Method for starting up and personalizing a subscriber identity module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10904759-B2
Application number	US-201816635845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2018
Priority date	Aug 17, 2017
Publication date	Jan 26, 2021
Grant date	Jan 26, 2021

Abstract

A method for the initial operation and personalization of a subscriber identity module in a mobile radio network, prior to its first initial operation in the mobile radio network, the subscriber identity module does not yet include an individual secret key and is being equipped with an individual, unique parameter data set only after its first initial operation in the mobile radio network. A mobile radio server takes on, from the subscriber identity module, an authentication message formed with a preliminary parameter data set comprising an individual, unique subscriber identification and a non-individual, non-unique preliminary secret key, and sends, after a verification, in response thereto an individual, unique final secret key to the subscriber identity module for programming into the subscriber identity module. The preliminary parameter data set is introduced into the subscriber identity module selectively during production or by an initializing step based on an initial parameter data set.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for the initial operation and personalization of a subscriber identity module in a mobile radio network, in which, prior to its first initial operation in the mobile radio network, the subscriber identity module does not yet include an individual, unique parameter data set comprising at least an individual subscriber identification and an individual secret key and is being equipped with an individual, unique parameter data set only after or on the occasion of its first initial operation in the mobile radio network,
characterized by the steps of:
a) supplying a subscriber identity module which includes a preliminary parameter data set comprising:
a1) a unique subscriber identification individual to the subscriber identity module, and
a2) a non-individual, non-unique preliminary secret key identical for a multiplicity of subscriber identity modules;
b) supplying a mobile radio server which has the non-individual, non-unique preliminary secret key, and, at the mobile radio server, performing the steps of:
b1) taking on, from the subscriber identity module, an authentication message formed with the individual, unique subscriber identification and the non-individual, non-unique preliminary secret key;
b2) in response to taking on the authentication message, verifying the authentication message according to predetermined criteria, and in the case of a successful authentication, sending an individual, unique final secret key to the subscriber identity module for programming into the subscriber identity module.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
before step a):
c) supplying a subscriber identity module which includes an initial parameter data set including:
c1) a non-individual, non-unique initial subscriber identification identical for a multiplicity of subscriber identity modules, and
c2) the non-individual, non-unique preliminary secret key identical for a multiplicity of subscriber identity modules;
d) at the mobile radio server:
d1) taking on, from the subscriber identity module, an initial authentication message formed with the non-individual, non-unique initial subscriber identification and the non-individual, non-unique preliminary secret key;
d2) in response to taking on the initial authentication message, verifying the initial authentication message according to predetermined criteria, and in the case of a successful authentication, sending the unique subscriber identification individual to the subscriber identity module according to a1) to the subscriber identity module for programming into the subscriber identity module;
d3) programming the individual, unique subscriber identification a1) into the subscriber identity module and thus arranging the preliminary parameter data set according to a) in the subscriber identity module.

3. The method for preparing a subscriber identity module for a method according to claim 1 , the method for preparing comprising the steps of:
c) supplying a subscriber identity module which includes an initial parameter data set including:
c1) a non-individual, non-unique initial subscriber identification identical for a multiplicity of subscriber identity modules, and
c2) a non-individual, non-unique preliminary secret key identical for a multiplicity of subscriber identity modules;
d) at a mobile radio server:
d1) taking on, from the subscriber identity module, an initial authentication message formed with the non-individual, non-unique initial subscriber identification and the non-individual, non-unique preliminary secret key;
d2) in response to taking on the initial authentication message, verifying the initial authentication message according to predetermined criteria, and in the case of a successful authentication, sending a unique subscriber identification individual to the subscriber identity module to the subscriber identity module for programming into the subscriber identity module;
d3) programming the individual, unique subscriber identification into the subscriber identity module, and therefore arranging a preliminary parameter data set in the subscriber identity module,
characterized by the further step of:
e) combining, at least in the subscriber identity module the individual, unique subscriber identification and the non-individual, non-unique preliminary secret key into a preliminary parameter data set which is arranged to cause, in a subsequent step, a sending of an individual, unique final secret key to the subscriber identity module for programming into the subscriber identity module.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
b3) programming the individual, unique final secret key into the subscriber identity module to equip the subscriber identity module with the individual, unique parameter data set.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the preliminary parameter data set according to a)
enables only one single authentication operation with the subscriber identity module by means of an authentication message; or/and enables merely the sending of the individual, unique final secret key to the subscriber identity module, but not a multiple or permanent utilization of the subscriber identity module for sending authentication messages.

6. The method according to claim 1 , following the steps of receiving according to b1 or d1 and positively verifying according to b2 or d2, further comprising:
at the mobile radio server: registering the unique subscriber identification individual to the subscriber identity module as the final unique subscriber identification associated with the subscriber identity module.

7. The method according to claim 1 ,
wherein several groups of subscriber identity modules are supplied, each group comprising a multiplicity of subscriber identity modules,
wherein the preliminary parameter data set a) includes as the preliminary secret key a preliminary group key from a plurality of group keys,
wherein each group has assigned thereto an own group key from the plurality of group keys,
wherein the mobile radio server has all the group keys from the plurality of group keys, and
wherein the individual, unique subscriber identification according to a1) and, where applicable, the identical, non-individual, non-unique initial subscriber identification according to c1) includes a group key information item from which it can be derived with which group key the subscriber identification is associated.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step b2) of verifying the authentication message according to predetermined criteria comprises the following sub steps performed at the mobile radio server:
b2-1) extracting the non-individual, non-unique preliminary secret key from the authentication message;
b2-2) verifying the non-individual, non-unique preliminary secret key extracted according to b2-1).

9. The method according to a claim 8 , further comprising the step of:
b2-3) in case that in step b2-2) the extracted non-individual, non-unique preliminary secret key is verified to be positive, evaluating the subscriber identification according to feature a1) as a valid subscriber identification,
b3-4) registering the subscriber identification evaluated as valid according to step b2-3) with the mobile radio server as a valid subscriber identification.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein step b2) further comprises the steps performed at the mobile radio server:
b2-4) after the step b3) of registering the subscriber identification evaluated to be valid with the mobile radio server: taking on, from the subscriber identity module, a second authentication message formed with the individual, unique subscri

Assignees

• Giesecke & Devrient Mobile Security Gmbh

Inventors

• Hoffmann Lars

Classifications

• H04W8/205

  Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier · CPC title

• H04W12/0431

  Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement · CPC title

• H04W8/265 Primary

  for initial activation of new user · CPC title

• H04W12/04

  Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA] · CPC title

• H04W8/18

  Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data · CPC title