Integrated circuit board with secured input/output buffer
View Patent ↗An integrated circuit card including a processor unit associated with RAM and with data exchange means for exchanging data with an external device, the RAM including a memory zone dedicated to exchanged data, and the processor unit being arranged to secure the dedicated memory zone and to store the exchanged data in said zone, and a method of managing the RAM of such a card.
1. An integrated circuit card including a processor unit associated with RAM and with data exchange means for exchanging data with an external device,
wherein the RAM includes only one dedicated memory zone dedicated to exchanged data,
wherein said only one dedicated memory zone is less than an entirety of the RAM and is bounded so that it cannot be extended during operation of the processor unit,
wherein only the exchanged data is stored in the only one dedicated memory zone,
wherein the only one dedicated memory zone must store all of the exchanged data, the processor unit being arranged to store any data that is exchanged between the integrated circuit card and the external device in said only one dedicated memory zone, and
wherein the processor unit is arranged to limit any risk of said only one dedicated memory zone containing data that is harmful for security of the integrated circuit card by being programmed to scramble the data in the only one dedicated memory zone before transferring data from the outside in order that data received on successive occasions by the card cannot be recombined or used to constitute harmful instructions.
2. The integrated circuit card according to claim 1 , wherein the processor unit is programmed to lock access to the only one dedicated memory zone during a processing operation.
3. The card according to claim 2 , wherein the processing unit is programmed to calculate an integrity value of the data in the only one dedicated memory zone before performing a processing operation, and to verify the integrity value of the data after performing the processing operation.
4. The card according to claim 1 , wherein, before transmitting data, the processor unit is programmed to verify that the data is contained in the only one dedicated memory zone.
5. A method of managing RAM of an integrated circuit card having a processor unit associated with the RAM and with data exchange means for exchanging data with an external device, wherein the method comprises:
defining in the RAM only one dedicated memory zone that is dedicated to the exchanged data, the only one dedicated memory zone being less than an entirety of the RAM and being bounded so that it cannot be extended during operation of the processor unit,
storing only the exchanged data in the only one dedicated memory zone,
controlling the processor unit to store any data that is exchanged between the integrated circuit card and the external device in said only one dedicated memory zone, wherein the only one dedicated memory zone must store all of the exchanged data, and
controlling the processor unit to limit any risk of said only one dedicated memory zone containing data that is harmful for security of the integrated circuit card, wherein the limitation of the risk that the only one dedicated zone contains data that is harmful comprises a stage of scrambling the data in the only one dedicated memory zone before transferring data from the outside in order that data received on successive occasions by the card cannot be recombined or used to constitute harmful instructions.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein making secure includes a stage of locking access to the only one dedicated memory zone during a processing operation.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein making secure includes the stages of evaluating a status of the data in the only one dedicated memory zone before performing a processing operation, and of verifying the integrity of the data after performing the processing operation.
8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein, prior to transmitting data, making secure includes a stage of verifying that the data is contained in the only one dedicated memory zone.
9. An integrated circuit card including a processor unit associated with RAM and with data exchange means for exchanging data with an external device,
wherein the RAM includes only one dedicated memory zone dedicated to exchanged data,
wherein said only one dedicated memory zone is less than an entirety of the RAM and is bounded so that it cannot be extended during operation of the processor unit and it cannot be changed place in the RAM during operation of the processor unit,
wherein only the exchanged data is stored in the only one dedicated memory zone,
wherein the only one dedicated memory zone must store all of the exchanged data, the processor unit being arranged to store any data that is exchanged between the integrated circuit card and the external device in said only one dedicated memory zone, and
wherein the processor unit is arranged to limit any risk of said only one dedicated memory zone containing data that is harmful for security of the integrated circuit card by being programmed to scramble the data in the only one dedicated memory zone before transferring data from the outside in order that data received on successive occasions by the card cannot be recombined or used to constitute harmful instructions.
10. A method of managing RAM of an integrated circuit card having a processor unit associated with the RAM and with data exchange means for exchanging data with an external device, wherein the method comprises:
defining in the RAM only one dedicated memory zone that is dedicated to the exchanged data, the only one dedicated memory zone being less than an entirety of the RAM and being bounded so that it cannot be extended during operation of the processor unit and it cannot be changed place in the RAM during operation of the processor unit,
storing only the exchanged data in the only one dedicated memory zone,
controlling the processor unit to store any data that is exchanged between the integrated circuit card and the external device in said only one dedicated memory zone, wherein the only one dedicated memory zone must store all of the exchanged data, and
controlling the processor unit to limit any risk of said only one dedicated memory zone containing data that is harmful for security of the integrated circuit card, wherein the limitation of the risk that the only one dedicated zone contains data that is harmful comprises a stage of scrambling the data in the only one dedicated memory zone before transferring data from the outside in order that data received on successive occasions by the card cannot be recombined or used to constitute harmful instructions.