Authentication of entitlement authorization in conditional access systems

• US 8,095,785 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2009
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tech 5 SAS
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: DeFreese, Darryl L., Seaman, Jeffrey M., Wasilewski, Anthony J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pich, Ponnoreay
• Application Number:
  US12/364,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26606 for generating or managing entitlement messages, e.g. Entitlement Control Message [ECM] or Entitlement Management Message [EMM] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4344 Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

A method for determining whether the terminal is authorized to receive the selected service is practiced in a terminal of a conditional access system in which a user selects a service, the selected service being associated with a frequency, the terminal having a tuner and a secure element with at least one authorized entitlement unit number stored therein. The method includes receiving at least one encrypted entitlement control message corresponding to the service, and decrypting each of the at least one encrypted entitlement control message in the secure element, each decrypted entitlement control message revealing at least one first entitlement number associated with the selected service. The method further includes determining that the terminal is authorized to receive the selected service when any first entitlement number of any decrypted entitlement control message represents any number of the at least one authorized entitlement unit number. Alternatively, the method includes receiving at least one entitlement control message corresponding to the service, and authenticating each of the at least one entitlement control message in the secure element, each authenticated entitlement control message revealing at least one first entitlement number associated with the selected service. The method further including determining that the terminal is authorized to receive the selected service when any first entitlement number of any authenticated entitlement control message represents any number of the at least one authorized entitlement unit number.

Claims

1. In a terminal of a conditional access system in which a user selects a service associated with a frequency, the terminal having a tuner and a secure element with at least one authorized entitlement unit number stored therein, a method of determining whether the terminal is authorized to receive the selected service having at least one component, the method comprising steps of:

receiving at least one entitlement management message including an authorized multi-session key;

receiving, over an out of band data link, at least one entitlement control message corresponding to the service, wherein each entitlement control message includes the at least one authorized entitlement unit number, a packet identifier (PID) and a payload, wherein the authorized multi-session key is changed infrequently and reveals encrypted control words for each of the at least one component, the encrypted control words changing frequently;

authenticating each of the at least one entitlement control messages in the secure element, each authenticated entitlement control message revealing at least one first entitlement unit number associated with the selected service and at least one control word associated with the selected service, wherein the at least one first entitlement unit number and the at least one control word are carried in the payload; and

determining that the terminal is authorized to receive the selected service when any first entitlement unit number of any authenticated entitlement control message corresponds to an authorized entitlement unit number, wherein the authorized entitlement unit number corresponds to a group of services that a receiver is authorized to receive.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of authenticating is performed using a keyed secure hash.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising initial steps of:

receiving over a permanently available data link an unencrypted entitlement unit table, the unencrypted entitlement unit table associating the selected service with at least one second entitlement number; and

tuning the tuner of the terminal to the frequency associated with the selected service when any of said at least one second entitlement number represents any number of said at least one authorized entitlement unit number.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of receiving over a permanently available data link includes receiving the entitlement unit table over an out of band data link.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of receiving over a permanently available data link includes receiving the entitlement management message incorporated in a data packet that is included in a data stream associated with an initial power on frequency that is tunable by the tuner.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving at least one entitlement control message includes demodulating an output of the tuner to recover a data component corresponding to the selected service, the data component containing the entitlement control message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of authenticating said at least one entitlement control message includes recovering at least one control word from said at least one entitlement control message, each control word being a decryption key for decrypting a corresponding service component of the selected service.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

recovering a first encrypted service component; and

decrypting the first encrypted service component using a first control word of said at least one control word.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

receiving an encrypted entitlement management message addressed to the terminal; and

decrypting the encrypted entitlement management message in the secure element, the decrypted entitlement management message including an update of at least one authorized entitlement unit number to be stored in the secure element.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:

authenticating the entitlement management message in the secure element, the authenticated entitlement management message including an update of at least one authorized entitlement unit number to be stored in the secure element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of receiving an entitlement management message includes receiving the entitlement management message incorporated in a data packet that is included in a data stream associated with each frequency that is tunable by the tuner.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of authenticating the at least one entitlement control message includes recovering the at least one first entitlement unit number associated with the selected service.

13. A system in which a user selects a service having at least one component, the service associated with a frequency, the system comprising:

a tuner; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the tuner and including a secure element, the processor configured to;

receive at least one entitlement management message including an authorized multi-session key;

receive, over an out of band data link, a transport stream comprising a plurality of packets having different packet types, one packet type comprising at least one entitlement control message corresponding to the service, wherein each entitlement control message includes at least one authorized entitlement unit number, a packet identifier (PID) and a payload, wherein the authorized multi-session key is changed infrequently and reveals encrypted control words for each of the at least one component, the encrypted control words changing frequently, the PID uniquely identifying the packet corresponding to the entitlement control message from the other packet types;

authenticate each of the at least one entitlement control messages in the secure element, each authenticated entitlement control message revealing at least one first entitlement unit number associated with the selected service and at least one control word associated with the selected service, wherein the at least one first entitlement unit number and the at least one control word are carried in the payload; and

determine that the terminal is authorized to receive the selected service when the first entitlement unit number of any authenticated entitlement control message corresponds to an authorized entitlement unit number, wherein the authorized entitlement unit number corresponds to a group of services that a receiver is authorized to receive.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the different packet types include video packets, audio packets, and entitlement management message packets.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the authentication is performed using a keyed secure hash.

16. In a terminal of a conditional access system in which a user selects a service associated with a frequency, the terminal having a tuner and a secure element with at least one authorized entitlement unit number stored therein, a method of determining whether the terminal is authorized to receive the selected service having at least one component, the method comprising steps of:

receiving at least one entitlement management message including an authorized multi-session key;

receiving, over an out of band data link, at least one encrypted entitlement control message corresponding to the service, wherein each entitlement control message includes the at least one authorized entitlement unit number, a packet identifier (PID) and a payload, wherein the authorized multi-session key is changed infrequently and reveals encrypted control words for each of the at least one component, the encrypted control words changing frequently;

decrypting each of the at least one encrypted entitlement control messages in the secure element, each decrypted entitlement control message revealing at least one first entitlement unit number associated with the selected service and at least one control word associated with the selected service, wherein the at least one first entitlement unit number and the at least one control word are carried in the payload;

authenticating each of the at least one decrypted entitlement control messages in the secure element using a keyed secure hash; and

determining that the terminal is authorized to receive the selected service when the first entitlement unit number of any decrypted entitlement control message corresponds to an authorized entitlement unit number, wherein the authorized entitlement unit number corresponds to a group of services that a receiver is authorized to receive.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of decrypting said at least one encrypted entitlement control message includes recovering the at least one control word from said at least one decrypted entitlement control message, each control word being a decryption key for decrypting a corresponding service component of the selected service.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising steps of:

recovering a first encrypted service component; and

decrypting the first encrypted service component using a first control word of said at least one control word.