Integration of untrusted applications and frameworks with a secure operating system environment

• US 9,344,762 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2012
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rajgopal, Narayan, Russo, Fabian, Miville, Xavier
• Primary Examiner(s): SHANG, ANNAN Q
• Application Number:
  US13/716,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 725/28, 725131-134, 725139-142, 725109-117, 709217-232
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4433 Implementing client middleware, e.g. Multimedia Home Platform [MHP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4437 Implementing a Virtual Machine [VM] virtual machines in general G06F9/45533
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08

Abstract

A set top box or like device utilizing trusted applications in conjunction with an untrusted software framework. In one implementation, trusted or certified applications are received from a service provider for execution by a software framework of the device. Certification of a trusted application may entail, for example, verifying that the application is executable by the device in a manner consist with the industry standard certification process. The software framework may comprise, for example, an Android framework supported by an underlying. Linux operating system environment and isolated in a Linux resource container. A secure access client/server interface may also be provided to support interactions between the software framework and trusted portions of the device. In further embodiments, both trusted applications and a set top box application utilized by the device to perform traditional set top box operations are implemented in at least one version of an Android or like framework.

Claims

1. An apparatus operable as a set top box, comprising:

hardware resources configured to perform trusted media processing operations;

a set top box application configured to control operation of at least a portion of the hardware resources;

a software framework, the software framework providing application programming interface functionality;

a secure operating system environment supporting each of the set top box application and the software framework;

processing circuitry, the secure operating system environment executed by the processing circuitry;

at least one trusted software application executable via the software framework; and

a secure access interface, including;

a secure access server included in the secure operating system environment, the secure access server configured to provide access to the secure operating system environment; and

a plurality of secure access clients configured to interface with the secure access server, each secure access client having respective access rights to the secure operating system environment via the secure access server, including first access rights providing relatively full access to the secure operating system environment for the set top box application and second access rights providing relatively limited access, in relation to the first access rights, to the secure operating system environment for the software framework.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the secure access interface performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of:

handle and pointer validation, non-pointer parameter validation, heap isolation, or resource release relating to unused hardware resources.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the secure access interface further configured to support communications between the software framework and the set top box application.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the secure operating system environment includes a Linux-based operating system kernel.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the secure access interface including at least one secure access client of the plurality of secure access clients incorporated into the software framework, the at least one secure access client configured in accordance with the second access rights.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein interfacing between the secure access server and the at least one secure access client includes inter-process communication calls.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software framework comprises at least one version of an Android framework.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one trusted software application is provided by a service operator.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 certified in accordance with an industry standard certification process relating to data transfer over a cable TV system, the at least one trusted application certified to be executable by the apparatus in a manner consistent with the industry standard certification process.

10. A method used in a media processing device that includes a secure operating system and a software framework providing application programming interface functionality, the method comprising:

receiving trusted application software for use by the media processing device, the trusted application software selectable from a catalog of certified application software hosted by a service operator or cloud-based source;

associating the trusted application software with the software framework, the software framework supporting execution of the trusted application software;

establishing, by the secure operating system, an untrusted user mode operating system environment for execution of the software framework and trusted application software; and

providing a secure access interface within the media processing device, the secure access interface including;

a secure access server configured to provide access to the secure operating system; and

a first secure access client configured to interface with the secure access server, the first secure access client having first access rights to the secure operating system, the first access rights providing limited access to the secure operating system, via the secure access server, for the software framework and the trusted application software as executed by the software framework.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the media processing device is a set top box device.

12. The method of claim 11, the set top box device certified in accordance with an industry standard certification process relating to data transfer over a cable TV system, the trusted application software certified to be executable by the software framework in a manner consistent with the industry standard certification process.

13. The method of claim 10, the media processing device further including a set top box application, the method further comprising:

establishing, by the secure operating system, a trusted user mode operating system environment for execution of the set top box application; and

providing a second secure access client, within the media processing device, configured to interface with the secure access server, the second secure access client having second access rights providing full access to the secure operating system for the set top box application.

14. The method of claim 10, the media processing device including a plurality of software frameworks, wherein associating the trusted application software with the software framework comprises selecting a compatible one of the plurality of software frameworks to support execution of the trusted application software.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the untrusted user mode operating system environment comprises a virtual machine container.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the software framework is an Android framework.

17. A media processing device, comprising:

hardware resources configured to perform trusted media processing operations;

a set top box application configured to control operation of at least a portion of the hardware resources;

processing circuitry;

at least one trusted software application;

a software framework, the software framework providing an execution environment for the at least one trusted software application;

an underlying operating system executed by the processing circuitry, the underlying operating system configured to establish a privileged operating system environment and a restricted operating system environment, wherein the software framework and the at least one trusted software application are executed in the restricted operating system environment; and

a secure access interface configured to regulate interactions between the underlying operating system, the privileged operating system environment and the restricted operating system environment, the secure access interface including;

a secure access server executed by the underlying operating system;

a first secure access client configured to interface with the secure access server, the secure access server configured to provide access to the underlying operating system by the first secure access client in accordance with first access rights applicable to the set top box application, the first secure access client executed in the privileged operating system environment; and

a second secure access client configured to interface with the secure access server, the secure access server configured to provide access to the underlying operating system by the second secure access client in accordance with second access rights applicable to the software framework, the second secure access client executed in the restricted operating system environment.

18. The media processing device of claim 17, the set top box application executed in the privileged operating system environment.

19. The media processing device of claim 18, wherein the software framework is an Android framework.

20. The media processing device of claim 17 certified in accordance with an industry standard certification process, wherein the at least one trusted software application is provided by a service operator.