Method and system for upgrading firmware of a card reader

• US 20100058309A1
• Filed: 06/04/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Feitian Technologies Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Feitian Technologies Company Limited
• Inventors: Lu, Zhou, Yu, Huazhang
• Granted Patent: US 10,114,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and a system of upgrading firmware of a card reader. In the method, a card reader is connected to an IC card; the card reader determines whether the IC card is an IC card for upgrading, if it is, the card reader makes one-way or mutual authentication with the IC card; after a successful authentication, the card reader acquires files for upgrading the firmware of the card reader. The system includes a card reader and an IC card. The firmware of card reader is upgraded in the invention by acquiring the files for upgrading from an IC card in which the files for upgrading are pre-stored. The invention improves the efficiency of upgrading the card reader and also improves the security of the upgrading by the authentication between the card reader and the IC card.

Claims

1. A method of upgrading firmware of a card reader, comprising steps of:

establishing a connection between the card reader and Integrated Circuit, IC, card;

determining, by the card reader, whether the IC card is an IC card for upgrading in which files for upgrading are stored;

if the IC card is an IC card for upgrading, making, by the card reader, mutual or one-way authentication with the IC card;

otherwise, operating, by the card reader, the IC card as normal;

acquiring, by the card reader, files for upgrading from the IC card after a successful authentication between the card reader and the IC card, and upgrading firmware of the card reader by using the files for upgrading.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of making by the card reader mutual or one-way authentication with the IC card comprises a step of:

authenticating the IC card by the card reader;

the step of acquiring by the card reader the files for upgrading from the IC card after a successful authentication between the card reader and the IC card comprises;

acquiring, by the card reader, the files for upgrading from the IC card after the card reader succeeds in authenticating the IC card.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of making by the card reader mutual or one-way authentication with the IC card further comprises a step of authenticating the card reader by the IC card;

the step of acquiring by the card reader the files for upgrading from the IC card after a successful authentication between the card reader and the IC card comprises;

acquiring, by the card reader, the files for upgrading from the IC card after the card reader succeeds in authenticating the IC card and the IC card succeeds in authenticating the card reader.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of acquiring by the card reader the files for upgrading from the IC card comprises:

acquiring, by the card reader, the files for upgrading from the IC card according to a preset address in which the files for upgrading are stored.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the files for upgrading are encrypted files for upgrading stored in the IC card;

the step of acquiring by the card reader the files for upgrading from the IC card comprises;

acquiring, by the card reader, the encrypted files for upgrading and decrypting the encrypted files for upgrading

6. The method of claim 1, wherein before the step of upgrading the firmware of the card reader with files for upgrading, the method further comprises a step of:

determining, by the card reader, whether the files for upgrading are valid, and if they are, upgrading, by the card reader, the firmware with the files for upgrading acquired.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining by the card reader whether the files for upgrading are valid comprises:

determining, by the card reader, whether the files for upgrading are valid according to a checksum of the files for upgrading.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein if the IC card is a contacting IC card and the card reader is a contacting card reader, the step of determining by the card reader whether the IC card is an IC card for upgrading comprises:

sending, by the card reader, an inspection instruction to the IC card, reading an inspection answer returned by the IC card, and determining whether data in the inspection answer matches preset data, determining that the IC card is an IC card for upgrading if the data in the inspection answer matches the preset data;

determining that the IC card is not an IC card for upgrading if the data in the inspection answer does not match the preset data;

or

reading, by the card reader, feature information sent by the IC card, and determining whether the feature information matches preset feature information, determining that the IC card is an IC card for upgrading if the feature information matches the preset feature information, and determining that the IC card is not an IC card for upgrading if the feature information does not match the preset feature information.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein if the IC card is a contacting IC card and the card reader is contacting card reader, the step of authenticating the IC card by the card reader comprises:

generating, by the card reader, a first validation code and sending the first validation code to the IC card;

generating, by the card reader, a first verification code according to the first validation code;

reading, by the card reader, a first authorization code generated according to the first validation code by the IC card; and

determining, by the card reader, whether the first authorization code matches the first verification code, and determining that the card reader succeeds in authenticating the IC card if the first authorization code matches the first verification code, determining that the card reader fails to authenticate the IC card if the first authorization code does not match the first verification code.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of generating by the card reader the first verification code according to the first validation code comprises:

using, by the card reader, the first validation code as the first verification code directly;

or converting, by the card reader, the first validation code into the first verification code;

or encrypting, by the card reader, the first validation code with a preset symmetrical key to obtain the first verification code;

