Remote administration of smart cards for secure access systems

• US 7,882,552 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2005
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Synamedia Limited
• Original Assignee: NDS Limited (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meir, Rannen, Kipnis, Shlomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Minh
• Application Number:
  US11/318,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20070169183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,862 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/9
• 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 secure access method for use with a communication network which communicates information between an information resource controller and a remote unit comprising a smart card, the method including: identifying, at the remote unit, a command to upload data; employing, in response to said command, a hash function at the remote unit to encode contents of at least a portion of a memory at the remote unit and thereby to produce a hashed result; transmitting the hashed result to the information resource controller; comparing, at the information resource controller, the hashed result with a trusted hashed result maintained at the information resource controller thereby to provide a comparison result; if the comparing produces an unfavorable result, performing at least one of: revoking the remote unit by the information resource controller; and cancelling authorizations to the remote unit; and determining that the at least a portion of the memory at the remote unit has integrity based, at least in part, on the comparison result.

Claims

1. A secure access method for use with a communication network which communicates information between an information resource controller and a remote unit comprising a smart card, the method comprising:

identifying, at the remote unit, a command to upload data;

employing, in response to said command, a hash function at the remote unit to encode contents of at least a portion of a memory at the remote unit and thereby to produce a hashed result;

transmitting the hashed result to the information resource controller;

comparing, at the information resource controller, the hashed result with a trusted hashed result maintained at the information resource controller thereby to provide a comparison result;

if the comparing produces an unfavorable result, performing at least one of;

revoking the remote unit by the information resource controller; and

cancelling authorizations to the remote unit; and

determining that the at least a portion of the memory at the remote unit has integrity based, at least in part, on the comparison result.

2. A system for providing secure access in a communication network comprising:

an information resource controller; and

a remote unit comprising a smart card,

wherein the information resource controller and the remote unit are operative to communicate information through the communication network, and

the remote unit is operative to;

identify a command to upload data;

in response to the command, perform a hash function on at least a portion of a memory at the remote unit, thereby producing a hashed result; and

transmit the hashed result to the information resource controller, and

the information resource controller is operative to;

compare the hashed result with a trusted hash result maintained at the information resource controller;

wherein, if the comparison is favorable, determine that the at least a portion of the memory has integrity, and

if the comparison is unfavorable perform at least one of;

revoke the remote unit; and

cancel authorizations to the remote unit.

3. A secure access method for use with a communication network which communicates information between an information resource controller and a remote unit comprising a smart card, the method comprising:

identifying, at the remote unit, a command to upload data;

employing, in response to said command, a hash function at the remote unit to encode contents of at least a portion of a memory at the remote unit and thereby to produce a hashed result;

transmitting the hashed result to the information resource controller;

comparing, at the information resource controller, the hashed result with a trusted hashed result maintained at the information resource controller thereby to provide a comparison result; and

determining that the at least a portion of the memory at the remote unit has integrity based, at least in part, on the comparison result; and

transmitting repairing information to the remote unit to correct the contents of said at least a portion of the memory at the remote unit if the comparison result is unfavorable,

wherein if, after using the repairing information at the remote unit, the hashed result still does not match the trusted hash result, performing at least one of the following;

revoking the smart card;

cancelling all authorizations to the smart card; and

generating a message indicating that the smart card has been revoked.

4. A system for providing secure access in a communication network comprising:

an information resource controller; and

a remote unit comprising a smart card,

wherein the information resource controller and the remote unit are operative to communicate information through the communication network, and

the remote unit is operative to;

identify a command to upload data;

in response to the command, perform a hash function on at least a portion of a memory at the remote unit, thereby producing a hashed result; and

transmit the hashed result to the information resource controller, and

the information resource controller is operative to;

compare the hashed result with a trusted hash result maintained at the information resource controller; and

if the comparison is favorable, determine that the at least a portion of the memory has integrity, and

if the comparison is unfavorable, transmit repair information to the remote unit to correct the contents of the at least a portion of the memory at the remote unit,

wherein if, after using the repair information at the remote unit, the hashed result still does not match the trusted hash result, perform at least one of the following;

revoke the smart card;

cancel all authorizations to the smart card; and

generate a message indicating that the smart card has been revoked.