Protection of a security element coupled to an NFC circuit

• US 9,801,070 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2015
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Charles, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Sabouri, Mazda
• Application Number:
  US14/850,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20160007202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3227 using secure elements embedded in M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3229 Use of the SIM of a M-device as secure element
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method and a device for protecting a security module connected to a near-field communication router in a telecommunication device, wherein a transmission between the router and the security module is only allowed in the presence of a radio frequency communication flow detected by the router.

Claims

1. A method to protect a security module configured in a telecommunication device, comprising:

connecting the security module to a near-field communication (NFC) router in the telecommunication device;

determining whether or not any radio frequency (RF) communication flow between the NFC router and a device separate from the telecommunication device is detected;

permitting via a circuit electrically disposed between the NFC router and the security module, a transmission between the NFC router and the security module only while any RF communication flow is detected; and

preventing via the circuit electrically disposed between the NFC router and the security module, any transmission between the NFC router and the security module whenever any RF communication flow is not detected, wherein a default state of the circuit prevents any transmission between the NFC router and the security module, and a first transmission between the NFC router and the security module is only permitted after a first detection of any RF communication flow between the NFC router and the device separate from the telecommunication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the RF communication flow originates from an electromagnetic field within a range of the NFC router.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the RF communication flow is associated with an NFC commerce event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence of the RF communication flow is indirectly detected by the presence of a power supply voltage extracted by the NFC router from the RF communication flow.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein messages transmitted by the NFC router to the security module are detected and interpreted.

6. A circuit configured to protect a security module electrically connected to a wireless communication module, both the security module and the wireless communication module arranged in a same telecommunication device, wherein the circuit only permits a transmission between the wireless communication module and the security module directly only while any wireless near field communication (NFC) event between the telecommunication device and a device separate from the telecommunication device is detected by the wireless communication module, and wherein the circuit prevents the transmission between the wireless communication module and the security module whenever any wireless NFC event between the telecommunication device and the device separate from the telecommunication device is not detected by the wireless communication module, wherein a default state of the circuit prevents any transmission between the wireless communication module and the security module, and wherein a first transmission between the wireless communication module and the security module is only permitted after any first wireless NFC event between the telecommunication device and the device separate from the telecommunication device is detected by the wireless communication module.

7. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the wireless communication originates from an electromagnetic field within a range of the wireless communication module.

8. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the circuit actively prevents transmission between the wireless communication module and the security module before the wireless NFC event between the telecommunication device and the device separate from the telecommunication device is detected by the wireless communication module.

9. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the presence of a wireless communication is indirectly detected by the presence of a voltage extracted by the wireless communication module from the wireless communication.

10. The circuit of claim 6, further configured to detect and interpret messages transmitted by the wireless communication module to the security module.

11. A system comprising:

a security module formed in a mobile device;

a wireless communication module formed in the mobile device and connected to the security module; and

an electronic switch circuit configured to enable transmission between the wireless communication module and the security module only while the circuit is detecting any near field communication (NFC) event between the wireless communication module and a device external to the mobile device and to prevent transmission between the wireless communication module and the security module whenever the circuit is not detecting any NFC event, wherein a default state of the electronic switch circuit prevents any transmission between the wireless communication module and the security module until any first NFC event between the wireless communication module and the device external to the mobile device is detected.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the NFC communication event corresponds to an electromagnetic field within a range of the wireless communication module.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the electronic switch circuit includes a single transistor.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the circuit detects the NFC communication event by detecting a voltage extracted by the wireless communication module from the NFC communication event.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the circuit is further configured to detect and interpret messages transmitted by the wireless communication module to the security module.

16. A method to protect a security module connected to a wireless communication module, both modules in a telecommunication device, the method comprising:

detecting any wireless communication between the wireless communication module and a device external to the telecommunication device, the wireless communication representing a near field communication (NFC) event;

selectively disabling, via an electronic switch circuit, transmission between the wireless communication module and the security module before the wireless communication is detected; and

selectively enabling, via the electronic switch circuit, transmission between the wireless communication module and the security module only while any wireless communication is detected and selectively preventing, via the electronic switch circuit, transmission between the wireless communication module and the security module whenever any wireless communication is not detected, wherein the electronic switch circuit is arranged in a default state to prevent any transmission from the security module to the wireless communication module, and wherein the electronic circuit is arranged to only permit a first transmission from the security module to the wireless communication module after first detecting any wireless communication between the wireless communication module and the device external to the telecommunication device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the wireless communication corresponds to an electromagnetic field within a range of the wireless communication module.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the security module is not a subscriber identity module.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein detecting the wireless communication comprises detecting a voltage extracted by the wireless communication module from the wireless communication.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising detecting and interpreting messages transmitted by the wireless communication module to the security module.