Patent Publication Number: US-2023147772-A1

Title: Method for adapting the security settings of a communication station, communication station and identification module

Description:
REFERENCE DATA 
     This application claims priority of European patent application 2005EP-109197 filed on Oct. 4, 2005, the contents whereof are hereby incorporated. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention concerns a method for adapting the security settings of a communication station comprising a workstation and a mobile terminal having an identification module, a communication station and an identification module of the mobile terminal according to the independent claims. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     In the prior art, different access control mechanisms for e.g. regulating the access control of an application, to data or a device are described in the documents WO-A1-00/67212, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,517,014 or 6,216,014. 
     Furthermore, US-A1-2004/172370 relates to access rules of compliance of subjects with objects with a predetermined security policy in a chip card. Each access rule defines the right of a subject to carry out an action on an object. The security policy defines the security rules for access of the subjects to the objects. For an operation relating to a given object, at least one access rule relating to the given object is compared with the security rules in order to accept the operation when the access rule is in compliance with all the security rules; if this is not the case, the operation is refused. An operation can be the loading of an object such as an application, a modification of the access rules, the deletion or addition of a subject, or a request for access to a given object by a subject or a group of subjects. 
     EP-A1-1 475 978 discloses the details of an apparatus and method for handling simultaneous universal terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) radio resource control procedures which change the security configuration in a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) user equipment. According to one aspect of the disclosure, a user equipment apparatus having a message handler, a sequential processor, a command store, and a security configuration change detector is provided. Said message handler is coupled to said command store to said sequential processor, and to said security configuration change detector to save, process, and detect configuration changes in commands respectively, and to determine if there is an existing command at the user equipment, such that the user equipment appears to the UTRAN as though it were processing commands simultaneously. According to another aspect, a method is provided for processing simultaneous commands at a user equipment having a security configuration, including the steps of: determining if there is an existing command at the user equipment; upon reception of a received command: suspending the existing command processing; determining if commands contain a security configuration change; and either rejecting the received command or saving the received command prior to resuming the existing command; such that the user equipment appears to the UTRAN to be processing commands simultaneously. 
     EP-A1-1 478196 refers to a module and method for detecting at least one event in a cellular mobile telephony subscriber equipment, which is based on detecting, when a card enters into operative contact with a terminal of a mobile telephone, whether the code identifying the terminal or the card is the same as the corresponding code read on a previous occasion. If it is not the same, it is understood that a change of terminal or change of card has occurred or that the terminal or card has been used for the first time, and a corresponding message is generated and sent. The code identifying the terminal can be the IMEI, and the code identifying the card can be the IMSI and/or the ICC-ID. 
     WO-A1-01/08435 relates to a method and associated devices for setting the security level of cryptographic functions used in communication terminals. In a mobile telephone, situation parameters, such as an identification code of a country where the telecommunication terminal is temporarily present, are received in a secured manner from a secure source via a mobile telephone network. In addition, in said telecommunication network, security parameters, such as the maximum acceptable length (in bits) of cryptographic keys, are determined on the basis of the received situation parameters, and said security parameters are used by the cryptographic functions and determine the security level. 
     In the prior art, under normal conditions, a SIM-card of a mobile station is not aware of any hardware of software changes occurring in the mobile terminal or in a computer connected to the mobile terminal. Changes in the network connectivity or computer lock-down status may occur without informing the SIM card. Therefore, the mobile terminal and/or the associated computer usually implements its own security mechanisms, which is fully independent of the SIM card. This may be detrimental, as applications executed on the SIM card may expose sensitive credentials to an external execution environment. It may thus be desirable to have a SIM card able to impose a security policy. Furthermore, the network operator delivering the SIM card may want to force his subscribers to respect some security mechanisms, or to offer users an easier way of using their communication station safely. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is one aim of the present invention to create a method for adapting the security settings of a communication station comprising a mobile terminal having an identification module and to create a corresponding communication station and identification module. 
     It is another aim of the invention to adapt the security settings of an identification module, such as a SIM-card, to external events, i.e. events occurring outside the SIM card. 
