Method of controlling access to cryptographic resources

• US 20050169475A1
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Mouton, Dimitri, Camus, Sylvie, Frisch, Laurent
• Granted Patent: US 7,496,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/252
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services

Abstract

The cryptographic resources are supplied by at least one cryptographic source having a specific access interface. The application is presented with a mutualized interface substantially independent of the cryptographic sources and of their respective access interfaces. A translation module is placed between the mutualized interface and each interface for accessing a cryptographic source to provide access to the cryptographic resources from the application via the mutualized interface.

Claims

1. A method of controlling access to cryptographic resources from at least one computer application written in a mobile code language, the cryptographic resources being supplied by at least one cryptographic source having a specific access interface, wherein the application is presented with a mutualized interface substantially independent of the cryptographic sources and of the respective access interfaces thereof, and wherein a translation module is placed between the mutualized interface and each interface for accessing a cryptographic source to provide access to the cryptographic resources from the application via the mutualized interface.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the step of activating and maintaining a communication session between the translation module and each cryptographic source via the respective access interface of said cryptographic source.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising the following steps performed by the translation module in response to a search command received on the mutualized interface:

interrogating each cryptographic source to obtain cryptographic identification data; and

filtering said identification data to construct a response returned to the application via the mutualized interface.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the response returned by the translation module via the mutualized interface comprises at least one cryptographic certificate corresponding to the search command.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein a cryptographic operation command addressed by the application to the translation module via the mutualized interface includes identification data obtained in the response made to said search command, and the translation module directs said cryptographic operation command to the cryptographic source having supplied said identification data.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the translation module is a resident program of an execution platform running the application in mobile code language.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the application is furnished with a modular architecture cryptographic toolbox comprising:

a module for manipulating data formats used in the accomplishment of cryptographic functions;

a module for executing algorithms involved in cryptographic operations;

a module for accessing the cryptographic resources, interacting with the translation module via the mutualized interface; and

a functional module supervising the data format manipulation, algorithm execution and cryptographic resource access modules, and having a functional interface with the rest of the application.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the module for accessing the cryptographic resources comprises a submodule for accessing resources directly accessible by the mobile code language of the application.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the cryptographic toolbox further comprises a module of utilities that can be invoked by each of the other modules of said cryptographic toolbox.

10. A computer platform suitable for the execution of applications written in a mobile code language, comprising at least one cryptographic source having a specific access interface and a translation module for presenting to said applications a mutualized interface substantially independent of the cryptographic sources and of the respective access interfaces thereof, the translation module being placed between the mutualized interface and each interface for accessing a cryptographic source to provide access to the cryptographic resources from the applications via the mutualized interface.

11. The computer platform as claimed in claim 10, wherein the translation module comprises means for activating and maintaining a communication session with each cryptographic source via the respective access interface thereof.

12. The computer platform as claimed in claim 11, wherein the translation module comprises means for interrogating each cryptographic source in response to a search command received from an application on the mutualized interface, in order to obtain cryptographic identification data, and means of filtering said identification data in order to construct a response returned to the application via the mutualized interface.

13. The computer platform as claimed in claim 12, wherein the response returned by the translation module via the mutualized interface comprises at least one cryptographic certificate corresponding to the search command.

14. The computer platform as claimed in claim 12 wherein the translation module comprises means for receiving a cryptographic operation command addressed by the application via the mutualized interface and including identification data obtained in the response made to said search command, and to direct said cryptographic operation command toward the cryptographic source having supplied said identification data.

15. A translation software module, to be executed in a computer platform suitable for the execution of applications written in a mobile code language and comprising at least one cryptographic source having a specific access interface, wherein said software module presents to said applications a mutualized interface substantially independent of the cryptographic sources and of the respective access interfaces thereof, and wherein said software module is placed between the mutualized interface and each interface for accessing a cryptographic source in order to provide the access to the cryptographic resources from the applications via the mutualized interface.

16. The software module as claimed in claim 15, comprising instructions for activating and maintaining a communication session with each cryptographic source via the respective access interface thereof.

17. The software module as claimed in claim 16, further comprising instructions for interrogating each cryptographic source in response to a search command received from an application on the mutualized interface, in order to obtain cryptographic identification data, and instructions for constructing a response returned to the application via the mutualized interface, by filtering of said identification data.

18. The software module as claimed in claim 17, wherein the response returned via the mutualized interface comprises at least one cryptographic certificate corresponding to the search command.

19. The software module as claimed in claim 17 further comprising instructions for receiving a cryptographic operation command addressed by the application via the mutualized interface and including identification data obtained in the response made to said search command, and for directing said cryptographic operation command to the cryptographic source having supplied said identification data.