or encrypting, by the card reader, the first validation code with a preset asymmetrical key to obtain the first verification code.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein if the IC card is a contacting IC card and the card reader is a contacting card reader, the step of authenticating the card reader by the IC card comprises:

reading, by the card reader, a second validation code generated by the IC card, and generating a second authorization code according to the second validation code and sending the second authorization code to the IC card; and

reading, by the card reader, status information returned by the IC card and determining whether the status information is the same as the preset information, determining, by the card reader, that the IC card succeeds in authenticating the card reader if the status information is the same as the preset information, determining that the IC card fails to authenticate the card reader if the status information is not the same as the preset information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein if the IC card is a contactless IC card and the card reader is a contactless card reader, the step of determining by the card reader whether the IC card is an IC card for upgrading comprises:

determining, by the card reader, whether an identification returned by the IC card matches a preset identification for the IC card for upgrading, determining that the IC card is an IC card for upgrading if the returned identification matches the preset identification, determining that the IC card is not an IC card for upgrading if the returned identification does not match the preset identification.

13. A system of upgrading firmware of a card reader, comprising a card reader and an Integrated Circuit, IC, card;

wherein;

the card reader is adapted to be connected to the IC card, and to determine whether the IC card is an IC card for upgrading, if the IC card is an IC card for upgrading, make mutual or one-way authentication with the IC card;

if the IC card is not an IC card for upgrading, operate the IC card as normal;

, the card reader is further adapted to acquire files for upgrading from the IC card after a successful authentication and upgrade its firmware with the files for upgrading;

the card reader comprises an interface module adapted to be connected to an Integrated Circuit, IC, card;

a determining module adapted to determine the IC card connected to the interface module is an IC card for upgrading in which files for upgrading are stored;

an authentication module adapted to make mutual or one-way authentication with the IC card if the determining module determines that the IC card is an IC card for upgrading;

an operation module adapted to operate the IC card as normal if the determining module determines that the IC card is not an IC card for upgrading; and

an acquiring module adapted to acquire files for upgrading from the IC card connected to the card reader and upgrade firmware of the card reader with the files for upgrading after a successful authentication between the authentication module and IC card;

the IC card comprises an interface module adapted to be connected to a card reader; and

an authentication module adapted to make mutual or one-way authentication with the card reader after the IC card is authenticated as an IC card for upgrading by the card reader;

the IC card is adapted to be connected to the card reader; and

to make mutual or one-way authentication with the card reader after the IC card is authenticated as an IC card for upgrading by the card reader;

the IC card is further adapted to send the files for upgrading to the card reader after a successful authentication between the IC card and the card reader.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the acquiring module of the card reader comprises:

an acquiring unit adapted to acquire the files for upgrading from the IC card according to a preset address in which the files for upgrading are stored, and upgrade the firmware of the card reader with the files for upgrading after the authentication module succeeding in authenticating the IC card;

a validation determining unit adapted to determine whether the files for upgrading are valid, so as to upgrade the firmware of the card reader with the file for upgrading;

a decryption unit adapted to decrypt encrypted files for upgrading if the files for upgrading are encrypted files so as to upgrade the firmware of the card reader with the files for upgrading.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the authentication module of the IC card comprises:

a first authentication unit adapted to store data needed by the card reader in authenticating the IC card to enable the authentication performed by the card reader to the IC card after the card reader determines that the IC card is an IC card for upgrading.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the authentication module further comprises:

a second authentication unit adapted to authenticate the card reader.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the IC card further comprises:

a storage module adapted to store the files for upgrading; and

an encryption module adapted to encrypt the files for upgrading stored in the storage module.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the interface module of the IC card comprises:

a first interface unit adapted to be mechanically connected to the card reader to activate the IC card;

or

a second interface unit adapted to send an identification of the IC card to the card reader according to a card-searching instruction and an anti-collision instruction transmitted from the card reader, to establish a connection between the card reader and the IC card.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the first authentication unit comprises:

a first authentication subunit adapted to receive a first validation code generated and sent by the card reader; and

generate a first authorization code, which is used when the IC card is authenticated by the card reader, according to the first validation code and send the first authorization code to the card reader;

or

a second authentication subunit adapted to return status information, which is used when the IC card is authenticated by the card reader, to the card reader.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the second authentication unit comprises:

a third authentication subunit adapted to generate a second validation code and send the second validation code to the card reader, and adapted to receive a second authorization code generated according to the second validation code and sent by the card reader, and send status information to the card reader for the card reader to determine whether the IC card succeeds in authenticating the card reader.