     According to the invention, these aims are achieved by means of a method for adapting the security settings of a communication station dependent on a security relevant event, the communication station comprising a mobile terminal with an identification module, the method comprising the following steps of:
     (a) identifying the security relevant event occurring in said communication station and/or said mobile terminal;   (b) updating a security registry in the identification module according to the identified security relevant event and   (c) adapting and enforcing the security settings of the communication station and/or said mobile terminal according to the security registry of the identification module.   

     According to the invention, these aims are further achieved by means of a communication station comprising a mobile terminal having an identification module, the identification module comprising: 
     at least one event registry for storing events identified by an event handier, and 
     at least one security registry for adapting and enforcing the security level of the communication station according to the event stored in the event registry. 
     The aims are further achieved by an identification module with the features of independent claim  32 . 
     According to the present invention, a “security relevant event” comprises one or a plurality of the following actions, which are carried out by the user or any application: change in the hardware configuration of said communication station or mobile terminal, connection of said communication station or mobile terminal to an external network or system, event generated by an application executed by said communication station or mobile terminal and event transmitted over-the-air to said communication station. Some of the possible actions are creating, releasing losing or closing access channels from and to the communication station, locking or unlocking workstation status, removing or installing hardware or software components, an auto run from a device and detecting malicious or suspicious content, traffic or modifications, etc. of course, this is no complete list of all possible events; they are given merely by way of illustration and the invention is by no means restricted to these examples. Any other event which could do harm or be relevant to the user, to the communication station or the mobile terminal could be used. An additional Internet access or WLAN access on a hot spot as mentioned above could be taken into account as well. Said event could include the activity of an antivirus software, an existing firewall and/or an IPSec gateway. The user login status and/or the status of a connection channel implying said communication status could be taken into account as well. 
     An event is identified by an event handler, which could be provided in the communication station and/or in the mobile terminal. The step of identifying a security relevant event is preferably performed with one or a plurality of the mandatory fields such as event identifier, event type, date and time and/or sequence number and optional fields such as event critical level or event type-specific additional information. After having identified an event and stored the event in an event registry, a security registry is preferably also updated. The security registry sets all security settings of the communication station and for the mobile terminal. The security settings preferably also determine the authentication requirements for an application run by said identification module and/or by said mobile terminal. Said security settings, which are set in the security register, are used to limit the right(s) of a single or of all applications executed by said communication station or mobile terminal. 
     In an advantageous embodiment, the communication station comprises a computer and a mobile station. The mobile station itself comprises a mobile terminal, for example a cellular phone or a cellular network access card, and an identification module, for example a SIM card. The method of the invention thus comprises a step of adapting the security mechanisms used by the computer and/or by the mobile terminal by looking up a security registry in the identification module, so as to determine the applicable security level. 
     The identification module (for example a SIM-Card) can be equipped with one shared event handler, event registry and security registry, but it is however also possible to provide a shared event handler and event registry and arrange a single security registry for one or a group of applications. The invention is also applicable with one shared event handler and a single event registry and security registry for one or a group of applications and with a single event handler, event registry and security registry for one or a group of applications. 
     The advantage with the present invention is that it provides a reasonable balance between security requirements and ease of use and seamlessness needs. For example, an appropriate access to and use of sensitive credentials and functions on the identification module might depend on specific events occurring in the external execution environment. Access control mechanisms on the identification module will be adapted to these specific events by following a relevant security policy defined, stored and retrieved in the identification module. 
