Cryptography method and smart cards microcircuit

• US 7,802,098 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2001
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Girault, Marc, Pailles, Jean-Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIA, SYED
• Application Number:
  US10/296,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20030163699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,401 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/084 Additional components relating to data transfer and storing, e.g. error detection, self-diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

Method of cryptography in a smart card comprising a central processing unit, said method implementing precomputation operations, characterized in that said precomputation operations are performed by the smart card and in that the precomputation operations are carried out at a session during the waiting periods of the inputs/outputs of the central processing unit.

Claims

1. A method of using cryptography for smart cards comprising:

introducing into communication with a terminal, a smart card to perform a current transaction, the smart card comprising a central processing unit and being adapted to communicate with the terminal through an input-output interface;

entering, by the smart card, into a waiting period wherein there is no active task related to an input-output event to be performed by the smart card for the current transaction; and

performing, by the smart card, at least one cryptographic precomputation associated with a future transaction to be performed by the smart card, the future transaction being independent from the current transaction, the at least one cryptographic precomputation comprising a plurality of intermediate computations including at least partial calculation of one or more witness elements, wherein a result of each intermediate computation is stored in the smart card in a storage zone of the card,

wherein the at least one cryptographic precomputation is performed by the smart card during the waiting period, and wherein one or more active tasks related to the current transaction have priority over the at least one cryptographic precomputation such that input-output events related to the one or more active tasks interrupt the at least one cryptographic precomputation thereby ending the waiting period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one cryptographic precomputation comprises an algorithm based on a computation of a discrete logarithm.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one cryptographic precomputation comprises a computation of exponentiation.

4. A microcircuit for a smart card adapted to communicate with an exterior terminal to perform a transaction through an input-output interface, the microcircuit comprising:

a task-execution system configured to execute

at least one executable cryptographic precomputation task associated with a future transaction to be performed by the smart card, the future transaction being independent from a current transaction, the at least one cryptographic precomputation task comprising a plurality of intermediate computations including at least partial calculation of one or more witness elements, wherein a result of each intermediate computation is stored in the smart card, and

a management program adapted to manage execution of the at least one cryptographic precomputation task, wherein the management program is adapted to cause the task-execution system to activate the at least one executable cryptographic precomputation task during a waiting period of the smart card wherein there is no active task related to an input-output event to be performed by the smart card for the current transaction,

wherein one or more active tasks related to the current transaction have priority over the at least one cryptographic precomputation such that input-output events related to the one or more active tasks interrupt the at least one cryptographic precomputation thereby ending the waiting period.

5. The microcircuit according to claim 4, wherein the task-execution system comprises a microprocessor, a program memory comprising the management program, and an applications program memory comprising the at least one executable cryptographic computation task in the form of at least one application program.

6. The microcircuit according to claim 4, wherein the task-execution system further comprises a cryptographic computation circuit.

7. The microcircuit according to claim 4, wherein the task-execution system is adapted to carry out computations of exponentiation.

8. The microcircuit according to claim 4, further comprising means for the storage of results of the computations.

9. A contactless microcircuit card comprising the microcircuit according to claim 4.

10. A contact-type microcircuit card comprising the microcircuit according to claim 4.

11. A microcircuit card working in one of either a contactless mode or a contact mode, the microcircuit card comprising the microcircuit according to claim 4.

12. A microcircuit for a smart card adapted to communicate with an exterior terminal to perform a transaction through an input-output interface, the microcircuit comprising:

a task-execution means including

one or more active tasks associated with a current transaction,

at least one executable cryptographic precomputation task associated with a future transaction to be performed by the smart card, the future transaction being independent from the current transaction, the at least one cryptographic precomputation task including at least partial calculation of one or more witness elements, and

means for managing the execution of the at least one cryptographic precomputation task, wherein the management means comprises a task activation means for activating the at least one executable cryptographic precomputation task during a waiting period of the smart card wherein there is no active task related to an input-output event to be performed by the smart card for the current transaction, wherein the task-activation means comprises a circuit for the scheduling of inputs-outputs of the smart card adapted to activate the at least one executable cryptographic computation task when the scheduling circuit is awaiting an input or an output,

wherein one or more active tasks related to the current transaction have priority over the at least one cryptographic precomputation such that input-output events related to the one or more active tasks interrupt the at least one cryptographic precomputation thereby ending the waiting period.