Enforcing service policies in embedded UICCs

• US 9,942,755 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Xiangying, Li, Li, Hauck, Jerrold Von
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US14/831,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20160057624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• 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

Abstract

The embodiments set forth techniques for an embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) to conditionally require, when performing management operations in association with electronic Subscriber Identity Modules (eSIMs), human-based authentication. The eUICC receives a request to perform a management operation in association with an eSIM. In response, the eUICC determines whether a policy being enforced by the eUICC indicates that a human-based authentication is required prior to performing the management operation. Next, the eUICC causes the mobile device to prompt a user of the mobile device to carry out the human-based authentication. The management operation is then performed or ignored in accordance with results of the human-based authentication.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a subsidy lock on a mobile device, the method comprising:

at an embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) included in the mobile device, wherein the eUICC is configured to manage a plurality of electronic Subscriber Identity Modules (eSIMs);

receiving a request to install or enable a particular eSIM of the plurality of eSIMs;

determining, based on a policy enforced by the eUICC, whether an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) associated with the particular eSIM is valid;

in response to identifying that the particular eSIM is valid;

installing or enabling the particular eSIM on the eUICC;

in response to identifying that the particular eSIM is not valid;

preventing the particular eSIM from being installed or enabled on the eUICC; and

in response receiving an updated policy, and for each eSIM of the plurality of eSIMs;

disabling or deleting the eSIM in response to determining that an IMSI associated with the eSIM is invalid based on the updated policy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the IMSI associated with an eSIM of the plurality of eSIMs is valid comprises comparing the IMSI to a list of IMSIs defined by the policy.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the list of IMSIs includes at least one of a complete IMSI or a partial IMSI that defines wildcard values.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein preventing the particular eSIM from being enabled on the eUICC comprises updating a lock state associated with the particular eSIM.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is issued in conjunction with a switch command.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying that each eSIM of the plurality of eSIMs is disabled; and

placing the mobile device into a connectivity mode that only permits placing emergency phone calls.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein preventing the particular eSIM from being installed or enabled further comprises displaying an indication that the particular eSIM is not authentic.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that, when executed by a processor of an embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUCC) included in a mobile device, cause the eUICC to implement a subsidy lock, by carrying out steps that include:

receiving a request to install or enable a particular electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) of a plurality of eSIMs managed by the eUICC;

determining, based on a policy enforced by the eUICC, whether an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) associated with the particular eSIM is valid;

in response to identifying that the particular eSIM is valid;

installing or enabling the particular eSIM on the eUICC;

in response to identifying that the particular eSIM is not valid;

preventing the particular eSIM from being installed or enabled on the eUICC; and

in response receiving an updated policy, and for each eSIM of the plurality of eSIMs;

disabling or deleting the eSIM in response to determining that an IMSI associated with the eSIM is invalid based on the updated policy.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein determining whether the IMSI associated with an eSIM of the plurality of eSIMs is valid comprises comparing the IMSI to a list of IMSIs defined by the policy.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the list of IMSIs includes at least one of a complete IMSI or a partial IMSI that defines wildcard values.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein preventing the particular eSIM from being enabled on the eUICC comprises updating a lock state associated with the particular eSIM.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the request is issued in conjunction with a switch command.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the steps further include:

identifying that each eSIM of the plurality of eSIMs is disabled; and

placing the mobile device into a connectivity mode that only permits placing emergency phone calls.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein preventing the eSIM from being installed or enabled further comprises displaying an indication that the eSIM is not authentic.

15. An embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) configured to implement a subsidy lock on a mobile device, the eUICC comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the eUICC to carry out steps that include;

receiving a request to install or enable a particular electronic Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM) of a plurality of eSIMs managed by the eUICC;

determining, based on a policy enforced by the eUICC, whether an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) associated with the particular eSIM is valid;

in response to identifying that the particular eSIM is valid;

installing or enabling the particular eSIM on the eUICC;

in response to identifying that the particular eSIM is not valid;

preventing the particular eSIM from being installed or enabled on the eUICC; and

in response receiving an updated policy, and for each eSIM of the plurality of eSIMs;

disabling or deleting the eSIM in response to determining that an IMSI associated with the eSIM is invalid based on the updated policy.

16. The eUICC of claim 15, wherein determining whether the IMSI associated with an eSIM of the plurality of eSIMs is valid comprises comparing the IMSI to a list of IMSIs defined by the policy.

17. The eUICC of claim 16, wherein the list of IMSIs includes at least one of a complete IMSI or a partial IMSI that defines wildcard values.

18. The eUICC of claim 15, wherein preventing the particular eSIM from being enabled on the eUICC comprises updating a lock state associated with the particular eSIM.

19. The eUICC of claim 15, wherein the request is issued in conjunction with a switch command.

20. The eUICC of claim 15, wherein the steps further include:

identifying that each eSIM of the plurality of eSIMs is disabled; and

placing the mobile device into a connectivity mode that only permits placing emergency phone calls.