     The method of the invention, thus, limits access to applications in the identification module by the external environment, depending on the security registry. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be better understood with the aid of the description of an embodiment given by way of example and illustrated by the figures, in which: 
         FIG.  1   a    shows a first embodiment of an overall communication system illustrating one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  1   b    shows a second embodiment of an overall communication system illustrating one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  1   c    shows a third embodiment of an overall communication system illustrating one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    shows the structure of an identification module according to the present invention; 
         FIG.  3   a    illustrates a first portion of an example of the invention for authentication for VPN tunnels; 
         FIG.  3   b    illustrates a second portion of the example of the invention for authentication for VPN tunnels; 
         FIG.  4    illustrates a first embodiment of the invention with one shared event handler, event registry and security registry within the SIM Card for all SIM card applications; 
         FIG.  5    illustrates a second embodiment of the invention with one shared event handler and event registry and a single security registry for one SIM card application; 
         FIG.  6    illustrates a third embodiment of the invention with one shared event handler and a single event registry and security registry for one SIM card application and 
         FIG.  7    illustrates a fourth embodiment of the invention with a single event handler, event registry and security registry for one SIM card application. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF POSSIBLE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring first to  FIG.  1   a   , a communication system, shown generally at  10 , permits the communication of data between a communication station  12  and an IP network  14 . Such a communication system is known from the published patent application WO-A1-01/60013. The IP network  14  may be a private intranet to which access is selectively permitted, or any other type of private data communication network. When the communication station  12  is permitted access to the network  14 , data can be communicated between them. Furthermore, a virtual private network as known in detail from WO-A1-01/60013 can be established between the communication station  12  and the network  14 . 
     In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the  FIG.  1   a - c   , the communication system  10  comprises a wireless access network, for example a GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) network, to which the IP network  14  is coupled. In other embodiments, the communication system  10  may alternately comprise other structure such as WLAN, a UMTS, a GPRS, an Edge or any other known communication network. 
     The communication station  12  includes a radio transceiver, for example a mobile station such as a conventional cell phone. The mobile station comprises a mobile terminal  16 , here a GSM, WLAN, GPRS, Edge or UMTS equipment, and an identification module  18 , here a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card, which is inserted into, or is otherwise connected to the mobile terminal  16 . Other kind of identification modules, including USIM used in UMTS networks, or virtual identification modules, comprising only software components, may be used. 
     The identification module includes a storage location  20  for storing subscriber authentication information for authenticating the module within the cellular communication system  22 , in conventional manner. The identification module may further include a storage location for storing the address of the private IP network  14 . 
     In the embodiment of  FIG.  1   a   , the mobile station  16  is coupled to a computer  13  by a wired or wireless link, for example over an infrared coupler, by means of Bluetooth, ZigBee, NFC, Home RF or any other suitable means. The computer may be a portable personal computer running an Internet client, for example a Web browser, an email client, etc. In the embodiment of  FIG.  1   b   , the mobile terminal  16  is in the form of a removable card, such as a PC-Card, inserted in a suitable slot of the computer  13 , the identification module being itself inserted in the removable card. 
     In the embodiment according to  FIG.  1   c   , the mobile terminal  16  and the computer  13  are integrated in the form of a single piece of equipment, for example a smartphone or a PDA with an interface for a cellular network. The identification module will then be directly inserted in this equipment. 
     The computer  13  may also be connected directly to the internet  15  over a link, not illustrated, for example a modem, a network card, a router, etc. independent from the mobile station  16 . 
     In the embodiment in which portions of the communication system  10  are formed of a structure of a GSM communication system, such structure, as well as the air interface formed between the remote communication station  12  and the private IP network  14 , are defined by the specification standards of the GSM system. 
     During operation, when a user of the computer desires to access the private IP network  14 , appropriate commands are generated at the computer to initiate a request for access to the private IP network  14  over the cellular network  22 . 
     According to the present invention, the access control policy, as defined by the security settings, of the communication station  12  depends on security relevant events identified, handled and/or retrieved in the identification module  18 . In particular, access by the computer  13  and/or by the mobile terminal  16  to some data, such as credentials, or applications in the identification module  18  depends on those security relevant events, as stored in a security registry of the identification module. 
       FIG.  2    shows in a schematic way the inventive identification module  18 , which comprises besides conventional features an event handler  26 , an event registry  28  and a security registry  30 . 
