1. Technical field
This invention relates to the field of access control and is particularly applicable to a method and system for sending/receiving information, with access control through an MPEG2 broadcasting network. This method is applicable to any multiplexed dataflow based on the use of packets or frames.
The invention is also related to a scrambling platform and a descrambling receiver designed for use with this method.
More specifically, the invention relates to an access control method and system controlling access to a broadcast digital dataflow previously scrambled by an encryption key CW transmitted in encrypted form in an ECM (Entitlement Control Message), including at least one access control criterion CA controlling access to data in the flow. The transmitted data could be decrypted instantly during transfer or recorded as such in a receiving terminal.
2. State of Prior Art
It is of overriding importance for operators to protect data and services distributed on line, particularly through the Internet network, during the broadcasting phase and after broadcasting of data, so as to guard against pirating of these data.
Before dataflows can be broadcast, the dataflows are scrambled by the scrambling platform 2 using keys CWi. The descrambling keys CWi are transmitted to the terminals 4 in encrypted form inside entitlement control messages (ECM) with at least one access control criterion CA, in order to enable descrambling of the content of the broadcast flows. After using a comparator 20 to check access criteria with rights previously transmitted to the terminals 4 in entitlement management messages (EMM) and registered in the memory 18, the descrambling keys CWi are decrypted and then transmitted to the descrambling module 12.
The descrambling keys CWi change regularly on crypto-periods CPi (typically a few seconds) and are usually applied to the descrambler 12 by pairs [Cwi,CWi+1] where CWi represents the descrambling key valid during the crypto-period CPi, and CWi+1 represents the descrambling key valid for the crypto-period CPi+1, so as to improve the global security of the system. Each descrambling key to be used is referenced by a bit indicating the parity of i such that two descrambling keys, one even ECW and one odd OCW, are configured on the descrambler at each ECM change, before the crypto-period is effectively changed.
One known technique for protecting the content once it has been broadcast in a remote broadcasting context, consists of recording this content with the associated conditional access signal.
A first disadvantage of this solution is due to the fact that it makes it impossible to associate distinct access criteria for the:
A second disadvantage of this technique is due to the fact that the secret operating keys stored in a security processor and used for decryption of the ECMs are regularly updated. In this case, the ECMs stored with the content are no longer valid and the content becomes unusable even if the client has acquired usage rights beyond this period.
A third disadvantage is related to synchronisation aspects between the supply and operation of descrambling keys CWi during use of a recorded content. In this case, the backward read function cannot be done simply because the anticipated value of the next descrambling key. (representing the previous descrambling key) is not provided in the ECM.
Another technique known in prior art to protect the content is to use a so-called DRM (Digital Right Management) solution.
This type of solution is based on:
This solution is not adapted to the context of remote broadcasting wherein a backward channel is not used systematically. Furthermore, this type of solution cannot make access to the content dependent on the possession of rights registered indifferently by radio or on line in a security processor.
The purpose of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages of prior art described above using a method and a device using a scrambling method based on periodic changes of control words and assuring upwards compatibility with earlier conditional access systems.
The invention relates to an access control method controlling access to a broadcast digital dataflow previously scrambled using an encryption key CW transmitted in an entitlement control message ECM also including at least one access control criterion CA, said digital data possibly being recorded as such in a receiving terminal or decrypted during transfer.
According to the invention, this method includes the following steps:
On transmission:
on reception:
According to a first variant embodiment of the method according to the invention, the keys CW, KRc and KPc are encrypted by a first service key Ks.
According to a second variant embodiment of the method according to the invention, the keys CW, KRc and KPc are encrypted by three different service keys, namely KS, KSR and KSP respectively.
In a first embodiment, the sending phase includes
the following steps:
for each dataflow:
In a second embodiment, the emission phase includes the following steps:
for each dataflow:
In both embodiments, the sending phase also includes the following steps:
calculating the entitlement control message ECMi=f[(ECWi, OCWi, CA)] wherein ECWi and OCWi represent the even and odd control words previously encrypted using a first service key Ks, respectively,
ECWi=CWi if i is even, otherwise ECWi=CWi+1;
OCWi=CWi if i is odd, otherwise OCWi=CWi+1;
Two message dispatching modes ECMi, P-ECMc, R-ECMc, SC-ECMi are possible. These messages may be broadcast either on the ECM channel associated with the content of segment Si, or output partly to the receiving terminal from an Authorisation Server at the entry to the network on request and as a function of the envisaged type of use of the content.
