Apparatus and method for secure over the air programming of a communication device

• US 10,567,553 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2018
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chastain, Walter Cooper, Chin, Stephen Emille
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung, Robert B
• Application Number:
  US15/907,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20180191715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/305 by remotely controlling device operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/72 in cryptographic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/77 in smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0471 applying encryption by an intermediary, e.g. receiving clear information at the intermediary and encrypting the received information at the intermediary before forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may perform, for example, receiving an over-the-air programming message that is utilizing a hypertext transfer protocol where the over-the-air programming message including programming data for use by the mobile communication device, converting the over-the-air programming message to a short message service transport protocol to generate an adjusted message that includes the programming data, and providing the adjusted message to a universal integrated circuit card of the mobile communication device via a baseband proxy operating in a device processor of the mobile communication device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processing system including a secure device processor of a device, an over-the-air programming message from a server remote from the device, wherein the over-the-air programming message includes programming data for use by the device;

converting, by the processing system, the over-the-air programming message to a short message service transport protocol to generate an adjusted message that includes the programming data;

providing, by the processing system, the adjusted message to a secure element of the device, wherein the secure device processor and the secure element are separate from each other and are in communication with each other; and

registering, by the processing system, an internet protocol address with the server, the internet protocol address being associated with a first function executed at the device, the first function comprising a user interworking function, the registering being based on a mutual authentication of the first function and a second function executed at the server, the second function comprising a network interworking function, the mutual authentication being performed utilizing a first keyset, and the receiving being based on the second function determining a transmission schedule for a group of over-the-air programming messages including the over-the-air programming message,

wherein the receiving is based on the network interworking function determining a priority among the group of over-the-air programming messages to determine the transmission schedule for the group of over-the-air programming messages.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a mobile communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first keyset is provided to the user interworking function utilizing a remote management keyset.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the secure element comprises a universal integrated circuit card.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the secure element and the first function communicate via a baseband proxy executed at the secure device processor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein prior to the providing, the first function is authenticated with the baseband proxy using a second keyset.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the secure device processor is coupled to the universal integrated circuit card to form a secure services platform of the mobile communication device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processing system, a response from the secure element, wherein the response is associated with the adjusted message, wherein the response utilizes the short message service transport protocol;

converting, by the processing system, the response to a hypertext transfer protocol to generate an adjusted response; and

providing, by the processing system, the adjusted response to the second function.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising encrypting, by the processing system, the adjusted response prior to the providing of the adjusted response.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the over-the-air programming message is encrypted, and further comprising decrypting, by the processing system, the over-the-air programming message prior to the converting.

11. A device comprising:

a processing system comprising a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

receiving an over-the-air programming message from an over-the-air programming server remote from the device, wherein the over-the-air programming message includes programming data for use by the device;

converting the over-the-air programming message to a short message service transport protocol to generate an adjusted message that includes the programming data;

providing the adjusted message to a secure element of the device, the processor and the secure element being separate from each other and being in communication with each other, the secure element comprising a universal integrated circuit card, and the processor comprising a secure device processor coupled to the universal integrated circuit card; and

registering an internet protocol address with the over-the-air programming server, the internet protocol address being associated with a first function executed at the device, the registering being based on a mutual authentication of the first function and a second function executed at the over-the-air programming server, the mutual authentication utilizing a first keyset, the universal integrated circuit card and the first function being configured to communicate via a baseband proxy executed at the secure device processor, and the first function being authenticated, prior to the providing, with the baseband proxy using a second keyset.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the device comprises a mobile communication device, and wherein the secure device processor coupled to the universal integrated circuit card forms a secure services platform of the mobile communication device.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the first function comprises a user interworking function.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the first keyset is provided by a remote management server.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the second function comprises a network interworking function, and wherein the receiving is based on the network interworking function determining a priority among a group of over-the-air programming messages including the over-the-air programming message to determine a transmission schedule for the group of over-the-air programming messages.

16. A device comprising:

a processing system comprising a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

transmitting an over-the-air programming message to a remote communication device, the over-the-air programming message including programming data for use by the remote communication device, thereby causing the remote communication device to;

convert the over-the-air programming message to a short message service transport protocol to generate an adjusted message that includes the programming data, and

provide the adjusted message to a secure element of the remote communication device; and

receiving from the remote communication device a request to perform a registration of an internet protocol address associated with a first function executed at the remote communication device, the registration being based on a mutual authentication of the first function and a second function executed at the processing system, the second function being configured to determine a transmission schedule for a group of over-the-air programming messages including the over-the-air programming message,

wherein the remote communication device comprises a mobile communication device, the secure element comprises a universal integrated circuit card, and the mobile communication device comprises a secure device processor coupled to the universal integrated circuit card to form a secure services platform of the mobile communication device,

wherein the first function comprises a user interworking function communicating with the universal integrated circuit card via a baseband proxy executed at the secure device processor, wherein the second function comprises a network interworking function, and

wherein the network interworking function determines a priority among the group of over-the-air programming messages to determine the transmission schedule for the group of over-the-air programming messages.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the mutual authentication is performed utilizing a first keyset provided by a remote management server.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein prior to the adjusted message being provided, the first function is authenticated with the baseband proxy using a second keyset.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the over-the-air programming message is encrypted.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein prior to being converted, the over-the-air programming message is decrypted.