted) content be trusted to follow the rules set by the rights associated with that content. The system must verify that all modules that will receive clear content are legitimate. When one module sends clear content to another module, it must do so in a way that prevents unauthorized users from intercepting usable content during the transmission.

The Secure Authenticated Channel (SAC) interface of Windows Media Device Manager provides secure inter-module communication using two-way component authentication and code-signature verification. Objects that implement SAC must support the IComponentAuthenticate interface. This SAC implementation requires only a minimal amount of extra code in components that use it.