Methods, apparatus, and systems for securing SIM (subscriber identity module) personalization and other data on a first processor and secure communication of the SIM data to a second processor

• US 20060129848A1
• Filed: 04/07/2005
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Shankar, Narendar, Paksoy, Erdal, Redin, Sven-Inge
• Granted Patent: US 7,940,932 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/48 using secure binding, e.g. securely binding identity modules to devices, services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

An electronic circuit 120 includes a more-secure processor (600) having hardware based security (138) for storing data. A less-secure processor (200) eventually utilizes the data. By a data transfer request-response arrangement (2010, 2050, 2070, 2090) between the more-secure processor (600) and the less-secure processor (200), the more-secure processor (600) confers greater security of the data on the less-secure processor (200). A manufacturing process makes a handheld device (110) having a storage space (222), a less-secure processor (200) for executing modem software and a more-secure processor (600) having a protected application (2090) and a secure storage (2210). A manufacturing process involves generating a per-device private key and public key pair, storing the private key in a secure storage (2210) where it can be accessed by the protected application (2090), combining the public key with the modem software to produce a combined software, signing the combined software; and storing the signed combined software into the storage space (222). Other processes of manufacture, processes of operation, circuits, devices, wireless and wireline communications products, wireless handsets and systems are disclosed and claimed.

Claims

1. A method of providing data security comprising the steps of:

storing data in a first memory of a first processor having hardware-based security;

operating a second processor to authenticate the data in the first processor; and

operating the first processor to send the data from the memory of the first processor to a second memory external to the first processor.

2. The method claimed in claim 1 wherein the second memory is accessible by the second processor and said operating the first processor step includes sending the data in a confidential manner whereby more secure inter-processor communication occurs.

3. The method claimed in claim 1 wherein the operating second processor to authenticate is performed after the operating first processor to send the data.

4. The method claimed in claim 1 wherein the operating second processor to authenticate is performed approximately concurrently with the operating first processor to send the data.

5. The method claimed in claim 1 wherein the second memory is associated with the second processor.

6. The method claimed in claim 1 wherein the operating first processor to send data also leaves the data in the memory of the first processor.

7. The method claimed in claim 1 wherein the operating the second processor with the first processor protects the operations of the second processor from unauthorized modification in a manner enhanced by the first processor.

8. The method claimed in claim 1 further comprising operating the second processor to send a challenge to the first processor prior to said operating the first processor to send data.

9. The method claimed in claim 1 further comprising operating the second processor to send a challenge to the first processor prior to said operating the first processor to send data, and the operating the first processor to send data includes operating the first processor to also reply with data responsive to the challenge.

10. The method claimed in claim 1 further comprising operating the first processor to authenticate the data before said operating the second processor to authenticate the data.

11. The method claimed in claim 1 wherein the operating the first processor to send data transfers the data inside a handset.

12. Apparatus for data security comprising:

a first processor having hardware-based security;

a first memory coupled to said first processor and having data stored in said memory;

a second processor having a second memory and operable to authenticate data from said first processor; and

a second memory external to said first processor, said first processor operable to send the data from said first memory to said second memory external to said first processor.

13. The apparatus claimed in claim 12 wherein said second memory is accessible by said second processor and said first processor is coupled to software that directs sending of the data in a confidential manner.

14. The apparatus claimed in claim 12 wherein said second processor is coupled to software that establishes authentication by said second processor of the data after the data is sent by said first processor.

15. The apparatus claimed in claim 12 further comprising security monitoring logic coupled to monitor said first processor.

16. The apparatus claimed in claim 15 wherein said second processor has increased security even though said security monitoring logic is coupled to monitor only said first processor.

17. The apparatus claimed in claim 12 wherein said second memory is coupled to and includes a memory space write-protected from said second processor.

18. The apparatus claimed in claim 12 wherein said second processor is operable to send a challenge to said first processor prior to said first processor sending data.

19. The apparatus claimed in claim 18 wherein said first processor is operable to also reply with data based on the challenge.

20. The apparatus claimed in claim 12 wherein said second processor is operable to authenticate the data before said first processor authenticates the data.

