Apparatus and methods for controlling distribution of electronic access clients

• US 9,788,209 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hauck, Jerrold Von, Haggerty, David T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Homayounmehr, Farid
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhu, Zhimei
• Application Number:
  US15/263,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20170006473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3228 One-time or temporary data, i.e. information which is sent for every authentication or authorization, e.g. one-time-password, one-time-token or one-time-key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/48 using secure binding, e.g. securely binding identity modules to devices, services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for controlling the distribution of electronic access clients to a device. In one embodiment, a virtualized Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) can only load an access client such as an electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) according to an activation ticket. The activation ticket ensures that the virtualized UICC can only receive eSIMs from specific carriers (“carrier locking”). Unlike prior art methods which enforce carrier locking on a software application launched from a software chain of trust (which can be compromised), the present invention advantageously enforces carrier locking with the secure UICC hardware which has, for example, a secure code base.

Claims

1. A mobile device configured to selectively enable and disable different hardware components included in the mobile device, the mobile device comprising:

a wireless interface; and

a secure element, wherein the secure element includes;

an interface to different hardware components included in the mobile device;

a secure processor;

a first secure storage configured to store at least one access control client that enables the mobile device to access services provided by a cellular network associated with the at least one access control client; and

a second secure storage configured to store instructions that, when executed by the secure processor, cause the secure processor to carry out operations that include;

verifying activation information that specifies at least one limitation for operating the mobile device to be enforced by the secure element, wherein the activation information includes at least one record, and each record;

corresponds to a hardware component of the different hardware components,

includes a shared secret associated with the hardware component, and

indicates whether to enable or disable the hardware component; and

upon verifying the activation information;

downloading an access control client,

storing the access control client in the first secure storage, and for each record included in the activation information;

causing an enablement or a disablement of the hardware component in accordance with the record and in response to a verification of the shared secret by the hardware component.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the different hardware components included in the mobile device are selected from a group that includes:

the first secure storage, an application processor, and the wireless interface.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the wireless interface includes a first baseband processor and a second baseband processor that is different from the first baseband processor, and the group further includes:

the first baseband processor and the second baseband processor.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the activation information includes a digital signature that is associated with a trusted signatory entity.

5. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein verifying the activation information comprises verifying the digital signature.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the at least one access control client comprises an electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) that is specific to the cellular network.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

issuing, to the cellular network, a request to register to access the services provided by the cellular network; and

receiving, from the cellular network, the activation information in response to the request.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein each of the activation information and the access control client is received via the wireless interface.

9. A hardware secure element included in a mobile device, the hardware secure element comprising:

an interface to different hardware components included in the mobile device;

a secure processor;

a first secure storage configured to store at least one access control client that enables the mobile device to access services provided by a cellular network associated with the at least one access control client; and

a second secure storage configured to store instructions that, when executed by the secure processor, cause the secure processor to carry out operations that include;

verifying activation information that specifies at least one limitation for operating the mobile device to be enforced by the hardware secure element, wherein the activation information includes at least one record, and each record;

corresponds to a hardware component of the different hardware components,

includes a shared secret associated with the hardware component, and

indicates whether to enable or disable the hardware component; and

upon verifying the activation information;

downloading an access control client,

storing the access control client in the first secure storage, and

for each record included in the activation information;

causing an enablement or a disablement of the hardware component in accordance with the record and in response to a verification of the shared secret by the hardware component.

10. The hardware secure element of claim 9, wherein the different hardware components included in the mobile device are selected from a group that includes:

the first secure storage, an application processor, and a wireless interface in the mobile device.

11. The hardware secure element of claim 10, wherein the wireless interface includes a first baseband processor and a second baseband processor that is different from the first baseband processor, and the group further includes:

the first baseband processor and the second baseband processor.

12. The hardware secure element of claim 9, wherein the activation information includes a digital signature that is associated with a trusted signatory entity.

13. The hardware secure element of claim 12, wherein verifying the activation information comprises verifying the digital signature.

14. The hardware secure element of claim 9, wherein the at least one access control client comprises an electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) that is specific to the cellular network.

15. The hardware secure element of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

issuing, to the cellular network, a request to register to access the services provided by the cellular network; and

receiving, from the cellular network, the activation information in response to the request.

16. A method for selectively enabling and disabling different hardware components included in a wireless device, the method comprising:

at a secure element included the wireless device;

receiving activation information that specifies at least one limitation for operating the wireless device to be enforced by the secure element, wherein the activation information includes at least one record, and each record;

corresponds to a hardware component of the different hardware components,

includes a shared secret associated with the hardware component, and

indicates whether to enable or disable the hardware component;

verifying the activation information; and

upon verifying the activation information;

downloading an access control client that enables the wireless device to access services provided by a cellular network associated with the access control client,

storing the access control client in a first secure storage included in the secure element, and

for each record included in the activation information;

causing an enablement or a disablement of the hardware component in accordance with the record and in response to a verification of the shared secret by the hardware component.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the different hardware components included in the wireless device are selected from a group that includes:

the first secure storage, an application processor, and a wireless interface in the wireless device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the wireless interface includes a first baseband processor and a second baseband processor that is different from the first baseband processor, and the group further includes:

the first baseband processor and the second baseband processor.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the activation information includes a digital signature that is associated with a trusted signatory entity;

and

wherein verifying the activation information comprises verifying the digital signature.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the access control client comprises an electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) that is specific to the cellular network.