Enabling Use of a Certificate Stored in a Smart Card

• US 20080072048A1
• Filed: 08/16/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Adams, Neil, Little, Herbert, Brown, Michael K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,341,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

If a smart card is to be used for a particular purpose, and there is no certificate initialized on the smart card for this purpose, a computerized device enables a user to select one of the certificates already installed in the smart card for the particular purpose. The selected certificate may be imported into the computerized device.

Claims

1. A method in a computerized device coupled to a smart card reader, the method comprising:

enabling a user of said device to select a certificate from one or more certificates stored in a smart card coupled to said smart card reader; and

importing said certificate to said device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing said certificate in said device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending a challenge to said smart card;

identifying said certificate to said smart card;

receiving a signed version of said challenge from said smart card; and

using said certificate stored in said device to verify that said signed version is signed using a private key paired to said certificate.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

permitting a particular operation on said device if said signed version is verified.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said particular operation is unlocking said device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said particular operation is accessing information via said device.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said particular operation is accessing a network via said device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requiring said user to provide an authentication password;

comparing said password to an authentication password stored in said smart card; and

importing said certificate only if said provided password and said authentication password stored in said smart card are identical.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a hash of said certificate; and

storing said hash in said device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

importing another certificate;

calculating a hash of said other certificate; and

comparing said hash of said other certificate to said stored hash.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

if said hash of said other certificate and said stored hash are identical, using said other certificate for a particular purpose in said device.

12. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computerized device that is coupled to a smart card reader, result in:

enabling a user of said device to select a certificate from one or more certificates stored in a smart card coupled to said smart card reader; and

importing said certificate to said device.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein said instructions, when executed by said computerized device, further result in:

storing said certificate in said device.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein said instructions, when executed by said computerized device, further result in:

sending a challenge to said smart card;

identifying said certificate to said smart card;

receiving a signed version of said challenge from said smart card; and

using said certificate stored in said device to verify that said signed version is signed using a private key paired to said certificate.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein said instructions, when executed by said computerized device, further result in:

requiring said user to provide an authentication password;

comparing said password to an authentication password stored in said smart card; and

importing said certificate only if said provided password and said authentication password stored in said smart card are identical.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein said instructions, when executed by said computerized device, further result in:

calculating a hash of said certificate; and

storing said hash in said device.

17. A computerized device comprising:

a communication interface through which said device is able to couple to a smart card reader;

a user input interface;

a processor coupled to said communication interface and to said user input interface; and

a memory coupled to said processor, said memory to store code which, when executed by said processor, enables a user of said device to select via said user input interface a certificate from one or more certificates stored in a smart card coupled to said smart card reader and imports said certificate to said device.