Methods and apparatus for storage and execution of access control clients

• US 9,532,219 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2014
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Schell, Stephan V., Hauck, Jerrold Von
• Primary Examiner(s): HENNING, MATTHEW T
• Application Number:
  US14/543,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20150074780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 726/7, 726/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/265 for initial activation of new user

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a technique for securely provisioning access control entities (e.g., electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) components) to a user equipment (UE) device. In one embodiment, a UE device is assigned a unique key and an endorsement certificate that can be used to provide updates or new eSIMs to the UE device. The UE device can trust eSIM material delivered by an unknown third-party eSIM vendor, based on a secure certificate transmission with the unique key. In another aspect, an operating system (OS) is partitioned into various sandboxes. During operation, the UE device can activate and execute the OS in the sandbox corresponding to a current wireless network. Personalization packages received while connected to the network only apply to that sandbox. Similarly, when loading an eSIM, the OS need only load the list of software necessary for the current run-time environment. Unused software can be subsequently activated.

Claims

1. A method for securely managing access control clients on a mobile device, the method comprising:

by a bootstrap operating system (OS) executing on an electronic Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) included in the mobile device;

receiving a request to activate an access control client;

referencing a plurality of secure partitions included within a memory of the mobile device, wherein each secure partition of the plurality of secure partitions includes (i) a respective access control client, and (ii) a respective OS that is associated with the access control client;

identifying, among the plurality of secure partitions included within the memory of the mobile device, a secure partition that corresponds to the access control client;

authenticating the access control client; and

subsequent to authenticating the access control client;

causing the OS to execute within a limited scope that corresponds to the secure partition, wherein the OS, when executed, activates the access control client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access control client comprises an electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM), and the eSIM is a virtualization of a physical SIM.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein authenticating the access control client comprises validating a first certificate associated with the access control client against a second certificate associated with the eUICC.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the bootstrap OS receives the request to activate the access control client after a reset of the eUICC.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the access control client corresponds to a default Mobile Network Operator (MNO) associated with the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the secure partition stores at least one additional access control client.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the access control client enables the mobile device to register with a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) that corresponds to the access control client.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that, when executed by a processor of an electronic Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) included in a mobile device, cause the mobile device to securely manage access control clients, by carrying out steps that include:

identifying an initialization of the eUICC;

in response to the initialization, parsing a plurality of secure partitions managed by the eUICC to identify an access control client for activation, wherein each secure partition of the plurality of secure partitions includes a respective access control client;

authenticating the access control client; and

subsequent to authenticating the access control client;

causing an OS associated with the access control client to execute within a limited scope that corresponds to the secure partition, wherein the OS, when executed, activates the access control client.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the access control client comprises an electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM), and the eSIM is a virtualization of a physical SIM.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein authenticating the access control client comprises validating a first certificate associated with the access control client against a second certificate associated with the eUICC.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the mobile device receives identifies the initialization of the eUICC after a reset of the eUICC.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the access control client corresponds to a default Mobile Network Operator (MNO) associated with the mobile device.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the secure partition stores at least one additional access control client.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein activating the access control client enables the mobile device to register with a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) that corresponds to the access control client.

15. A mobile device configured to securely manage a plurality of access control clients, the mobile device comprising:

at least one wireless interface;

an electronic Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC), comprising;

a memory that includes a plurality of secure partitions, wherein each secure partition of the plurality of secure partitions includes a respective access control client, and

a processor is configured to cause the mobile device to carry out steps that include;

receiving a request to activate an access control client included in the plurality of access control clients;

identifying, among the plurality of secure partitions, a secure partition that includes the access control client, wherein the access control client is associated with an OS that is configured to manage the access control client;

authenticating at least one of the access control client and the OS; and

subsequent to authenticating;

causing the OS to execute within a limited scope that corresponds to the secure partition, wherein the OS, when executed, causes the access control client to be activated.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the access control client comprises an electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM), and the eSIM is a virtualization of a physical SIM.

17. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein authenticating the access control client comprises validating a first certificate associated with the access control client against a second certificate associated with the eUICC.

18. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the processor receives the request to activate the access control client after a reset of the eUICC.

19. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the access control client corresponds to a default Mobile Network Operator (MNO) associated with the mobile device.

20. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein activating the access control client enables the mobile device to, using the at least one wireless interface, register with a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) that corresponds to the access control client.