Methods and apparatus for transmitting and receiving secure and non-secure data

A wireless terminal apparatus in which secure and non-secure data may be received in any one of a number of different ciphering modes, the wireless terminal apparatus comprising:

• a receiver for receiving an indication of a slow associated control channel (SACCH) ciphering mode in which secure data and non-secure data are selectively ciphered and for receiving selectively ciphered secure and non-secure data, wherein the receiver is operable to receive the secure data and the non-secure data in any one of at least three SACCH ciphering modes, wherein the SACCH ciphering modes comprise a mode in which the secure data is ciphered and the non-secure data is partially ciphered, wherein the mode is selected based on user data that is determined to be at security risk, and wherein the indication of the SACCH ciphering mode is provided by at least two bits in a cipher response information element in a ciphering mode command message;
• a deciphering module coupled to the receiver and controlled by a hardware controller to selectively decipher the received selectively ciphered secure data and non-secure data according to the indicated SACCH ciphering mode to produce deciphered secure and non-secure data;
• and
• a decoder for decoding the deciphered secure and non-secure data.

A method in which secure and non-secure data may be transmitted in any one of a number of ciphering modes, the method comprising:

• providing, by a network apparatus, a source of secure data;
• providing, by the network apparatus, a source of non-secure data;
• receiving, at a cipher controlled by a hardware controller of the network apparatus, the secure data and the non-secure data, the cipher being configured to perform ciphering in at least three slow associated control channel (SACCH) ciphering modes in which the secure data and the non-secure data are selectively ciphered;
• selectively ciphering, by the cipher, the secure data and the non-secure data according to one of the at least three SACCH ciphering modes to produce selectively ciphered secure data and non-secure data, wherein the SACCH ciphering modes comprise a mode in which the secure data is ciphered and the non-secure data is partially ciphered, and wherein the mode is selected by the cipher based on user data that is determined to be at security risk;
• transmitting, by the network apparatus, an indication of the selected mode in which the secure and the non-secure data are selectively ciphered, wherein the indication of the SACCH ciphering mode is provided by at least two bits in a cipher response information element in a ciphering mode command message;
• and
• transmitting, by the network apparatus, the selectively ciphered secure data and non-secure data.

A method of receiving secure and non-secure data in any one of a number of different ciphering modes, the method comprising:

• receiving at a wireless terminal apparatus an indication of a slow associated control channel (SACCH) ciphering mode in which secure data and non-secure data are selectively ciphered, wherein the wireless terminal apparatus is operable to receive the secure data and the non-secure data in any one of at least three SACCH ciphering modes, wherein the SACCH ciphering modes comprise a mode in which the secure data is ciphered and the non-secure data is partially ciphered, wherein the mode is selected based on user data that is determined to be at security risk, and wherein the indication of the SACCH ciphering mode is provided by at least two bits in a cipher response information element in a ciphering mode command message;
• receiving selectively ciphered secure and non-secure data to produce received selectively ciphered secure data and non-secure data;
• selectively deciphering, by a deciphering module controlled by a hardware controller, the received selectively ciphered secure data and non-secure data according to the indicated SACCH ciphering mode to produce deciphered secure and non-secure data;
• and
• decoding the deciphered secure and non-secure data.