21. The apparatus claimed in claim 12 wherein said first processor and said second processor are physically associated in a device selected from the group consisting of 1) handheld device, 2) personal computer, 3) digital subscriber line (DSL) telecommunication unit, 4) wireless local area network (WLAN) device, 5) gateway unit, 6) wireless base station.

22. The apparatus claimed in claim 12 further comprising a radio frequency unit responsive to said second processor.

23. The apparatus claimed in claim 12 wherein the data includes digital rights management data.

24. The apparatus claimed in claim 12 wherein the data includes subscriber-related information.

25. A handheld device comprising

a more-secure processor having hardware based security for storing data;

a less-secure processor that eventually utilizes the data; and

a data transfer request-response coupling between said more-secure processor and said less-secure processor for said more-secure processor to confer greater security of the data on said less-secure processor.

26. The handheld device of claim 25 wherein said more-secure processor has a first mailbox and said less-secure processor has a second mailbox, and said less-secure processor establishes a request via said mailboxes to said more secure processor to respond with the data via said mailboxes.

27. The handheld device of claim 26 further including a secure driver and a protected application, and wherein said more-secure processor is operable to respond to the request by the secure driver to load the protected application to respond with the data via said mailboxes.

28. The handheld device of claim 25 wherein said more-secure processor has a storage protected by hardware-based security circuitry for protecting the data.

29. The handheld device of claim 25 wherein said less-secure processor has a public key and said less-secure processor is operable to send a random challenge to said more-secure processor.

30. The handheld device of claim 29 wherein the response includes a portion pertaining to the random challenge along with the data from said more-secure processor.

31. The handheld device of claim 30 wherein said more secure processor is operable to sign the response.

32. The handheld device of claim 30 wherein said less-secure processor is operable to verify the signed random challenge and the data provided in the response from said more-secure processor.

33. The handheld device of claim 25 wherein said more-secure processor has a private key for an asymmetric process and said less-secure processor has a corresponding public key for the asymmetric process and is operable to generate a session key and encrypt the session key with the corresponding public key and said more-secure processor is operable to subsequently decrypt the session key with the private key and encrypt the data with the session key, and then send the encrypted data to said less-secure processor.

34. The handheld device of claim 25 wherein said more-secure processor is operable to authenticate a public key and software for said less-secure processor prior to execution of the software by said less-secure processor.

35. The handheld device of claim 34 wherein said more-secure processor is operable to lock down a memory space as write-protected for the public key and software for said less-secure processor.

36. The handheld device of claim 35 wherein said more secure processor is operable to authenticate the public key and software for said less-secure processor at boot time.

37. The handheld device of claim 36 wherein said more secure processor is operable to authenticate the public key and software for said less-secure processor at run time.

38. The handheld device of claim 36 wherein said more secure processor is operable at boot-time and periodically at run-time to authenticate software for interrupt control register communication.

39. A process of manufacturing a handheld device having a storage space, a less-secure processor for executing modem software and a more-secure processor having a protected application and a secure storage, the manufacturing process comprising

generating a per-device private key and public key pair;

storing the private key in a secure storage where it can be accessed by the protected application;

combining the public key with the modem software to produce a combined software;

signing the combined software; and

storing the signed combined software into the storage space.

40. The manufacturing process of claim 39 further comprising storing software into the handheld device for the more-secure processor to utilize with the private key and for the less-secure processor to utilize with the public key.

41. The manufacturing process of claim 39 further incorporating the modem software in a device bound certificate prior to the storing.

42. The manufacturing process of claim 41 further incorporating a hash of information including the modem software and a manufacturer key, into the device bound certificate.

43. The manufacturing process of claim 39 wherein the storing step includes storing a device bound certificate.

44. The manufacturing process of claim 43 further comprising energizing the handheld device and verifying the device bound certificate.

45. The manufacturing process of claim 43 wherein the device bound certificate includes a device identification certificate and a modem software certificate, and the process includes further energizing the handheld device and verifying the device identification certificate and a modem software certificate with the more secure processor.

