UICC Key Generation Using ECC and Master Secret
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current smart-card technologies face security risks and resource constraints when remotely provisioning sensitive data to non-removable embedded smart cards and trusted environments, particularly due to scalability issues with key management and storage limitations in embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Cards (UICC).
Innovation Solution
The implementation of Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) for key generation and encryption, using a unique private seed per UICC to generate public keys, simplifies key management and reduces storage requirements by allowing each Mobile Network Operator (MNO) to use a global key pair for all UICCs of a given model, and employing a key agreement exchange process like Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman to establish a shared secret for secure profile encryption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple RSA key pairs are pre-loaded in the UICC for multiple MNOs, then security is improved, but storage space is consumed and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the key generation process from the UICC and relocates it to the provisioning server. The UICC only stores a single master secret and derived keys, while the provisioning server generates MNO-specific keys on-demand using elliptic curve cryptography. This eliminates the need to pre-load multiple RSA key pairs in the UICC, resolving the storage space contradiction while maintaining security through cryptographic key derivation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the cryptographic parameters from traditional RSA key pairs to elliptic curve cryptography with a master secret and derived keys. This parameter change reduces the storage requirements in the UICC from multiple large RSA key pairs to a single master secret and smaller derived keys, while maintaining or improving security through the mathematical properties of elliptic curve cryptography.
2Reliability
If multiple RSA key pairs are pre-loaded in the UICC for multiple MNOs, then security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex key management functionality from the UICC and relocates it to the provisioning server. The server handles key generation, derivation, and distribution for multiple MNOs, while the UICC only needs to store a single master secret and perform simple key derivation operations. This dramatically reduces the device complexity of the UICC while maintaining security through centralized key management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a provisioning server as an intermediary between the UICC and multiple MNOs. This intermediary handles the complex key management operations, including generating MNO-specific keys from the master secret using elliptic curve cryptography. The intermediary absorbs the key management complexity, allowing the UICC to remain simple while maintaining security through the intermediary's cryptographic operations.
3Quantity of substance
If a unique private seed per UICC is used with ECC, then storage needs are reduced, but key management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the provisioning server as an intermediary to handle the key management complexity associated with unique private seeds per UICC. The server securely stores and manages the mapping between UICCs and their private seeds, and performs the elliptic curve key generation operations. This allows the UICC to use compact storage (only the master secret and derived keys) while the intermediary manages the complexity of unique key generation for each device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary key generation and derivation actions on the provisioning server before the UICC needs to use them. The server generates the MNO-specific keys from the master secret using the unique private seed and elliptic curve cryptography in advance, during the provisioning process. This preliminary action reduces the storage requirements in the UICC while managing key complexity centrally before deployment.
Data Source
AI summary
A method provides end-to-end security for transport of a profile to a target device (e.g., a mobile computing device) over at least one communications network that includes a plurality of nodes. In accordance with the method, the profile is encrypted for transport between the target device and an initial node of the network through which the profile is transported. The encryption is an end-to-end inner layer encryption performed prior to hop-to-hop encryption. The encrypting uses a public key of a public, private key pair. The private key is derivable from a seed securely provisioned in the target device using a public key algorithm. The encrypted profile is transmitted over the communications network to the target device.