Apparatus and method for secure provisioning of a communication device

• US 9,882,902 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chastain, Walter Cooper, Chin, Stephen Emille
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEHNI, GHAZAL B
• Application Number:
  US15/056,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20160182512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• 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 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• 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 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may perform, for example, receiving an over-the-air programming message that includes programming data for use by the mobile communication device, decrypting the over-the-air programming message utilizing a first keyset to generate a decrypted over-the-air programming message, determining a schedule for providing messages from a secure device processor to a secure element of the mobile communication device where the secure device processor is separate from the secure element and in communication with the secure element, and providing the decrypted over-the-air programming message to the secure element according to the schedule. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a secure device processor of a communication device, an over-the-air programming message that includes programming data for use by the communication device, wherein the over-the-air programming message is received from and encrypted by an over-the-air programming server;

receiving, by the secure device processor, a first keyset from a remote management server, wherein the remote management server provides the first keyset to the over-the-air programming server, and wherein the receiving of the first keyset by the secure device processor is performed utilizing a remote management keyset;

decrypting, by the secure device processor, the over-the-air programming message utilizing the first keyset to generate a decrypted over-the-air programming message;

determining, by the secure device processor, a schedule for providing messages to a secure element of the communication device, wherein the secure device processor is separate from the secure element and in communication with the secure element; and

providing, by the secure device processor, the decrypted over-the-air programming message to the secure element according to the schedule, wherein the providing of the decrypted over-the-air programming message to the secure element enables the secure element to further decrypt the decrypted over-the-air programming message utilizing a second keyset, and wherein the secure device processor does not have access to the second keyset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the over-the-air programming message originates from a service provisioning system, wherein the over-the-air programming server does not have access to the second keyset, and wherein the service provisioning system has access to the second keyset.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

determining, by the secure device processor, that a response has been generated by the secure element and is associated with the over-the-air programming message; and

providing, by the secure device processor, the response to the over-the-air programming server for transmission to the service provisioning system, wherein the response is encrypted by the secure element utilizing the second keyset, and wherein the response is configured for decryption by the service provisioning system utilizing the second keyset.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring, by the secure device processor, for a response provided by the secure element;

determining, by the secure device processor, that the response is associated with the over-the-air programming message;

encrypting, by the secure device processor, the response utilizing the first keyset to generate an encrypted response; and

providing, by the secure device processor, the encrypted response to the over-the-air programming server to enable the over-the-air programming server to decrypt the encrypted response for transmission to a service provisioning system.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

authenticating, by the secure device processor, with the secure element utilizing a third keyset; and

receiving, by the secure device processor, the first keyset from the secure element,

wherein the first keyset is generated by the secure element from a static key that is provided by the remote management server to the secure element and to the over-the-air programming server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the providing of the static key to the secure element by the remote management server is based on another over-the-air programming message that utilizes short message service transport protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing, by the secure device processor, a request to the secure element for the first keyset responsive to a determination that the over-the-air programming message has been encrypted; and

receiving, by the secure device processor, the first keyset from the secure element.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising retransmitting, by the secure device processor, the decrypted over-the-air programming message to the secure element.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server including a processor, a static key from a remote management server, wherein the remote management server provides the static key to a secure element of a communication device to enable the secure element to generate a first keyset from the static key and to enable the secure element to provide the first keyset to a secure device processor of the communication device;

generating, by the server, the first keyset from the static key;

encrypting, by the server, an over-the-air programming message utilizing the first keyset to generate an encrypted over-the-air programming message, wherein the over-the-air programming message includes programming data for use by the communication device; and

providing, by the server, the encrypted over-the-air programming message to the secure device processor of the communication device to enable the secure device processor to decrypt the encrypted over-the-air programming message utilizing the first keyset, wherein the providing of the encrypted over-the-air programming message further enables the secure device processor to provide the programming data to the secure element of the communication device according to a schedule for provisioning of the communication device, wherein the schedule is determined by the secure device processor, and wherein the secure device processor is separate from the secure element and in communication with the secure element, wherein the providing of the programming data to the secure element enables the secure element to further decrypt the programming data utilizing a second keyset, and wherein the secure device processor does not have access to the second keyset.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising receiving, by the server, the over-the-air programming message from a service provisioning system, wherein the over-the-air programming message is encrypted by the service provisioning system utilizing a second keyset.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the providing of the encrypted over-the-air programming message to the secure device processor utilizes a hypertext transfer protocol.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising:

receiving, by the server, the over-the-air programming message from a service provisioning system;

receiving, by the server, a request from the service provisioning system to provide the over-the-air programming message to a second communication device;

determining, by the server, that the second communication device is not registered with the server; and

providing, by the server, a notice to the service provisioning system indicating that a second secure device processor of the second communication device is not registered with the server.

13. The method of claim 9, comprising:

receiving, by the server, a response to the over-the-air programming message;

decrypting, by the server, the response utilizing the first keyset to generate a decrypted response; and

providing, by the server, the decrypted response to a service provisioning system that originated the over-the-air programming message.

14. A communication device comprising:

a secure element having a secure element memory with first executable instructions, wherein the secure element, responsive to executing the first executable instructions, performs first operations comprising;

receiving a request for a first keyset, wherein the request is received from a secure device processor of the communication device;

providing the first keyset to the secure device processor;

receiving, from the secure device processor, a decrypted over-the-air programming message according to a schedule for providing messages; and

performing an additional decryption of the decrypted over-the-air programming message utilizing a second keyset, wherein the secure device processor does not have access to the second keyset; and

the secure device processor having a secure device processor memory with second executable instructions, wherein the secure device processor, responsive to executing the second executable instructions, performs second operations comprising;

determining the schedule for provision of the messages to the secure element;

decrypting an over-the-air programming message utilizing the first keyset to generate the decrypted over-the-air programming message, wherein the over-the-air programming message includes programming data for provisioning the communication device,

wherein the secure device processor is separate from the secure element and in communication with the secure element; and

a device processor that facilitates wireless communications of the communication device, wherein the device processor is separate from the secure device processor and the secure element.

15. The communication device of claim 14, wherein the first operations further comprise:

receiving a static key from a remote management server, wherein the remote management server provides the static key to an over-the-air programming server that transmitted the over-the-air programming message to the secure device processor; and

generating the first keyset from the static key.

16. The communication device of claim 14, wherein the secure element comprises a universal integrated circuit card, wherein the over-the-air programming message utilizes a hypertext transfer protocol, and wherein the receiving of the decrypted over-the-air programming message is according to a schedule generated by the secure device processor.

17. The communication device of claim 14, wherein the first operations further comprise:

generating a secure message for transmission;

encrypting the secure message utilizing the second keyset to generate an encrypted secure message; and

providing the encrypted secure message to the secure device processor for transmission to a destination device via an intermediate server to enable the destination device to decrypt the encrypted secure message utilizing the second keyset, wherein the encrypted secure message is further encrypted by the secure device processor utilizing the first keyset, and wherein the encrypted secure message is further decrypted by the intermediate server utilizing the first keyset prior to delivery to the intermediate server.