Credential Provisioning via Public Key Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing authentication and access control systems for security elements, such as smartcards, are limited in allowing only approved applications to be installed and used, and require a pre-existing security association with the manufacturer or issuer, restricting flexibility and openness in credential provisioning.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a security element with an asymmetric keypair, where a public key is distributed for verification and a family key is provisioned to authorize credential applications, allowing any provisioner to securely provision credentials and bind applications to a family, enabling open system credential provisioning without prior approval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pre-existing security association with the manufacturer is required for credential provisioning, then security and authorization are maintained, but flexibility and openness in credential provisioning are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a public key infrastructure as an intermediary mechanism. The manufacturer's public key acts as a mediator that allows any provisioner to securely provision credentials without requiring a pre-existing security association. The public key enables verification of credential authenticity while eliminating the need for direct security relationships between provisioners and the security element.
Solution Approach 2:
The security element is equipped with its own public key that it can use to verify credentials provisioned by any party. This self-service capability allows the security element to autonomously verify the authenticity of provisioned credentials using the manufacturer's public key, eliminating the need for external authorization from the manufacturer for each provisioning operation.
2Reliability
If only approved applications can be installed on the smartcard, then security control is maintained, but system openness and application flexibility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The security element performs self-verification of application credentials using the manufacturer's public key. Any application provisioner can provision credentials to the security element, and the security element autonomously verifies them using its stored public key, enabling open application installation while maintaining security control through cryptographic verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses cryptographic copies (digital signatures and public key verification) to ensure application authenticity. Instead of requiring physical or administrative approval for each application, the system uses cryptographic copies of the manufacturer's authorization, allowing any provisioner to install applications while maintaining security through signature verification.
3Reliability
If symmetric key provisioning is used with a shared secret, then secure credential provisioning is achieved, but the system requires an existing security association between provisioner and security element
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the direct symmetric key sharing requirement with an intermediary public key mechanism. The manufacturer's public key serves as an intermediary that enables secure credential provisioning between any provisioner and the security element without requiring a pre-established security association or shared secret between them.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a method in a provisioning apparatus. The method comprises obtaining a family key, a family key defining a family; submitting the family key to a security element in a secure manner; using the family key for securing credential data; submitting said secured credential data to the security element; using the family key for binding an application to the family; and submitting said binding to the security element. Also a method in a related security element and related apparatuses, systems and computer programs are disclosed.