46. The manufacturing process of claim 43 further comprising storing software into the handheld device establishing operations for the more secure processor of device bound certificate verification and write-protect locking after device bound certificate verification.

47. The manufacturing process of claim 46 further comprising storing into the handheld device a boot image having a pre-computed hash value of the modem software and data pre-stored in the boot image, and wherein the device bound certificate verification includes authentication by hashing the modem software and data at boot up and comparing a hash value resulting from the hashing with the pre-computed hash value pre-stored in the boot image, whereby authentication occurs when there is a match of the hash value and the pre-computed hash value.

48. The manufacturing process of claim 46 wherein the device bound certificate verification includes a verification-failure operation selected from the group consisting of warning message on user display, retry, disablement of wireless communication, initiation of an automatic call, and system reset.

49. The manufacturing process of claim 43 wherein the device bound certificate includes a device identification certificate based on a device identification of the particular handheld device into which the storing occurs.

50. The manufacturing process of claim 49 further comprising storing software into the handheld device establishing operations for the more secure processor of sending a signed data file to the less-secure processor, and the software further establishing operations for the less-secure processor of verification of the signed data file prior to the less-secure processor use of the data file.

51. The manufacturing process of claim 43 further comprising storing software into the handheld device establishing operations for the more-secure processor of device bound certificate verification.

52. The manufacturing process of claim 39 wherein the stored software establishes a random challenge operation by the less-secure processor to the more-secure processor.

53. The manufacturing process of claim 52 wherein the stored software establishes operations of generating and sending a signed data file from the more-secure processor to the less-secure processor as a response to the random challenge by the less-secure processor.

54. The manufacturing process of claim 53 wherein the stored software further establishes response integrity verification by the less-secure processor to the response from the more-secure processor.

55. The manufacturing process of claim 39 further comprising storing software into the handheld device establishing operations for the less-secure processor of a random challenge in request-initiating operation by the more-secure processor.

56. The manufacturing process of claim 39 wherein the more secure processor has a hardware security-monitoring circuit.

57. The manufacturing process of claim 39 wherein the more secure processor has a true random number generator and the process further comprises storing software into the handheld device establishing an operation by the more-secure processor to couple the true random number generator to the less-secure processor.

58. The manufacturing process of claim 39 wherein the signing includes creating a device bound certificate by hashing a combination of a device identification certificate and at least a portion of software to be executed by the handheld device.

59. The manufacturing process of claim 39 wherein the storing of the signed combined software includes storing a device bound certificate into an area of a flash memory accessible by both the more secure processor and the less-secure processor.

60. The manufacturing process of claim 39 wherein the storage space is a flash memory space and the storing includes flashing.

61. A security process for protecting personalization data in a handheld device having a less-secure processor and a more-secure processor with an interrupt-based communication path and a service application and a secure environment device driver and a protected application and a secure storage for personalization data, the security process comprising

the less-secure processor requesting the personalization data from the more-secure processor via a request through the interrupt-based communication path;

the less-secure processor sending a random challenge with the request through said interrupt-based communication path to the service application of the more-secure processor;

the service application passing the request to the secure environment device driver through an API call;

the driver loading the protected application;

the more-secure processor executing the protected application in a hardware protected execution environment, and passing the request to the protected application;

the protected application decrypting the personalization information from the secure storage, signing the personalization information concatenated with the random challenge, and sending the signed result to the driver;

the driver passing the signed result to the service application;

the service application passing the signed result to the less-secure processor; and

the less-secure processor verifying the signing and the random challenge before using the personalization information.

62. The security process of claim 61 wherein a private-key, public-key pair are pre-loaded to the more-secure processor and less-secure processor respectively, and the security process further comprises

the less-secure processor generating a symmetric key;

the less-secure processor encrypting the symmetric key with the pre-loaded public key;

the less-secure processor sending the encrypted symmetric key to the more-secure processor with the request;

the more-secure processor decrypting the encrypted symmetric key using the pre-loaded private key;

the more-secure processor encrypting the personalization data using the decrypted symmetric key, the thereby-encrypted personalization data provided for use in the signing;

the less-secure processor, after verifying the signing and the random challenge, then decrypting the encrypted personalization data using the symmetric key in the less-secure processor to recover the personalization information for use by the less-secure processor.

