REMOTE ACCESS TO A MASS MEMORY AND A SECURITY MEMORY IN A PORTABLE COMMUNICATING OBJECT

• US 20090222655A1
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Gemplus (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Mosse, Franck, Bord, Anthony, Martinent, Frederic
• Granted Patent: US 8,819,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• 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 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for remotely accessing a mass storage unit and a security storage unit in a portable communicating object. According to the invention, a terminal, such as a mobile device, which is associated with a portable communicating object, such as a multimedia smart card, includes an agent for facilitating access from a server to a mass storage unit capable of storing multimedia data and a security storage unit in the portable communicating object via a communication network. The agent establishes a single communication channel between the remote server and the terminal and processes data transmitted from one of the two elements including the server and one of the storage units of the portable communicating object to the agent so that the agent can transmit the data to the other of the two elements.

Claims

1. Method for remotely accessing a mass memory and a security memory in a portable communicating object by a server via a communications network, the portable communicating object being associated with a terminal, comprising the following steps:

providing an agent in the terminal for routing data transfers between the remote server and one or the other of the memories of the portable communicating object,

setting up a communication channel between the remote server and the agent in the terminal,

transmitting data from one of the two elements comprising the server and one of the memories of the portable communicating object to the agent in the terminal, and

processing the data transmitted to the agent so that the agent transfers the transmitted data to the other of the two elements.

2. The method according to claim 1, in which the remote access to the mass memory by the server is made secure by means of interactions between a security unit, which comprises the security memory, and the server via the agent in the terminal, prior to the transmission of data.

3. The method according to claim 2, comprising, after the setting-up of the communication channel between the remote server and the terminal, an authentication between the server and the security unit of the portable communicating object by an exchange of secret data in order to authorise access to the mass memory of the portable communicating object by the server via the agent as soon as the authentication is confirmed.

4. The method according to claim 2, comprising, after the setting-up of the communication channel between the server and the terminal, a transmission of a request by the agent to the security unit in order to obtain in response an encryption/decryption key, an encryption of the data by one of the two means comprising the server and the agent, a transmission of the encrypted data to the other of said two means, and a decryption of the encrypted data by said other of said two means.

5. The method according to claim 2, comprising, after the setting-up of the communication channel between the server and the terminal, a transmission of a request by a controller of the mass memory included in the portable communicating object to the security unit in order to obtain in response an encryption/decryption key, an encryption of the data by one of the two means comprising the server and the mass memory controller, a transmission of the encrypted data to the other of said two means, and a decryption of the encrypted data by said other of said two means.

6. A terminal associated with a portable communicating object so that a server can remotely access either a mass memory or a security memory in the portable communicating object via a communications network, comprising an agent for routing data transfers between the remote server and one or the other of the memories of the portable communicating object, setting up a communication channel between the remote server and the terminal, and processing data transmitted from one of the two elements comprising the server and one of the memories of the portable communicating object to the agent so that the agent transfers the transmitted data to the other of the two elements.

7. A computer-readable medium having stored therein a program capable of being implemented in a terminal associated with a portable communicating object so that a server can remotely access either a mass memory or a security memory in the portable communicating object via a communications network, said program comprising instructions which, when the program is run in said terminal, carry out the following steps:

providing an agent in the terminal for routing data transfers between the remote server and one or the other of the memories of the portable communicating object,

setting up a communication channel between the remote server and the agent in the terminal,

transmitting data from one of the two elements comprising the server and one of the memories of the portable communicating object to the agent in the terminal, and

processing the data transmitted to the agent so that the agent transfers the transmitted data to the other of the two elements.