Enabling users to select between secure service providers using a central trusted service manager

• US 8,737,621 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2013
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Pelly, Nicholas Julian, Hamilton, Jeffrey William
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US13/752,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20130138959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1- 7, 726/9, 726 20- 21, 726 27- 30, 380/270, 380/277, 380/281, 380/284, 380/286, 713/155, 713/164, 713168-170, 713/182, 713/185, 713/189, 713193-194, 705/50, 705 64- 67, 705 75- 77
• US Class Current: 380/277
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/083 involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0897 involving additional devices, e.g. trusted platform module [TPM], smartcard or USB
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/48 using secure binding, e.g. securely binding identity modules to devices, services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Systems and methods are described herein for enabling users to select from available secure service providers (each having a Trusted Service Manager (“TSM”)) for provisioning applications and services on a secure element installed on a device of the user. The device includes a service provider selector (“SPS”) module that provides a user interface for selecting the secure service provider. In one embodiment, the SPS communicates with a key escrow service that maintains cryptographic keys for the secure element and distributes the keys to the user selected secure service provider. The key escrow service also revokes the keys from deselected secure service providers. In another embodiment, the SPS communicates with a central TSM that provisions applications and service on behalf of the user selected secure service provider. The central TSM serves as a proxy between the secure service providers and the secure element.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing secure services to a computing devices comprising secure elements, comprising:

maintaining, by a computer, at least one cryptographic key for a secure element of a network computing device, the at least one cryptographic key operable to provide secure access to the secure element via a secure communication channel;

receiving, by the computer, a selection of a trusted service manager (“

TSM”

) for facilitating a secure service;

obtaining, by the computer and from the selected TSM, information regarding the secure service and an application for the secure service; and

provisioning, by the computer, the secure service in the secure element using the information regarding the secure service obtained from the selected TSM, the application for the secure service obtained from the selected TSM, and the at least one cryptographic key.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising creating a secure communication channel between the computer and the selected TSM to obtain the information regarding the secure service and the application for the secure service.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising executing business logic for the secure element on behalf of the selected TSM.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein if the secure element included information related to a previous TSM that is different form the selected TSM, the method further comprising removing the information related to the previous TSM from the secure element.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein if the secure element included information related to a previous TSM that is different form the selected TSM, the method further comprising transmitting a message to the secure element commanding the secure element to remove the information related to the previous TSM from the secure element.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving confirmation of the selection of the selected TSM from another device other than the network computing device prior to provisioning the secure service at the secure element.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computer comprises a managed TSM.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selection of the TSM for facilitating the secure service is received from the network computing device.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer, a selection of a second TSM for facilitating a second secure service;

obtaining, by the computer, from the second TSM, information regarding the second secure service and an application for the second secure service; and

provisioning, by the computer, the second secure service at the secure element using the obtained information regarding the second secure service, the obtained application for the second secure service, and the at least one cryptographic key.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, further comprising removing information related to a TSM other than the second TSM from the secure element.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, further comprising transmitting a message to the secure element commanding the secure element to remove information and an application related to a TSM other than the second TSM from the secure element.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, further comprising communicating an instruction to the secure element to allow processing of only the second secure service.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 23, further comprising communicating an instruction to the secure element to block processing of secure services other than the second secure service.

8. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein that when executed by a computer cause the computer to provide secure services to computing device comprising secure memories, the computer-readable program code comprising;

computer-readable program code to maintain to at least one cryptographic key for a secure memory of a computing device the at least one cryptographic key operable to provide secure access to the secure memory via a secure communication channel;

computer-readable program code to receive a selection of a secure service provider for facilitating a secure service;

computer-readable program code to obtain, from the selected secure service provider, information regarding the secure service and an application for the secure service; and

computer-readable program code to provision the secure service in the secure memory using the obtained information, the obtained application, and the at least one cryptographic key.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising computer-readable program code to create a secure communication channel between the computer and the selected secure service provider for obtaining the information regarding the secure service and the application for the secure service.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising computer-readable program code for executing business logic for the secure memory on behalf of the selected secure service provider.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising computer-readable program code for removing from the secure memory information related to a previous secure service provider that is different from the selected secure service provider, the computer-readable program code for removing from the secure memory information related to the previous secure service provider being executed if the secure memory includes information related to the previous secure service provider.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising computer-readable program code for transmitting a message to the secure memory requesting the secure memory to remove from the secure memory information and an application related to a previous secure service provider that is different from the selected secure service provider, the computer-readable program code for removing from the secure memory information and a application related to the previous secure service provider being executed if the secure memory includes information and a application related to the previous secure service provider.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising computer-readable program code for receiving confirmation of the selection of the selected secure service provider from another device other than the computing device prior to provisioning the secure service at the secure memory.

28. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the secure memory is a secure element.

29. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the secure service provider is a trusted service manager.

30. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the selection of the secure service provider for facilitating the secure service is received from the communication device.

14. A system for providing secure services to computing devices comprising secure memories, the system comprising:

a communication module executing on a computer that receives, a selection of a trusted service manager (“

TSM”

) for facilitating a secure service;

a managed TSM executing on a computer and communicably coupled to the communication module that;

maintains at least one cryptographic key for a secure memory of a computing device, the at least one cryptographic key operable to provide secure access to the secure memory via a secure communication channel;

receives, from the selected TSM, information regarding the secure service and an application for the secure service; and

provisions the secure service in the secure memory using the received information, the received application, and the at least one cryptographic key.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the managed TSM creates a secure communication channel between the computer and the selected TSM for obtaining the information regarding the secure service and the application for the secure service.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the managed TSM executes business logic for the secure memory on behalf of the selected TSM.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the managed TSM causes information related to a previous TSM that is different form the selected TSM to be removed from the secure memory if the secure memory includes information related to the previous TSM.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein, if the secure memory includes information related to a previous TSM that is different from the selected TSM, the managed TSM transmits, via the communication module, a message to the secure memory commanding secure memory to remove information related to the previous TSM from the secure memory.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the managed TSM receives confirmation of the selection of the selected TSM from another device other than the computing device prior to provisioning the secure service at the secure memory.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the secure memory is a secure element.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the selection of the TSM for facilitating the secure service is received from the computing device.