Method for securing a transmission, associated system and mediation platform

• US 8,010,794 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Lucidarme, Thierry
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Ellen
• Application Number:
  US11/475,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,890 Days
• Field of Search: 713/168, 713/319, 713/331, 713/334, 713/338, 713/349, 380/239, 380277-279, 380/268, 380/286, 380/283, 705/18, 705/52
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/72 of terrestrial networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/15 on receiving information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/23 using cryptography, e.g. encryption, authentication, key distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/085 Secret sharing or secret splitting, e.g. threshold schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/037 of the control plane, e.g. signalling traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/80 Arrangements enabling lawful interception [LI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

In a system comprising a broadcasting subsystem and a radiocommunication subsystem each connected to a mediation platform, said transmission being ciphered and arranged for being deciphered by using a key, the following steps are performed at the mediation platform, relatively to a user or group of users having terminals: determining one first and at least one second sets of values from said key, so that the knowledge of all the determined sets of values is required to retrieve the key; and controlling the broadcasting subsystem so that it transmits the first set of values to the user or group of users and the radiocommunication subsystem so that it transmits the at least one second set of values to the user or group of users.

Claims

1. Method for securing a transmission between a system and at least one user having a terminal, the system comprising a broadcasting subsystem and a radiocommunication subsystem each connected to a mediation platform, said transmission being ciphered and arranged for being deciphered by using a key, the method comprising the following steps performed at the mediation platform having a processor, relative to a user or group of users having terminals:

determining, by the mediation platform, one first and at least one second sets of values from said key, so that the knowledge of said first and at least one second sets of values is required to retrieve the key; and

controlling, by the mediation platform, the broadcasting subsystem so that the broadcasting subsystem transmits the first set of values to the user or group of users and the radiocommunication subsystem so that the radiocommunication subsystem transmits the at least one second set of values to the user or group of users.

2. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission of the first set of values and the transmission of the at least one second set of values are ciphered.

3. Method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of receiving, at the user or group of users, the first and at least one second sets of values, and retrieving the key from said first and at least one second sets of values.

4. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radiocommunication subsystem includes a plurality of base stations and wherein at least two second sets of values are determined and transmitted from respective base stations to the user or group of users.

5. Method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the mediation platform is informed of the number of base stations from which the second sets of values can be transmitted to the user or group of users and wherein the determination of the sets of values depends on said number of base stations.

6. Method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the number of values in each second set of values depends on an estimation of radio conditions between the respective base stations and the user or group of users.

7. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radiocommunication subsystem transmits at least one second set of values only via at least one base station covering an area in which said transmission is allowed.

8. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radiocommunication subsystem includes a plurality of base stations, wherein the mediation platform is informed of the number of base stations from which respective sets of values can be transmitted to the user or group of users, and wherein, when said number of base stations is at least two, said first set of values is transmitted from the radiocommunication subsystem instead of the broadcasting subsystem.

9. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said key comprises a public key.

10. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said key comprises a private key.

11. Mediation platform connecting a broadcasting subsystem and a radiocommunication subsystem of a system arranged for performing a transmission to at least one user having a terminal, said transmission being ciphered and arranged for being deciphered by using a key, the mediation platform comprising, relative to a user or group of users having terminals:

a processor for determining one first and at least one second sets of values from said key, so that the knowledge of said first and at least one second sets of values is required to retrieve the key; and

a controller for controlling the broadcasting subsystem so that the broadcasting subsystem transmits the first set of values to the user or group of users and the radiocommunication subsystem so that the radiocommunication subsystem transmits the at least one second set of values to the user or group of users.

12. Mediation platform as claimed in claim 11, further comprising means for receiving an indication of the number of base stations of the radiocommunication subsystem from which the at least one second set of values can be transmitted to the user or group of users, and wherein said means for determining the sets of values take account of said indication.

13. Mediation platform as claimed in claim 11, wherein said controller is arranged so that the radiocommunication subsystem transmits at least one second set of values only via at least one base station covering an area in which the transmission is allowed.

14. Mediation platform as claimed in claim 11, further comprising means for receiving an indication of the number of base stations of the radiocommunication subsystem from which sets of values can be transmitted to the user or group of users, and wherein said controller is arranged no that, when said number of base stations is at least two, the radiocommunication subsystem transmits said first set of values to the user or group of users, instead of the broadcasting subsystem.

15. Terminal comprising means for receiving a transmission from a system comprising a broadcasting subsystem and a radiocommunication subsystem each connected to a mediation platform, said transmission being ciphered, and means for deciphering said transmission by using a key, the terminal further comprising:

means for receiving one first set of values from the broadcasting subsystem;

means for receiving at least one second set of values from the radiocommunication subsystem; and

means for retrieving said key from said first and at least one second sets of values.

16. Terminal as claimed in claim 15, further comprising means for deciphering the first and at least one second received sets of values.

17. Terminal as claimed in claim 15, wherein the means for receiving at least one second set of values from the radiocommunication subsystem comprise means for receiving at least two second sets of values from respective base stations of the radiocommunication subsystem.

18. Terminal as claimed in claim 15, further comprising means for receiving said first set of values from the radiocommunication subsystem.

19. System comprising a broadcasting subsystem and a radiocommunication subsystem each connected to a mediation platform, the system being arranged for transmitting to at least one user having a terminal, said transmission being ciphered and arranged for being deciphered by using a key, the system further comprising, relative to a user or group of users having terminals:

a processor for determining one first and at least one second sets of values from said key, so that the knowledge of said first and at least one second sets of values is required to retrieve the key; and

a controller for controlling the broadcasting subsystem so that the broadcasting subsystem transmits the first set of values to the user or group of users and the radiocommunication subsystem so that the radiocommunication subsystem transmits the at least one second set of values to the user or group of users.

20. System as claimed in claim 19, wherein the transmission of the first set of values and the transmission of the at least one second set of values are ciphered.

21. System as claimed in claim 19, wherein the radiocommunication subsystem includes a plurality of base stations, the system comprising means for determining at least two second sets of values and means for transmitting said at least two second sets of values from respective base stations to the user or group of users.

22. System as claimed in claim 21, comprising means for being informed of the number of base stations from which the second sets of values can be transmitted to the user or group of users and wherein the means for determining the sets of values take account of said number of base stations.

23. System as claimed in claim 21, wherein the number of values in each second set of values depends on an estimation of radio conditions between the respective base stations and the user or group of users.

24. System as claimed in claim 19, wherein the radiocommunication subsystem is arranged for transmitting at least one second set of values only via at least one base station covering an area in which said transmission is allowed.

25. System as claimed in claim 19, wherein the radiocommunication subsystem includes a plurality of base stations, the system comprising means for being informed of the number of base stations from which respective sets of values can be transmitted to the user or group of users, and wherein, when said number of base stations is at least two, said first set of values is transmitted from the radiocommunication subsystem instead of the broadcasting subsystem.