SECURE STORAGE OF PROTECTED DATA IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20110225418A1
• Filed: 03/10/2010
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Spanel, Robert L., Shipley, Trevor Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 8,819,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/153
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories

Abstract

A wireless communication device comprises first processing circuitry configured to execute an RF operating system and second processing circuitry configured to execute an open operating system, wherein the first processing circuitry is linked to a secure memory device inaccessible to the second processing circuitry. The RF operating system is configured to receive protected data and store the protected data in the secure memory device. The open operating system is configured to receive a request for the protected data from one of a plurality of user applications and transfer the request to the RF operating system. In response to the request for the protected data, the RF operating system is configured to retrieve the protected data from the secure memory device, encrypt the protected data, and transfer the encrypted protected data to the open operating system for delivery to the one of the user applications associated with the request.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

first processing circuitry configured to execute a radio frequency (RF) operating system, wherein the first processing circuitry is linked to a secure memory device inaccessible to second processing circuitry;

the second processing circuitry configured to execute an open operating system and a plurality of user applications executing on the open operating system;

the RF operating system configured to receive protected data and unprotected data and store the protected data and the unprotected data in the secure memory device;

the open operating system configured to receive a first request for the unprotected data from one of the user applications and transfer the first request to the RF operating system;

in response to the first request for the unprotected data, the RF operating system configured to retrieve the unprotected data from the secure memory device and transfer the unprotected data to the open operating system for delivery to the one of the user applications associated with the first request;

the open operating system configured to receive a second request for the protected data from one of the user applications and transfer the second request to the RF operating system; and

in response to the second request for the protected data, the RF operating system configured to retrieve the protected data from the secure memory device, encrypt the protected data, and transfer the encrypted protected data to the open operating system for delivery to the one of the user applications associated with the second request.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the RF operating system configured to encrypt the protected data comprises the RF operating system configured to encrypt the protected data based on receiving the second request from the open operating system.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the RF operating system configured to encrypt the protected data comprises the RF operating system configured to encrypt the protected data using a shared secret key.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the RF operating system configured to receive the protected data comprises the RF operating system configured to receive the protected data through a wireless communication interface.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the RF operating system configured to receive the protected data comprises the RF operating system configured to receive the protected data from a user through a user interface.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the RF operating system configured to store the protected data in the secure memory device comprises the RF operating system configured to decrypt the protected data if the protected data is encrypted and store the protected data in the secure memory device without encryption.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the RF operating system configured to store the protected data in the secure memory device comprises an input/output (I/O) interface of the RF operating system configured to store the protected data in the secure memory device, and wherein the RF operating system configured to retrieve the protected data from the secure memory device comprises the I/O interface configured to retrieve the protected data from the secure memory device.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the RF operating system is configured to receive the first request and the second request into an application programming interface (API) of the RF operating system.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 8 wherein the RF operating system configured to encrypt the protected data comprises the API configured to encrypt the protected data, and wherein the RF operating system configured to transfer the encrypted protected data to the open operating system comprises the API configured to transfer the encrypted protected data to the open operating system for delivery to the one of the user applications associated with the second request.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the first processing circuitry comprises a first core of a dual-core processor and wherein the second processing circuitry comprises a second core of the dual-core processor.

11. A method of operating a wireless communication device comprising first processing circuitry configured to execute a radio frequency (RF) operating system and second processing circuitry configured to execute an open operating system and a plurality of user applications executing on the open operating system, wherein the first processing circuitry is linked to a secure memory device inaccessible to the second processing circuitry, the method comprising:

in the RF operating system, receiving protected data and unprotected data and storing the protected data and the unprotected data in the secure memory device;

in the open operating system, receiving a first request for the unprotected data from one of the user applications and transferring the first request to the RF operating system;

in the RF operating system, in response to the first request for the unprotected data, retrieving the unprotected data from the secure memory device and transferring the unprotected data to the open operating system for delivery to the one of the user applications associated with the first request;

in the open operating system, receiving a second request for the protected data from one of the user applications and transferring the second request to the RF operating system; and

in the RF operating system, in response to the second request for the protected data, retrieving the protected data from the secure memory device, encrypting the protected data, and transferring the encrypted protected data to the open operating system for delivery to the one of the user applications associated with the second request.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein encrypting the protected data comprises encrypting the protected data based on receiving the second request from the open operating system.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein encrypting the protected data comprises encrypting the protected data using a shared secret key.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein receiving the protected data comprises receiving the protected data through a wireless communication interface.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein receiving the protected data comprises receiving the protected data from a user through a user interface.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein storing the protected data in the secure memory device comprises decrypting the protected data if the protected data is encrypted and storing the protected data in the secure memory device without encryption.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein storing the protected data in the secure memory device comprises an input/output (I/O) interface of the RF operating system storing the protected data in the secure memory device, and wherein retrieving the protected data from the secure memory device comprises the I/O interface retrieving the protected data from the secure memory device.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving the first request and the second request into an application programming interface (API) of the RF operating system.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein encrypting the protected data comprises the API encrypting the protected data, and wherein transferring the encrypted protected data to the open operating system comprises the API transferring the encrypted protected data to the open operating system for delivery to the one of the user applications associated with the second request.

20. A wireless communication device comprising:

first processing circuitry configured to execute a radio frequency (RF) operating system, wherein the first processing circuitry is linked to a secure memory device inaccessible to second processing circuitry;

the second processing circuitry configured to execute an open operating system and a plurality of user applications executing on the open operating system;

the RF operating system configured to receive protected data and unprotected data and store the protected data and the unprotected data in the secure memory device;

the open operating system configured to receive a first request for the unprotected data from one of the user applications and transfer the first request to the RF operating system;

in response to the first request for the unprotected data, the RF operating system configured to retrieve the unprotected data from the secure memory device and transfer the unprotected data to the open operating system for delivery to the one of the user applications associated with the first request;

the open operating system configured to receive a second request for the protected data from one of the user applications and transfer the second request to the RF operating system; and

the RF operating system configured to receive the second request from the open operating system, and in response to the second request for the protected data, retrieve the protected data from the secure memory device, encrypt the protected data using a shared secret based on receiving the second request from the open operating system, and transfer the encrypted protected data to the open operating system for delivery to the one of the user applications associated with the second request.