Remote administration of smart cards for secure access systems

• US 7,757,273 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2005
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kipnis, Shlomo, Meir, Rannen
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Minh
• Application Number:
  US11/318,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20060107038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/4
• 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 remote administrator for administrating, via a communication network, at least one smart card associated with a remote administrator, the remote administrator comprising:

a processor comprising;

a first database module comprising an access control list and information corresponding to the at least one smart card;

an access control module operative to control access to a protected information resource, the access control module controlling access by at least one of authentication, validation and verification of the at least one smart card, the at least one of authentication, validation and verification of the at least one smart card comprising one of;

comparing information, related to one of authentication, validation and verification information, received from the at least one smart card with the information corresponding to the at least one smart card; and

execution of a public-key based software program;

the data base module operative to map said at least one smart card to the access control list, based on a positive result of the at least one of authentication, validation and verification of the at least one smart card; and

the remote administrator further comprising communication apparatus for transmitting, via the communication network, authorization information from the at least one smart card to a second smart card associated with the remote administrator,

wherein the mapping of said at least one smart card to the access control list entitles said at least one smart card to access a protected information resource.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 and also comprising:

a memory operative to store a log of activity of the communication network.

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

controlling access to a protected information resource, the controlling comprising at least one of authentication, validation and verification of the at least one smart card, the at least one of authentication, validation and verification of the at least one smart card comprising one of;

comparing information, related to one of authentication, validation and verification information received from the smart card, with information corresponding to the at least one smart card, the information corresponding to the at least one smart card being provided by a data base module, the data base module comprising an access control list and the information corresponding to the at least one smart card; and

execution of a public-key based software program;

mapping the at least one smart card to the access control list based on a positive result of at the least one of authentication, validation and verification of the at least one smart card; and

transmitting authorization information via the communication network from the at least one smart card to a second smart card associated with the remote administrator,

wherein the mapping of the at least one smart card to the access control list entitles the at least one smart card to access a protected information resource.

4. The method according to claim 3 and also comprising:

storing a log of activity of the communication network.

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

means comprising a processor for controlling access to a protected information resource, the controlling comprising at least one of authentication, validation and verification of the at least one smart card, the at least one of authentication, validation and verification of the at least one smart card comprising one of;

means for comparing information, related to one of authentication, validation and verification information received from the smart card, with information corresponding to the at least one smart card, the information corresponding to the at least one smart card being provided by a data base module, the data base module comprising an access control list and the information corresponding to the at least one smart card; and

means for execution of a public-key based software program;

the data base module mapping the at least one smart card to the access control list, based on a positive result of at the least one of authentication, validation and verification of the at least one smart card; and

means for transmitting authorization information via the communication network from the at least one smart card to a second smart card associated with the remote administrator,

wherein the mapping of the at least one smart card to the access control list entitles the at least one smart card to access a protected information resource.