Partitioning data on a smartcard dependent on entered password

• US 20080209574A1
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Parkinson, Steven W., Lord, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,161,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3572 Multiple accounts on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3574 Multiple applications on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/35765 Access rights to memory zones
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/10 together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1066 PIN data being compared to data on card

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus and method for partitioning data on a smartcard dependent on an entered password are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes maintaining multiple containers in a smartcard, associating a different personal identification number (PIN) with each of the multiple containers, and accessing contents of a container when an associated PIN for the container is provided by a user of the smartcard. Other embodiments are also described.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

maintaining a plurality of containers in a smartcard;

associating a different personal identification number (PIN) with each of the plurality of containers; and

accessing contents of a container of the plurality of containers when an associated PIN for the container is provided by a user of the smartcard.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each container of the plurality of containers stores information associated with a different identity of the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the different identities includes at least one of a home user identity and a work user identity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a container of the plurality of containers includes an identification certificate and its associated private key, while another container of the plurality of containers includes an attribute certificate associated with the identification certificate.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein both containers are accessed by different PINs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing further includes hiding an existence of the plurality of containers from the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an applet of the smartcard performs a matching algorithm to determine whether a PIN provided by the user can access a container of the plurality of containers.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the smartcard includes more than one applet, each applet associated with a different functionality of the smartcard.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of containers each having a different,personal identification number (PIN) associated with it to access its contents; and

an applet to determine whether a PIN provided by a user of the smartcard matches any of the PINs of the plurality of containers in order to access the contents of the container with the matching PIN.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each container of the plurality of containers stores information associated with a different identity of the user.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the different identities includes at least one of a home user identity and a work user identity.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a container of the plurality of containers includes an identification certificate and its associated private key, while another container of the plurality of containers includes an attribute certificate associated with the identification certificate.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the accessing further includes hiding an existence of the plurality of containers from the user.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the applet of the smartcard performs a matching algorithm to determine whether the PIN provided by the user can access a container of the plurality of containers.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the smartcard includes more than one applet, each applet associated with a different functionality of the smartcard.

16. An article of manufacture comprising a machine-readable medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

maintaining a plurality of containers in a smartcard;

associating a different personal identification number (PIN) with each of the plurality of containers; and

accessing contents of a container of the plurality of containers when an associated PIN for the container is provided by a user of the smartcard.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein each container of the plurality of containers stores information associated with a different identity of the user.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein a container of the plurality of containers includes an identification certificate and its associated private key, while another container of the plurality of containers includes an attribute certificate associated with the identification certificate.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the accessing further includes hiding an existence of the plurality of containers from the user.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein an applet of the smartcard performs a matching algorithm to determine whether a PIN provided by the user can access a container of the plurality of containers.