Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Multiple computer communication using cryptography – Protection at a particular protocol layer
Patent
1998-09-14
2000-05-02
Palys, Joseph E.
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Multiple computer communication using cryptography
Protection at a particular protocol layer
713176, G06F 1760, H04L 900, H04K 100
Patent
active
060584831
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention concerns data transfers carried out by a communication network. This network may for example be the switched telephone network, a cellular communication network such as the network to the G.S.M. European standard or the INTERNET network.
In cases of conventional exchanges of data between two entities, the authenticity of these exchanged data is guaranteed by an electronic signature. This electronic signature may be obtained using various cryptographic mechanisms such as ciphering or authentification mechanisms or mechanisms involving signatures in the proper sense. The corresponding calculation algorithm may be symmetric, in which case the secret signature key is shared by the two entities, or asymmetric, in which case the secret signature key is known only by the signing entity. Such data transfer methods, allowing the authentification of exchanged data, are notably described in patent application EP-A-0 683 582 and in patent application U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,683.
Today, we are witnessing a great development of mass-market applications on communication networks capable of allowing the use of chip cards. However, the operation of transferring data by a network is difficult to implement since it may consist of exchanges between a number of entities and a chip card. Moreover, data exchanges by means of a network may be interrupted for many reasons such as, for example, a break in a communication, pulling out of the chip card or a failure of the entity exchanging data with the chip card. This interruption brings about a desynchronization of the two entities to the detriment of one of them. The mechanisms known to date do not allow this desynchronization problem to be avoided in the event of interruption during a data transfer.
The present invention makes it possible to solve this problem of desynchronization of two entities liable to occur at the time of an interruption and proposes a method for secure transfer of data by a communication network, between a first entity constituted by a chip card and a second entity, capable of guaranteeing the use of the chip card under all circumstances even in the event of interruptions during transactions. This method consists of first producing an electronic signature, making it possible to prove the initiation of the transfer, and of storing it in at least one memory area of the chip card and then, when the transfer is complete, of erasing this signature.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the method includes a claim procedure, this procedure consisting of checking the presence or absence of the signature in a memory area of the chip card, in order to know whether the data transfer has failed or succeeded.
According to another characteristic of the invention, when the data transfer has been interrupted, the claim procedure furthermore consists of:
According to another characteristic of the invention, the signature is stored securely in a memory area so that it is not accessible to the outside world either for reading nor writing.
Advantageously, this memory area is an area of electrically programmable memory of EEPROM type.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the signature is produced by the second entity and erased by the chip card electronics.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the signature may be produced by means of a cryptographic algorithm.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the transferred data are value units. In this case, the chip card may be an electronic purse.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the data transfer method may be applied to a financial transaction between a banking institution and an electronic purse in order to credit the content of the purse, or between a service provider and an electronic purse in order to debit the content of the purse.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the data transfer method may be applied to a transaction of value units between a gaming organisation and a chip card.
The present invention makes it
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Gemplus S. C. A.
Hartman Jr. Ronald D
Palys Joseph E.
Plottel Roland
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