63. The security process of claim 62 wherein the generating of the symmetric key uses obfuscated key generation software.

64. The security process of claim 62 wherein the generating of the symmetric key uses obfuscated key generation software and obfuscated public key.

65. The security process of claim 62 wherein the signing comprises hashing of information to be signed, obtaining a hash value resulting from the hashing, and encrypting the hash value with a private key to supply a signature.

66. The security process of claim 65 wherein the verifying includes the less-secure processor independently hashing the signed information received to produce a hash value for verification and decrypting the signature with a public key corresponding to the private key to recover a hash value supplied from the more-secure processor.

67. The security process of claim 66 wherein the verifying further includes comparing the hash value supplied from the more-secure processor with the hash value for verification, and if the hash value supplied equals the hash value for verification, then integrity of the personalization data is verified.

68. The security process of claim 61 including activating at least one feature depending on the personalization data provided the verifying is successful, the at least one feature selected from the group consisting of communications identified by lock type personalization data, a feature identified by permission personalization data, and use when a subscriber identification card presents data matching a subscriber identification in the personalization data.

69. The security process of claim 61 for use with an identification card and further comprising the more-secure processor modifying the personalization data on user command when the identification card presents data including a card datum matching a card verification in the personalization data and the user inputs a personal identification matching a pre-stored personal identification in the personalization data associated with the identification card.

70. The security process of claim 69 wherein the modifying includes de-personalizing the personalization data by the more-secure processor in a hardware-protected secure mode.

71. The security process of claim 69 further comprising an identification failure response selected from the group consisting of:

denial of the modification privilege, warning message, retry, branch to ordinary use of the handset, automatic call, and system reset.

72. A process of manufacturing a target communication device having a memory, the manufacturing process using a host machine and comprising:

the target having a device unique key and sending out a device identification (Public ID) to the host machine;

the host machine using the Public ID to access a manufacturer public key and personalization certificate including personalization information and at least some target software signed with a signature;

the host machine sending a memory loader to the target and the manufacturer public key and personalization certificate to the target;

the target deriving a derived key from the device unique key; and

the target with the memory loader having a hardware-protected process to

verify the personalization certificate,

recover the personalization information,

encrypt the recovered personalization information with the derived key,

provide a signature by hash of information including the encrypted personalization information, and

load the encrypted personalization information and signature in the memory of the target.

73. The manufacturing process of claim 72 further comprising the target with the memory loader deriving a first key from the device unique key and generating a private-key-public-key pair, and encrypting the private key with the first key.

74. The manufacturing process of claim 72 wherein the at least some target software includes modem software, and the target includes a more-secure processor for the memory loader and a less-secure processor for the modem software.

75. The manufacturing process of claim 74 further comprising generating a private-key-public-key pair, and the memory loader also establishing loading and locking of the modem software with the public key of said pair into a portion of the memory so that the memory is write-protected.

76. The manufacturing process of claim 72 further comprising the memory loader also generating a private-key, public-key pair and storing the private key in hardware-protected secure storage.

77. The manufacturing process of claim 72 wherein the target has a protected application and the manufacturing process further comprising executing the protected application to authenticate the at least some target software and to authenticate the encrypted personalization information and signature in the memory of the target.

78. The manufacturing process of claim 72 further comprising booting the target, commencing run-time and then changing the personalization data at run-time.

79. The manufacturing process of claim 78 further comprising a personalization data change process including

executing a hardware-protected process to authenticate and decrypt the personalization data in the personalization certificate from the memory;

updating the personalization data; and

encrypting the updated personalization data with the private key, signing and storing.

80. The manufacturing process of claim 72 further comprising a personalization data change process including

authenticating the current personalization data in memory;

entering a change to the personalization data at run time and storing the change separately so that the change is accessible upon a reboot.

81. The manufacturing process of claim 80 wherein the personalization data change process further includes

rebooting the target and authenticating the current personalization data in memory;

inside a hardware-protected secure mode, accessing at least one of the separately stored changes to the personalization data and updating the current personalization data, encrypting the updated personalization data with the private key, hashing and storing; and

executing the modem software.