     According to the invention, security relevant events are recognized by the event handler  26  of the identification module  18 . According to the present invention, a “security relevant event” comprises one or a plurality of the following actions, which are carried out by the user or any application: change in the hardware configuration of said communication station  12  or mobile terminal  16 , connection of said communication station  12  or mobile terminal  16  to an external network or system, event generated by an application executed by said communication station  12  or mobile terminal  16  and event transmitted over-the-air to said communication station  12 . Some of the possible actions are creating, releasing losing or closing access channels from and to the communication station  12  (e.g. IPSec VPN tunnel), locking or unlocking workstation  12  status, removing or installing hardware or software components (new network/connectivity interfaces or peripherals, new network/connectivity drivers or applications), an auto run from a device (CD-ROM, DVD, USB, etc.) and detecting malicious or suspicious content (antivirus software), traffic (existing firewall) or modifications (host-IDS), etc. Of course, this is no complete list of all possible events; they are given merely by way of illustration and the invention is by no means restricted to these examples. Any other event, which could do harm or be relevant the user, to the communication station  12  or the mobile terminal  16  could be used. An additional Internet access  15  or WLAN access on a hot spot as mentioned above could be taken into account as well. The user login status and/or the status of a connection channel implying said communication status could be taken into account as well. 
     The event could either be relevant for the communication station  12  and for the mobile terminal  16  or only for one those devices. Moreover, the security policy may be used to define restrictions for applications in the communication station  12  and/or in the mobile terminal  16 . 
     The event could be identified by an event handler  27  in the mobile terminal, which could be provided in addition to or in replacement of the event handler  26  in the identification module  18  in the communication station  12  ( FIG.  4   ). In this embodiment, the event will be notified by the communication station event handler  27  to the event handler  26   1 . of the identification module. Security relevant events are preferably identified with one or a plurality of the mandatory fields such as event identifier, event type, date and time and/or sequence number and optional fields such as event critical level or event type-specific additional information. 
     After having identified an event and stored the event in an event registry  28 , a security registry  30  is preferably also updated. The security registry  30  sets all security settings of the communication station  12  and/or of the mobile terminal  16 . The security settings preferably also determine the authentication requirements for applications run by said identification module  18 , by said mobile terminal  16  and/or by the computer  13 . Said security settings, which are set in the security register  30 , are used to limit the right(s) of a single, of a group of or of all applications executed by said communication station  12  or mobile terminal  16 , especially the right to access to some part or functionalities of the identification module. When the communication station  12  is switched off, the security settings can be stored and they will be reused when the communication station  12  is switched on again. 
     For a better understanding of the present invention,  FIG.  3 - 7    illustrate different examples of the invention and different embodiments for realizing the present invention. 
     In this respect,  FIG.  3    illustrates a method for establishing simultaneous Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnels, while performing seamless strong authentication using the method of the invention. In this example, a user starts a client application (step  100 ) in order to establish a secure communication channel, over a VPN through the Internet, with a remote network. 
     When a first VPN tunnel is opened, this event is identified (step  110 ) by the event hander  26  in the identification module (or possibly in the mobile terminal or in the computer). The event is then stored in the event registry  28  (step  120 ). According to the inventive method, the security registry  30  in the identification module  18  is notified (step  130 ) and updated (step  140 ) according to the identified event (start of 1 first VPN tunnel). The security mechanisms or security settings of the entire communication station  12  and/or the mobile terminal  16  will depend on the security registry  30  in the identification module  18 . The communication station thus looks up (step  150 ) and verifies this security level (step  160 ). 
     In the present example, the software for establishing a VPN connection in the computer  13  looks up (step  150 ) and verifies this security level (step  160 ). The settings in the registry require a user authentication, e.g. the entry of a PIN code or the authentication by biometric features (step  170 ), for a VPN tunnel to be established. After strong user authentication credentials (step  180 ) have been supplied, they may be stored and/or verified by the identification module  18 . 
     In the situation of  FIG.  3   , a second VPN tunnel is then started. Again, this event is immediately identified by the event handler  26  (step  110 ) and, stored in the event registry  28  (step  120 ). The security registry  30  is then notified (step  130 ) and updated (step  140 ). In this case, however, the settings in the registry do not require any further user authentication (step  160 ), because strong authentication credentials have already been supplied. This results in a seamless establishment of a VPN tunnel for the user. 
     After having used the communication channels, both VPN tunnels are closed one after the other. Each time, the event is identified by the event handler  26  (step  110 ) and stored in the event registry  28  (step  120 ). The security registry  30  in the identification module  18  is notified and adapted accordingly each time (step  130 ,  140 ). 