Thus, the R-ECM and/or P-ECM messages can be output to the receiving terminal on request from an Authorisation Server at the network entry if the recording and/or playback are expected.
According to the invention, the reception phase in which the flow is received directly includes the following steps:
The reception phase includes the following steps, to record the received flow:
for each crypto-period i:
According to the invention, playback access to the recorded flow content is obtained according to the following steps:
In another variant, access to play back the content of the flow is obtained according to the following steps:
Preferably, the reception phase also includes the following steps:
In one particular application of the method according to the invention, the broadcast digital data represent audiovisual programs.
The invention also relates to an access control system controlling access to a digital dataflow including a scrambling platform including at least one generator of entitlement control messages ECM and at least one descrambling receiver provided with a security processor.
According to the invention, the scrambling platform also includes:
Preferably, the descrambling receiver also includes means of generating a local key KI from attributes contained in the R-ECM message and the identity of the receiving terminal to locally encrypt/decrypt the content of the received flow.
The invention also relates to a scrambling platform including at least one generator of entitlement control messages ECM controlling access to a dataflow broadcast in scrambled form, a generator of entitlement control messages R-ECMc to control recording the content of a received flow and a generator of entitlement control messages P-ECMc to control playing back the content of a recorded flow.
The scrambling platform also includes:
The invention also relates to a descrambling receiver of a dataflow broadcast in scrambled form using a scrambling key CWi including a security processor wherein at least one recording key KRc is memorised and that will be used to descramble record entitlement control messages R-ECMc and at least one playback key KPc intended to descramble the playback entitlement control messages P-ECMc.
According to the invention, this receiver includes:
Preferably, the receiver according to the invention also includes means of generating a key KI from the identify of the receiver to locally encrypt and decrypt the content of the received flow.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the security processor is a smart card.
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following description, given as a non-limitative example with reference to the appended figures wherein:
The following description will be given in the framework of a particular application wherein broadcast flows represent audiovisual programs requiring an access right.
In this application, the process is based on broadcasting the content through a structure of multiplexed packets the form of which is given in appendix 1.
The signal of the program broadcasting the content includes a precise description indicating multiplex channels by a Packet Identifier used on reception of the content and the nature of the data transmitted in each channel (sound, video or other component).
This signal includes a conditional access descriptor “CA_descriptor” indicating the presence and location of channels carrying ECMs. This descriptor is associated either with the global level of the program or with each declaration of a component channel.
The format of this descriptor is standard in the case of a MPEG2 ISO13818-1 broadcast represented in appendix 2.
Private data “private_data_byte” for the method described are described in appendix 3 for one embodiment.
They have a suffix XID in the header of ECMs and are used as a discriminator to distinguish between different ECMs transported on the same packet channel.
The following combinations are possible when part of the ECMi, P-ECMc, R-ECMc, R-ECMc, SC-ECMi channels is missing:
The payload may or may not be encrypted by the scrambling platform 2 depending on the nature of transmitted data (signal or audio or sound component) and the value of the “Scrambling Control” field is equal to one of the following values:
Step 30 consists of generating a recording secret access control key KRc controlling access to recording and a secret playback access control key KPc controlling access to play back.
Step 32 consists of breaking down the scrambling period for each dataflow into a sequence of crypto-periods CPi each defining a validity duration of an individual key CWi. The packets thus formed are then applied to a scrambling and multiplexing module 34 that receives an ECMi message in parallel containing the descrambling keys CWi, CWi+1 controlling entitlement to the content of the flow and at least one access criterion CAi, a message SC-ECMi containing the descrambling keys CWi−1, CWi, CWi+1 controlling entitlement to the content of a data segment Si corresponding to at least two crypto-periods, a message R-ECMc containing the recording key KRc controlling recording of the content of the segment Si and at least one criterion CRR defining a right to record this content, and a message P-ECMc containing the playback key KPc controlling access to play back the content of the recorded segment Si and at least one criterion CRP controlling access to play back the content of this segment.
