Sierra Wireless, Inc.
Method and apparatus for secure software update

Abstract:

There is provided methods and apparatuses for secure updating of firmware/software. The methods and apparatus can be enabled by making use of the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) to request the revocation status of certificates in the certificate chain. In particular, a method called `OCSP stapling` can ensure the validity of the certificates or verify authenticity of the software/firmware. By virtue of features of the OCSP stapling, the user device does not need to contact CAs directly for the purpose of verifying the status of the certificates that ensure authenticity and integrity of the delivered software/firmware and thus is not required to open an extra communication channel to obtain status of certificates. This process can also reduce the burden on CAs because the CAs are neither required to keep a large volume of CRLs nor to maintain connection with user devices for which the CAs are responsible.