Remote administration of smart cards for secure access systems

• US 6,934,855 B1
• Filed: 10/08/1999
• Issued: 08/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kipnis, Shlomo, Meir, Rannen
• Primary Examiner(s): Barrón, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinh, Minh
• Application Number:
  US09/415,957
• Time in Patent Office: 2,146 Days
• Field of Search: 713/155, 713/159, 713170-174, 713/185, 713/201, 705 64- 69, 235379-382, 235/492, 709/225, 709/229
• US Class Current: 726/20
• 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 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3576 Multiple memory zones on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3672 initialising or reloading thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• 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: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• 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: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method for remote administration of at least one smart card via a communication network is described. The method includes the steps of associating the at least one smart card with a remote administrator by storing administrator identification information of the remote administrator in the at least one smart card, inserting the at least one smart card in at least one user unit, employing the administrator identification information stored in the at least one smart card to identify the remote administrator associated with the at least one smart card, and establishing communication between the at least one smart card and the remote administrator via the communication network in accordance with the administrator identification information.

Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Claims

1. A method for remote administration of at least one smart card via a communication network, the method comprising:

associating said at least one smart card with a remote administrator by storing administrator identification information of the remote administrator in said at least one smart card;

inserting said at least one smart card in at least one user unit;

employing the administrator identification information stored in said at least one smart card to identify the remote administrator associated with said at least one smart card; and

establishing communication between the at least one smart card and the remote administrator via the communication network in accordance with the administrator identification information,

wherein said establishing comprises;

identifying a local administrator other than the remote administrator, the local administrator being positioned in the communication network in proximity to said at least one user unit; and

enabling the local administrator to operate as a proxy administrator by transferring, to the local administrator, rights and authorizations to administrate said at least one smart card, by transmitting at least authorization information from the remote administrator to the local administrator, to enable said local administrator to independently perform administrative operations.

2. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said establishing step is performed via said at least one user unit.

3. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said establishing step comprises employing Internet Protocol (IP) for communication via the communication network.

4. A method according to claim 1 and also comprising the step of administrating said at least one smart card after communication with the remote administrator is established.

5. A method according to claim 4 and wherein said administrating step comprises the step of administrating said at least one smart card immediately after communication with the remote administrator is established.

6. A method according to claim 1 and also comprising the step of administrating said at least one smart card after communication with the proxy administrator is established.

7. A method according to claim 6 and wherein said administrating step comprises the step of administrating said at least one smart card immediately after communication with the proxy administrator is established.

8. A method according to claim 4 and wherein said administrating step comprises performing an administration initialization procedure to at least one of authenticate, verify and validate said at least one smart card.

9. A method according to claim 8 and also comprising the step of preventing performance of any operation other than the administration initialization procedure until said administration initialization procedure is verified to be in order.

10. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said step of employing the administrator identification information to identify the remote administrator comprises the step of identifying the at least one smart card in a smart card data base at the remote administrator.

11. A method according to claim 1 and also comprising the step of accessing a protected information resource by said at least one smart card via the remote administrator associated therewith.

12. A method according to claim 11 and wherein said accessing step comprises performing at least one administration operation.

13. A method according to claim 12 and wherein said at least one administration operation comprises at least one of the following:

transmission of a certificate;

transmission of credentials;

transmission of a key;

renewal of said at least one smart card;

expiration date updating;

renewal of an authorization to said at least one smart card;

validity check of data in said at least one smart card;

integrity check of data in said at least one smart card;

memory load/check;

revocation of at least one of an authorization, a certificate and a smart card;

execution of a “

KILL CARD”

process after a verification of a need to prevent operation of said at least one smart card;

data load; and

transmission of smart card chaining information.

14. A method according to claim 11 and wherein said accessing step comprises the step of performing security mechanisms for accessing the protected information resource by said at least one smart card.

15. A method according to claim 14 and wherein said security mechanisms include at least one of the following:

unilateral or bilateral authentication;

time stamping;

non-repudiation;

digital signatures;

distribution of an encryption key;

change of an encryption key;

encryption; and

password authorization.

16. A method according to claim 11 and wherein each operation performed during said accessing step by at least one of said remote administrator and said at least one smart card is performed only upon receipt of an “

END ADMINISTRATION OPERATION”

instruction at a corresponding one of said at least one of said remote administrator and said at least one smart card.

17. A method according to claim 11 and wherein said remote administrator comprises a plurality of administrators, each operative to perform at least one of the following:

at least part of said step of accessing the protected information resource; and

at least part of an administration initialization procedure.

18. A method according to claim 1 and wherein said communication network comprises at least one of the following:

a local-area-network (LAN);

a metropolitan-area-network (MAN); and

a wide-area-network (WAN).

27. The method according to claim 8 and wherein said administration initialization procedure comprises at least one of:

challenge-response of information related to shared secrets; and

challenge-response of information related to private keys.

28. A method according to claim 15 and wherein said unilateral or bilateral authentication comprise at least one of:

challenge-response of information related to shared secrets; and

challenge-response of information related to private keys.

19. A system for remote administration of at least one smart card via a communication network, the system comprising:

a remote administrator having administrator identification information;

at least one user unit; and

at least one smart card associated with said remote administrator by storing in the at least one smart card said administrator identification information of the remote administrator, wherein

said at least one smart card inserted in said at least one user unit is operative to employ the administrator identification information to identify the remote administrator associated with said at least one smart card, and to establish communication via the communication network between the at least one smart card and the remote administrator in accordance with the administrator identification information,

and said communication is established by performing the following;

identifying a local administrator other than the remote administrator, the local administrator being positioned in the communication network in proximity to said at least one user unit; and

enabling the local administrator to operate as a proxy administrator by transferring, to the local administrator, rights and authorizations to administrate said at least one smart card, by transmitting at least authorization information from the remote administrator to the local administrator, to enable said local administrator to independently perform administrative operations.

20. The system according to claim 19 and also comprising a smart card data base associated with the remote administrator, the smart card data base comprising information enabling identification of the at least one smart card.

21. The system according to claim 19 and also comprising a protected information resource accessible by the at least one smart card via the remote administrator associated with the at least one smart card.

22. The system according to claim 21 and wherein the remote administrator comprises a plurality of administrators, each operative to perform at least one of the following:

at least partially accessing the protected information resource; and

at least part of an administration initialization procedure.

23. A system for remote administration of at least one smart card via a communication network, the system comprising:

means for associating said at least one smart card with a remote administrator by storing administrator identification information of the remote administrator in said at least one smart card;

means for inserting said at least one smart card in at least one user unit;

means for employing the administrator identification information stored in said at least one smart card to identify the remote administrator associated with said at least one smart card; and

means for establishing communication between the at least one smart card and the remote administrator via the communication network in accordance with the administrator identification information,

wherein said means for establishing comprises;

means for identifying a local administrator other than the remote administrator, the local administrator being positioned in the communication network in proximity to said at least one user unit; and

means for enabling the local administrator to operate as a proxy administrator by transferring, to the local administrator, rights and authorizations to administrate said at least one smart card, by transmitting at least authorization information from the remote administrator to the local administrator, to enable said local administrator to independently perform administrative operations.

24. The system according to claim 23 and wherein said means for employing the administrator identification information comprise means for identifying the at least one smart card in a smart card data base associated with the remote administrator.

25. The system according to claim 23 and also comprising means for accessing a protected information resource by said at least one smart card via the remote administrator associated with the at least one smart card.

26. The system according to claim 25 and wherein the remote administrator comprises a plurality of administrator means, each for performing at least one of the following:

at least partially accessing the protected information resource; and

at least part of an administration initialization procedure.