# US 12,003,632 B2 · Secure communication in accessing a network

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- Number: US 12,003,632 B2
- Document ID: US12003632B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/575,267
- Filed: 2022-01-13
- Published: 2022-05-05
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-03-25
- Assignees: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Antonino Mondello; Alberto Troia
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12003632B2

## CPC

- H04L 9/088: {Usage controlling of secret information, e.g. techniques for restricting cryptographic keys to pre-authorized uses, different access levels, validity of crypto-period, different key- or password length, or different strong and weak cryptographic algorithms (network architectures or network communication protocols for using time-dependent keys in a packet data network H04L63/068)}
- H04L 9/30: Public key, i.e. encryption algorithm being computationally infeasible to invert or user's encryption keys not requiring secrecy
- H04W 12/04: Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
- H04W 12/069: using certificates or pre-shared keys
- H04W 12/35: {Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning}
- H04W 12/43: using shared identity modules, e.g. SIM sharing
- H04W 12/03: Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
- H04W 12/40: Security arrangements using identity modules
- H04W 12/71: Hardware identity
- H04W 12/72: Subscriber identity
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

Secure communication in accessing a network is described herein. An example apparatus can include a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor can be configured to receive an identity public key from the identity device. The identity public key can be received in response to providing, to the identity device, a request to modify content of the identity device. The processor can be further configured to encrypt data corresponding to subscriber information using the identity public key, provide (to the identity device) the encrypted data to store the subscriber information in the identity device, and access a network operated by a network operator via the data stored in the identity device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor and configured for storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
generate a subscriber public key;
provide the subscriber public key to a subscriber identity module (SIM);
receive, in response to providing the subscriber public key to the SIM and from the SIM:
an identity public key generated at the SIM; and
an identity public identification and identity certificate generated at the SIM based on the subscriber public key;
verify an identity of the SIM based on the identity public key;
encrypt data corresponding to subscriber information using the identity public key; and
provide, to the SIM, the encrypted data to cause the SIM to store the encrypted data in the SIM.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to generate a subscriber public identification and a subscriber certificate based on a device secret of the apparatus.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the instructions further cause the processor to provide a request to switch to a different network operator or a request to add a new network operator to a server; and
the data corresponding to the subscriber information is received from the server in response to providing the request.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the subscriber information comprises an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI), a personal identification number (PIN), a personal unblocking code (PUC), a personal unblocking key (PUK), an authentication key, or any combination thereof.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the SIM is an embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM).

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
generate a signature based on a subscriber private key; and
provide the signature and the subscriber public key to the SIM.

### Claim 7

An apparatus, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor and configured for storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
receive an identity public key generated at and from a subscriber identity module (SIM);
receive, with the identity public key, an identity public identification and an identity certificate generated at the SIM based on a subscriber public key previously provided to the SIM;
verify an identity of the SIM based on the identity public key;
encrypt, in response to verifying the identity of the SIM, data corresponding to subscriber information using the identity public key; and
provide, to the SIM, the encrypted data to cause the SIM to access a network operated by a network operator via the encrypted data.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
generate a subscriber public identification, and a subscriber certificate based on a device secret of the apparatus; and
provide the subscriber public identification and the subscriber certificate to the SIM.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
generate the subscriber public key using a number generator; and
provide the subscriber public key to the SIM.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
compare, to verify the identity of the SIM, the identity public key to an output of a decryption component, wherein the identity public identification, the identity certificate, and the identity public key are input into the decryption component.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the decryption component comprises a first decryptor and a second decryptor, and wherein:
the identity public key and the identity certificate are input into the first identity decryptor; and
an output of the first decryptor and the identity public key are input into the second decryptor, wherein an output of the second decryptor is compared to the identity public key.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the identity public identification and the identity certificate are generated based on a device secret of the SIM.

### Claim 13

A method, comprising:
receiving, from a subscriber device, a subscriber public key generated based on a device secret of the subscriber device;
generating, at a subscriber identity module (SIM) and in response to an identity of the subscriber device being verified based on the subscriber public key, an identity public key;
generating, at the SIM, an identity public identification and an identity certificate based at least in part on the subscriber public key; and
providing the identity public key, the identity public identification, and the identity certificate to the subscriber device to cause the subscriber device to:
verify an identity of the SIM based on the identity public key, the identity public identification, and the identity certificate; and
provide data corresponding to subscriber information to the SIM in response to the identity of the SIM being verified.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving the data corresponding to the subscriber information from the subscriber device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising decrypting the data based on an identity private key that was generated along with the identity public key.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising generating the identity certificate based on an identity private key that was generated at the SIM with the identity public key.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising:
receiving, from the subscriber device, a signature generated using a subscriber private key of the subscriber device; and
verifying the signature using the subscriber public key.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising verifying the signature using an internal cryptography process including an Elliptical Curve Digital Signature (ECDSA).

### Claim 19 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising generating the identity public key independently of the subscriber public key received from the subscriber device.

### Claim 20 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising generating an identity private key and the identity public key based on a same input.