Tamper resistant module certification authority

• US 20080052515A1
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Multos Ltd (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Multos Ltd (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Simmons, Ian, Miller, Stuart, Everett, David, Viner, John, Richards, Timothy, Peacham, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 7,730,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/77 in smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0719 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for application selection, e.g. an acceleration sensor or a set of radio buttons application selection on smart cards using pure software control, see G07F7/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/355 Personalisation of cards for use
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3574 Multiple applications on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/35765 Access rights to memory zones
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4097 using mutual authentication between devices and transaction partners
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823

Abstract

Methods and apparati for securely loading one or more computer software applications onto a tamper resistant module (TRM) (107) and for securely deleting one or more applications from the TRM. An embodiment of the invention comprises a method for determining, based at least upon an encrypted personalization data block, whether a TRM (107) is part of a qualified set of TRM'"'"'s to accept loading of an application. Thereafter, the method provides for loading the application onto the TRM (107) only after the first step determines that the TRM (107) is qualified to accept the loading of the application. Another embodiment comprises a method for determining, based at least upon an encrypted personalization data block, whether a TRM (107) is part of a qualified set of TRM'"'"'s to accept deleting of an application. Thereafter, the method provides for deleting the application from the TRM (107) only when the first step determines that the TRM (107) is qualified to accept the deleting of the application.

Claims

1. Secure apparatus comprising:

a certification authority for which a key pair comprising a public key and a private key are generated;

at least one multiple application tamper resistant module (TRM) comprising said public key of said certification authority and a TRM identifier for uniquely identifying each said TRM;

means for creating at said certification authority a personalization data block for at least one TRM identifier,

means for encrypting at least one personalization data block and forwarding said at least one encrypted data block to a personalization bureau;

means for loading at said personalization bureau each said encrypted data block onto the TRM having the TRM identifier matching said encrypted personalization data block;

means for determining, based on said at least one encrypted personalization data block, whether at least one of said TRM'"'"'s is qualified to accept the loading of a specific software application;

means for authenticating said application for loading onto said at least one TRM by using said public key of said certification authority; and

loading means responsive to said determining and authenticating means for securely loading said application onto said at least one TRM.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one TRM further comprises memory means for storing an operating system for instructing said determining means, said authenticating means, and said loading means.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising personalization means for activating at least one of said TRM'"'"'s at said personalization bureau.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said personalization means comprises means for compiling a list of said TRM identifiers and means for forwarding said list to said authority.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said personalization data block comprises TRM personalization data and an individual key set.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one TRM further comprises a TRM enablement key for facilitating TRM specific confidentiality.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising means for checking whether said TRM enablement key has been set, and wherein:

said means for loading said encrypted data block loads said block only in the event said enablement key has not been set; and

said TRM enablement key is set upon loading said encrypted data block.

8. Secure apparatus comprising:

at least one multiple application tamper resistant module (TRM), each said TRM comprising a public key for authenticating a source of any message to said TRM from an authority holding a corresponding secret key, a TRM enablement key for facilitating TRM specific confidentiality, a TRM identifier for uniquely identifying each TRM, and memory storing an operating system;

personalization means for activating each said TRM at a personalization bureau, said personalization means comprising means for compiling a list of said TRM identifiers and means for forwarding said list to said authority;

means for creating at said authority a personalization data block for each TRM identifier forwarded to said authority, each said data block comprising TRM personalization data and an individual key set for each of said corresponding TRM'"'"'s;

means for encrypting each of said data blocks;

means for forwarding said encrypted data blocks to said personalization bureau;

means for checking whether each said TRM enablement key has been set and, when not set, for matching said corresponding TRM identifier with said encrypted data block, loading said encrypted data block onto its matched corresponding TRM, and setting said corresponding enablement key;

means for determining whether a TRM is qualified to accept the loading of a specific software application;

checking means for authenticating said specific application to be loaded by checking whether said application has been signed by said authority; and

means responsive to said determining and checking means for loading said specific application onto at least one TRM.

9. A method for securely loading at least one software application onto a tamper resistant module (TRM), said method comprising:

transmitting security data, comprising a public key of a certification authority, onto said TRM;

creating at said certification authority a personalization data block for said TRM, encrypting said data block, and forwarding said encrypted data block to a personalization bureau;

loading said encrypted data block onto said TRM;

determining, based at least on said encrypted data block, whether said TRM is qualified to accept the loading of a specific software application;

authenticating said application for loading onto said TRM by using said public key; and

loading said application in the event said TRM is qualified and said application is authenticated.

10. A method for securely deleting one or more software applications from a tamper resistant module (TRM), said method comprising the steps of:

transmitting security data, comprising a public key of a certification authority, onto said TRM;

creating at said certification authority a personalization data block for said TRM;

encrypting said data block and forwarding said encrypted data block to a personalization bureau;

loading said encrypted data block onto said TRM;

determining, based at least on said encrypted data block, whether said TRM is qualified to accept the deleting of a specific software application; and

deleting said application in the event said TRM is qualified.

11. Secure apparatus comprising:

a certification authority for which a key pair comprising a public key and a private key are generated;

a personal computer (PC) having at least one multiple application tamper resistant module (TRM), each PC and TRM combination (PC/TRM) comprising said public key of said certification authority and an identifier for uniquely identifying each said PC/TRM;

means for creating at said certification authority a personalization data block for at least one PC/TRM identifier;

means for encrypting at least one personalization data block and forwarding said at least one encrypted data block to a personalization bureau;

means for loading at said personalization bureau each said encrypted data block onto the PC/TRM having the PC/TRM identifier matching said encrypted personalization data block;

means for determining, based on said at least one encrypted personalization data block, whether at least one of said PC/TRM'"'"'s is qualified to accept the loading of a specific software application;

means for authenticating said application for loading onto said at least one PC/TRM by using said public key of said certification authority; and

loading means responsive to said determining and authenticating means for securely loading said application onto said at least one PC/TRM.