Method for authenticating a user in a terminal, an authentication system, a terminal, and an authorization device

1. A method, comprising:

receiving in a device a request from a terminal for authenticating a user of the terminal,

performing authentication functions in said device to form a response to the request, and

transmitting the response from the device to the terminal,

wherein said device is installed in the terminal, and

wherein at least some of the authentication functions are performed through an extensible authentication protocol interface of the device.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a login request from the terminal, said login request being transmitted from a communication network to the terminal for verifying the user's rights to login to the communication network through the terminal,

processing the login request in the extensible authentication protocol interface to form a reply message, and

transmitting the reply message from the device to the terminal for authenticating the user with the communication network.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said request comprises information about the authentication protocol to be used for user authentication.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein at least one authentication algorithm to be used for authentication according to an authentication protocol is stored in the device for authenticating the user.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein identification data for identifying the user is stored in the device for verifying the user's rights to use the terminal, and wherein in processing the request, said at least one authentication algorithm and the identification data stored in the device are used for user authentication.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in processing the request, at least one cryptographic key is formed in the extensible authentication protocol interface, said at least one cryptographic key is transmitted from the device to the terminal.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein said at least one cryptographic key is to be used for encryption of information to be transmitted between the terminal and a communication network.

8. A system, comprising a terminal and a device, said device being installed in the terminal, wherein said device is configured to:

receive a request from the terminal for authenticating a user of the terminal,

perform authentication functions to form a response to the request, and

transmit the response from the device to the terminal,

and wherein at least some of the authentication functions are performed via an extensible authentication protocol interface of the device.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the terminal is configured to:

transmit a request to the device for authenticating the user, and

receive the response from the device verifying the user's rights to use the terminal.

10. The system according to claim 8 , wherein information about the authentication protocol to be used for user authentication is arranged to be transmitted in said request, and that at least one authentication algorithm to be used for authentication according to the authentication protocol is stored in the device.

11. The system according to claim 10 , wherein identification data for identifying the user is stored in the device, and the device is configured to use said at least one authentication algorithm and the identification data stored in the device for verifying the user's rights to use the terminal.

12. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the terminal comprises a communication element for transmitting information between the terminal and at least one communication network, wherein the extensible authentication protocol interface is configured to form at least one cryptographic key, and wherein said at least one cryptographic key is arranged to be transmitted from the device to the terminal.

13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the terminal is configured to use said at least one cryptographic key for encrypting information to be transmitted between the terminal and the communication network.

14. A terminal, comprising:

an interface, configured to connect a device with the terminal, said device being installed in the terminal, and

a communication element, configured to transmit a request to the device for authenticating a user of the terminal and to receive a response to the request from the device authenticating the user of the terminal,

wherein said response is formed by said device performing authentication functions, and

wherein at least some of the authentication functions are performed via an extensible authentication protocol interface of the device.

15. The terminal according to claim 14 , further comprising a plurality of components for performing mobile station functions.

16. A device, comprising:

a connection element for connecting the device with a terminal, said device being installed in the terminal, and

a processor, configured to:

receive a request from the terminal for authenticating a user of the terminal,

performing authentication functions to form a response to the request, and

transmit the response from the device to the terminal,

wherein the processor comprises an extensible authentication protocol interface, and

wherein at least some of the authentication functions are performed via said extensible authentication protocol interface.

17. The device according to claim 16 , wherein it is a mobile subscriber identification card.

18. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium embodying computer program code thereon for use by a device, said device being installed in a terminal, wherein said program codes comprise:

instructions for receiving a request from the terminal for authenticating a user of the terminal,

instructions for performing authentication functions in the device to form a response to the request, and

instructions for transmitting the response from the device to the terminal, wherein at least some of the authentication functions are performed through an extensible authentication protocol interface of the device.

19. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium embodying computer program code thereon for use by a terminal, wherein said program codes comprise:

instructions for transmitting a request to a device for authenticating a user of the terminal, and

instructions for receiving a response from the device authenticating the user of the terminal,

wherein said device is installed in the terminal,

wherein said response is formed by said device performing authentication functions, and

wherein at least some of the authentication functions are performed via an extensible authentication protocol interface of the device.