Apparatus and method for securely managing the accessibility to content and applications

• US 9,813,428 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2015
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chastain, Walter Cooper, Chin, Stephen Emille
• Primary Examiner(s): LWIN, MAUNG T
• Application Number:
  US14/962,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20160087997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/45 using multiple identity modules

Abstract

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may perform, for example, receive secret information and non-secret information from a secure download application function, provide a request for a first verification to a secure element where the first verification is associated with access to content and/or an application that is accessible via the secure download application function, receive the first verification which is generated by the secure element based on the secret information without providing the secret information to the secure device processor, receive the non-secret information from the secure element, and generate a second verification for the access based on the non-secret information, where the content and/or application is accessible from the secure download application function responsive to the first and second verifications. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

a secure element having a secure element memory with first executable instructions, wherein the secure element, responsive to executing the first executable instructions, performs first operations comprising storing secret information and non-secret information in the secure element memory;

a secure device processor having a secure device processor memory with second executable instructions, wherein the secure device processor is separate from the secure element and in communication with the secure element, wherein the secure device processor, responsive to executing the second executable instructions, performs second operations comprising;

providing a request for a first verification to the secure element, the first verification being associated with access to content that is sourced via a server;

receiving the first verification which is generated by the secure element based on the secret information without the secure element providing the secret information to the secure device processor, wherein the secure device processor does not have access to the secret information;

receiving the non-secret information from the secure element; and

generating a second verification for the access to the content based on the non-secret information; and

a device processor that is separate from the secure element and the secure device processor, wherein the device processor facilitates wireless communications between the communication device and the server, and wherein the content is accessed from the server by the device processor based on the first and second verifications;

wherein the second operations further comprise;

generating consumption information by monitoring the access to the content;

providing the consumption information associated with the access to the content to the secure element, the consumption information indicating that the content has been presented by the communication device;

receiving access instructions from the secure element responsive to the consumption information; and

preventing the communication device from accessing the content according to the access instructions.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the second operations further comprise:

receiving user input requesting content browsing access, wherein the user input includes user credentials;

providing the user credentials to the secure element;

receiving browsing access credentials from the secure element responsive to an authentication of the user credentials by the secure element; and

facilitating establishing a browsing channel responsive to the browsing access credentials, wherein the browsing channel enables browsing a group of content.

3. The communication device of claim 2, wherein the browsing channel is established between the communication device and a secure download application function and wherein the browsing channel enables browsing the group of content via the secure download application function.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein:

the secret and non-secret information is received by the secure element from a remote management server;

the secret information comprises an authentication credential; and

the non-secret information comprises a distribution rule associated with digital rights management for the content.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the content is received from a secure download application function responsive to the first and second verifications, wherein the secure element comprises a universal integrated circuit card, wherein the secret and non-secret information is received from the secure download application function via a remote management server, wherein a download path of the content from the secure download application function does not include the remote management server, and wherein the remote management server is remote from the communication device and the secure download application function.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the secret information includes a decryption key for content presentation and an authentication credential.

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the non-secret information includes a user identification, a device identification, digital rights management data, and a validity time period.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the secret and non-secret information is received via a remote management server, and wherein keysets are utilized for mutual authentication of the secure element and the secure device processor with the remote management server.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the content is stored at the communication device, and wherein the first operations further comprise:

receiving update information from a secure download application function via a remote management server, wherein the update information is received prior to the content having been presented by the communication device; and

adjusting the secret information and the non-secret information based on the update information.

10. A method, comprising:

storing, by a secure element of a communication device, secret information and non-secret information in a secure element memory of the secure element;

providing, by a secure device processor of the communication device, a request for a first verification to the secure element, wherein the secure device processor is separate from the secure element and is in communication with the secure element, and wherein the first verification is associated with access to an application that is sourced via a secure download application function;

receiving, by the secure device processor, the first verification which is generated by the secure element based on the secret information without the secure element providing the secret information to the secure device processor, wherein the secure device processor does not have access to the secret information;

receiving, by the secure device processor, the non-secret information from the secure element;

generating, by the secure device processor, a second verification for the access to the application based on the non-secret information, wherein the application is accessed by the communication device responsive to the first and second verifications;

generating, by the secure device processor, consumption information by monitoring the access to the application;

providing, by the secure device processor, the consumption information associated with the access to the application to the secure download application function, the consumption information indicating that the application has been executed by the communication device;

receiving, by the secure device processor, access instructions from the secure download application function responsive to the consumption information; and

preventing, by the secure device processor, the communication device from accessing the application according to the access instructions;

wherein a device processor of the communication device facilitates wireless communications for the communication device, wherein the device processor is separate from the secure element and the secure device processor, wherein the secure element has a highest level of security relative to the secure device processor and the device processor, wherein the device processor has a lowest level of security relative to the secure element and the secure device processor, and wherein the secure device processor has an intermediate level of security relative to the secure element and the device processor.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the communication device, user input requesting browsing access, wherein the user input includes user credentials;

providing, within the communication device, the user credentials to the secure element;

receiving, within the communication device, browsing access credentials from the secure element responsive to an authentication of the user credentials by the secure element; and

facilitating establishing a browsing channel between the communication device and the secure download application function responsive to the browsing access credentials, wherein the browsing channel enables browsing a group of applications accessible via the secure download application function.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the secret and non-secret information is received via a remote management server, wherein keysets are utilized for mutual authentication of the secure element and the secure device processor with the remote management server and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, within the communication device, update information from the secure download application function via the remote management server; and

adjusting, within the communication device, the secret information and the non-secret information based on the update information.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising facilitating, by the device processor of the communication device, wireless communications between the communication device and the secure download application function, wherein the device processor is in communication with the secure device processor, wherein the secret information includes a decryption key for application execution and an authentication credential, wherein the non-secret information includes a user identification, a device identification, digital rights management data, and a validity time period, and wherein the application is stored in a storage device of the communication device.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

requesting, by the secure device processor, a decryption key from the secure element;

receiving the decryption key by the secure device processor;

performing, by the secure device processor, a decryption of the application using the decryption key; and

enabling, by the secure device processor, execution of the application at the communication device responsive to the decryption.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a communication device comprising a secure element having a secure element memory and a secure device processor having a secure device processor memory, secret information and non-secret information from a secure download application function, wherein the secure download application function is remote from the communication device, wherein the secure device processor is separate from the secure element and wherein the communication device includes a device processor that is separate from the secure element and the secure device processor;

storing, by the communication device, the secret information and the non-secret information in the secure element memory;

providing, within the communication device, a request for a first verification to the secure element, the first verification being associated with access to content that is sourced via the secure download application function;

generating, within the communication device, the first verification by the secure element based on the secret information without the secure element providing the secret information to the secure device processor, wherein the secure device processor does not have access to the secret information;

obtaining, within the communication device, the non-secret information from the secure element;

generating, within the communication device, a second verification for the access to the content based on the non-secret information;

generating, within the communication device, consumption information by monitoring the access to the content;

providing, by the communication device, the consumption information associated with the access to the content to the secure download application function, the consumption information indicating that the content has been presented by the communication device;

receiving by the communication device, responsive to the consumption information, access instructions from the secure download application function; and

preventing within the communication device access to the content according to the access instructions.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-secret information includes device permissions, and wherein the content having been presented by the communication device is according to the device permissions.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the content includes file permissions, and wherein the content having been presented by the communication device is according to the file permissions.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the secret information comprises an authentication credential.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-secret information comprises a distribution rule associated with digital rights management for the content.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the secret information includes a decryption key for content presentation.