Before this, in step 36, the descrambling keys CWi, CWi+1 are encrypted using a first secret service key Ks extracted from a smart card 38 and in step 40, the descrambling keys CWi−1, CWi, CWi+1 are encrypted successively by the recording key KRc then by the playback key KPc in step 42, the key KPc is encrypted by a second service key K′s extracted from the smart card 38, and in step 44 the key KRc is encrypted by the second service key K′s.
The messages ECMi, R-ECMi, P-ECMi and SC-ECMi to be broadcast are then applied to the scrambling and multiplexing module 34 to be multiplexed with the data packet and transmitted to the receiving terminal.
Note that step 42 is equivalent to over-encryption of control words CWi−1, CWi, CWi+1 in sequence using the playback key KPc, the second service key K′s, and then the recording key KRc.
In one variant embodiment, this over-encryption of control words CWi−1, CWi, CWi+1 is done in sequence using the key K′s, using the playback key KPc, and then using the key KRc.
Step 50 consists of finding the ECM channels present in the P-ECMc, R-ECMc, SC-ECMi messages in the signal attached to the service broadcasting the content.
Step 51 is only carried out if the R-ECMc message is missing from the broadcast. Another condition is that the receiving terminal should have a two-directional switching device. Step 51 consists of connecting to an Authorisation Server, declining the identifier of the content to be recorded and the identity of the client terminal. According to known criteria of the Authorisation Server, this server outputs the R-ECMc necessary to record the content, on line.
In step 52, the R-ECMc message is presented to the security processor that checks recording access criteria and then memorises the key KRc. Step 52 is only done if the P-ECMc message is broadcast.
In step 54, the message P-ECMc is recovered and is then stored unchanged in the header of the content storage file.
In step 56, the message SC-ECMi is recovered for each crypto-period i and is then presented to the security processor that decrypts it using the key KRc to recover a decrypted message SC-ECMi that is then recorded with the multiplex packets forming the content.
In one variant embodiment, these multiplex packets are encrypted locally (step 58) using a key KI generated in step 60 from attributes contained in the message K-EMCc and a parameter related to the identity of the decoder. By way of example, this parameter may be the serial number of the decoder, the unique identifier (UA) of the smart card, or the serial numbers of a hard disk installed in the receiving terminal.
Step 62 consists of searching for the message P-ECMc in the header of the file containing the dataflow.
The next step 63 is only done if the message P-ECMc is missing from the header of the containing file. Another condition is that the terminal should have a two-directional communication device.
Step 63 consists of connecting to an Authorisation Server, and stating the identifier of the content to be read and the identity of the client terminal. According to known criteria of the Authorisation Server, this server puts P-ECMc necessary to read the content on line.
In step 64, the found message P-ECMc is presented to the security processor that checks read access criteria, and then memorises the playback key KPc in the smart card 38.
If the content has previously been scrambled locally in accordance with step 58 described above, the local identity key KI is then calculated from identity information of the receiving terminal (step 68), and the multiplex of the content is, decrypted for each crypto-period i while reading using the key KI (step 70).
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, while playing back, the key KI is regenerated from attributes contained in the message P-ECM and at least one parameter related to the identity of the receiving terminal, and is used to decrypt the recorded content.
In step 72, the current message SC-ECMi is recovered and presented to the security processor (step 74) that decrypts it with the key KPc to check read access criteria CRP and to recover the control words CWi−1, CWi, CWi+1 and the parity of i. One of the descrambling keys ECW or OCW is supplied to the descrambler to descramble the data segment Si, depending on the required reading direction.
If the segment Si is to be displayed directly, the method according to the invention can be used to find the ECM channel and the index of ECMi values in the signal attached to the service broadcasting the content at each change of i and to apply ECMi to the security processor to recover even and odd control words OCW, ECW and to apply them to the descrambler 80.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/FR03/50207 | 12/23/2003 | WO | 6/23/2006 |