     When another VPN tunnel is started (i.e. the third VPN tunnel in our example), the same procedure is performed as described above for the first VPN, i.e. identify event by event handler  26  (step  110 ), store event in registry  28  (step  120 ), notify and update security registry accordingly (steps  130 ,  140 ). Because no VPN tunnel was left and the security register was adapted accordingly, strong authentication credentials as mentioned above are required once more (step  160 ), e.g. the entry of a PIN code or the authentication by biometric features as described above (step  170 ). 
       FIG.  4    illustrates a first embodiment of the invention with one shared event handler  26 , event registry  28  and security registry  30  for all applications  60  within the identification module  18 . After having started a client application  40  (step  100 ), the event is identified through the client execution environment  50  by the communication station event handler  27  (step  110 ), transmitted to the identification module execution environment  70  and the identification module event handler  26   1  and stored in the event registry  28  of this identification module  18  (step  120 ). The security level of the communication station  12  is updated within the security registry  30  of the identification module  18  according to the stored event(s) (steps  130 ,  140 ). The security mechanisms are used according to applicable security level by communicating between the client application  40  and the SIM card application  60  and by looking up the security level within one shared security registry  30  (steps  150 ,  160 ). 
       FIG.  5    illustrates a second embodiment of the invention with one shared event handler  26   1  and event registry  28  and a single security registry  30   1 ,  30   2  for one or for a group of application(s)  60   1 ,  60   2 . The first step of the embodiment of  FIG.  5    corresponds to the first step of the embodiment of  FIG.  4   , in which after having started a client application  40  (step  100 ), the event is identified through the client execution environment  50  by the communication station event handler  27  (step  110 ), transmitted to the SIM Card execution environment  70  and the event handler  26   1  and stored in the event registry  28  of said identification module  18 . Again, the security level of the communication station  12  is updated within one security registry  30   1 ,  30   2  of one or a group of application(s)  60   1 ,  60   2  of the identification module  18  according to the stored event(s) (steps  150 ,  160 ). 
       FIG.  6    illustrates a third embodiment of the invention with one shared event handler  26   1  for all applications  60   1 ,  60   2  with the identification module  18 . The procedure is essentially the same as outlined in  FIG.  4    und  5  according to the basic principles of the present invention with the steps  100  to  160  as described above. However, in  FIG.  6    a single event registry  28   1 ,  28   2  and security registry  30   1 ,  30   2  are provided for one or for a group of application(s)  60   1 ,  60   2 . 
       FIG.  7    illustrates a fourth embodiment of the invention similar to the shown embodiments according to  FIGS.  4 ,  5  and  6   . In this embodiment, one or a group of applications  60   1 ,  60   2  have a single event handler  26   1 ,  26   2 , event registry  28   1 ,  28   2  and security registry  30   1 ,  30   2 . 
     The advantage with the present invention is that it provides a reasonable balance between security requirements and ease of use and seamlessness needs. The appropriate access to and use of sensitive credentials and functions on the SIM card might depend on specific events occurring in the external execution environment. The access control mechanisms on the SIM card will be adapted to these specific events. 
     REFERENCE NUMBERS 
     
         
           10  Communication system 
           12  Communication station 
           13  Workstation 
           14  IP network 
           15  Internet 
           16  Mobile terminal 
           18  Identification module of the mobile terminal  16   
           20  Storage location 
           22  Cellular communication system 
           24  Communication line 
           26  SIM Card event handler 
           26   1 ,  26   2  SIM Card event handler per SIM card application(s)  60   1 ,  60   2    
           27  Communication station event handler 
           28 ,  28   1 ,  28   2  Event registry 
           30 ,  30   1 ,  30   2  Security registry 
           40  Client application 
           50  Client execution environment 
           60 ,  60   1 ,  60   2  SIM Card application 
           70  SIM Card execution environment 
           100 - 170  Different steps of the inventive method 
           100  Start client application 
           110  Identify event by the event hander  26   
           120  Store event in the event registry  28   
           130  Notify security registry  30   
           140  Update security level in the security registry  30   
           150  Address SIM card application  60   
           160  Look up or verify security level in security registry  30   
           170  User authentication 
           180  Fulfill use conditions specified by security registry  30  for SIM card application  60