82. The manufacturing process of claim 72 wherein the memory includes a flash memory and the memory loader includes a flash memory loader.

83. A system comprising in a common enclosure

at least two more-secure processors having more-secure processing partitioned among said more-secure processors;

and at least one less-secure processor coupled to at least one of the more-secure processors.

84. The system of claim 83 wherein at least one of the more-secure processors is operable to perform boot-time authentication and memory locking.

85. The system of claim 84 wherein at least one other of the more-secure processors is operable to provide a more-secure storage and to supply information to the less-secure processor.

86. The system of claim 85 wherein the at least one less-secure processor is operable to perform a random challenge step to the at least one other of the more-secure processors.

87. The system of claim 83 wherein at least one of the more-secure processors is operable to provide a more-secure storage and supplies information to the less-secure processor, and the at least one less-secure processor is operable to verify integrity of the information supplied.

88. A system comprising in a common enclosure

at least one more-secure processor;

and

at least two less-secure processors coupled to the at least one more-secure processor.

89. The system of claim 88 wherein the less-secure processors are wireless modem processors.

90. The system of claim 88 wherein at least one of the less-secure processors is a video processor.

91. The system of claim 90 wherein the more-secure processor has DRM (digital rights management) functionality coupled to the video processor.

92. The system of claim 88 wherein each of the at least two less-secure processors has a respective memory space, and the at least one more-secure processor is operable to lock down at least part of each said respective memory space from write access.

93. The system of claim 92 wherein the at least one more-secure processor has a firewall for the locking down.

94. The system of claim 88 wherein the at least one more-secure processor is operable to initialize and authenticate the memory contents of each of the at least two less-secure processors.

95. The system of claim 88 wherein the at least one more-secure processor has a private key for an asymmetric secure communications process and the secure process establishes each of the at least two less-secure processors with a public key for that asymmetric process and a different respective random seed.

96. The system of claim 88 wherein each of the at least two less-secure processors is operable to challenge the at least one more-secure processor.

97. The system of claim 96 wherein the at least one more-secure processor is operable to respond with a respective signed file structure to the challenge from each of the at least two less-secure processors.

98. The system of claim 97 wherein the at least one more-secure processor has a private key for an asymmetric secure communications process and the secure process establishes each of the at least two less-secure processors with a public key for that asymmetric process wherein each less-secure processor is operable to decrypt a respective said signed file structure with the public key, and determine whether the challenge is fulfilled by the more-secure processor.

99. The system of claim 96 wherein each less-secure processor has a challenge-failure operation selected from the group consisting of warning message on user display, retry, disablement of wireless communication, initiation of an automatic call, and system reset.

100. The system of claim 88 wherein the system is provided with at least one more-secure processor and at least one less-secure processor on different chips.

101. The system of claim 88 wherein the system is provided with at least one more-secure processor and at least one less-secure processor on a same chip.

102. A system comprising

a first processor capable of secure boot by authentication and initialization of software for the first processor, said first processor operable to generate a random seed at boot time and a new random number at run-time for the authentication and to generate a challenge based on a random number;

and

a second processor having a secure storage for personalization data and operable to supply said second processor with the personalization data in signed form in response to the challenge from said first processor, whereby the first processor relies on the second processor.

103. The system of claim 102 wherein said second processor has a private key for an asymmetric secure communications process used to sign the personalization data and said first processor has a public key for that asymmetric process.

104. The system of claim 102 wherein said first processor has a challenge-failure operation selected from the group consisting of warning message on user display, retry, disablement of wireless communication, initiation of an automatic call, and system reset.

105. The system of claim 102 further comprising an enclosure and wherein said first processor and said second processor are provided on respective chips in said enclosure.

106. The system of claim 102 wherein said first processor and said second processor are on a same one chip.

107. The system of claim 102 wherein said first processor includes a less-secure processor and said second processor includes a more-secure processor that is more secure than said less-secure processor.

108. The system of claim 102 wherein said first processor includes a modem processor.