Method for displaying information on a display device of a terminal

• US 9,489,505 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2012
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trustonic Limited
• Original Assignee: Trustonic Limited
• Inventors: Heider, Axel
• Primary Examiner(s): Revak, Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): Savenkov, Vadim
• Application Number:
  US14/113,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20140041050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,664 Days
• Field of Search: 726/27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/106 Packet or message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for displaying information on a display device (D1, D2) of a terminal, particularly a mobile terminal, wherein the terminal contains a microprocessor unit in which a normal runtime environment (NZ) and a protected runtime environment (TZ) are implemented, wherein display data (DD1, DD2, DD2′, TDD2) can be provided for reproduction on the display device (D1, D2) by means of the normal runtime environment (NZ) and the protected runtime environment (TZ). In this case, at least some display data (DD2) provided by means of the normal runtime environment (NZ) are transferred to the protected runtime environment (TZ), which checks whether the transferred display data (DD2) satisfy one or more security criteria, wherein if they do not satisfy at least one security criterion then the display data (DD2) are rejected or are altered such that they can be distinguished from display data (TDD2) provided by means of the protected runtime environment (TZ) when they are next reproduced on the display device (D1, D2).

Claims

1. A method for displaying information on a display device of a terminal, wherein the terminal contains a microprocessor in which a normal runtime environment and a protected runtime environment are implemented, wherein the normal runtime environment and the protected runtime environment are configured, when implemented on the microprocessor to provide display data for reproduction on the display device, the method comprising:

transferring display data provided via the normal runtime environment at least in part to the protected runtime environment,

the protected runtime environment checking whether the transferred display data meet one or more security criteria, and

rejecting or altering the transferred display data when the transferred display data do not meet at least one security criterion that the transferred display data are visually distinguishable from display data provided via the protected runtime environment during subsequent reproduction on the display device,

wherein the protected runtime environment graphically analyzes the transferred display data to determine whether the display data contains one or more predetermined graphical elements that render a user able to recognize that display data reproduced on the display device are provided by the protected runtime environment, and wherein at least one security criterion is not met if the display data comprise the predetermined graphical element(s).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a first display element and a second display element, wherein the first display element is used to reproduce exclusively display data provided by the normal runtime environment, and wherein the second display element is used to reproduce both display data provided by the protected runtime environment and transferred display data provided by the normal runtime environment that have previously been transferred to the protected runtime environment and subjected to the check on the security criterion or security criteria.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and second display elements are two separately driven displays.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and second display elements are two display areas on a single display.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protected runtime environment is an ARM®

TrustZone®

on which the operating system MobiCore®

runs.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the terminal is a mobile telephone and the operating system of the mobile telephone runs on the normal runtime environment.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein if at least one security criterion is not met, then the protected runtime environment alters the display data transferred thereto such that the transferred display data have a warning message added to them.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein if at least one security criterion is not met, then the protected runtime environment alters the transferred display data such that one or more predetermined graphical elements that the transferred display data contain and that render a user able to recognize that display data reproduced on the display device are provided via the protected runtime environment is/are modified or removed from the display data.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the graphical element(s) comprise(s) a predetermined frame and/or one or more animated image elements and/or a legend.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the check on the security criterion or security criteria by the protected runtime environment comprises a cryptographical check, wherein the cryptographical check preferably comprises a check on one or more digital signatures that the transferred display data contain.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the cryptographical check is performed for one or more graphical elements in the transferred display data, wherein particularly one or more digital signatures that are respectively associated with a graphical element in the display data is/are checked.

12. A terminal, comprising:

a microprocessor configured to implement a normal runtime environment and a protected runtime environment, and

a display device,

wherein the microprocessor is configured to provide display data for reproduction on the display device via the normal runtime environment and the protected runtime environment,

wherein the terminal is configured to;

transfer display data provided via the normal runtime environment at least in part to the protected runtime environment,

check whether the transferred display data meet one or more security criteria, and

reject or alter the transferred display data when the transferred display data do not meet the one or more security criteria that make the transferred display data visually distinguishable from display data provided via the protected runtime environment during subsequent reproduction on the display device,

wherein when implemented by the microprocessor, the protected runtime environment graphically analyzes the transferred display data to determine whether the display data contains one or more predetermined graphical elements that render a user able to recognize that display data reproduced on the display device are provided by the protected runtime environment, and wherein at least one security criterion is not met if the display data comprise the predetermined graphical element(s).