G&D and Verimatrix demonstrate mobile pay TV DRM for smartphones

MUNICH — At the IBC 2014 Exhibition from September 12 to 16 in Amsterdam, Giesecke & Devrient (G&D), a leading supplier of end-to-end secure mobile solutions, and Verimatrix, the specialist in securing and enhancing revenue for multi-network, multi-screen digital TV services around the globe, will showcase a user-friendly digital rights management (DRM) solution for mobile video services that incorporates the high security standard of pay-TV solutions. G&D and Verimatrix will demonstrate the DRM solution at the Verimatrix booth (stand 4.A55 in hall 4).

The application is easy for end users to navigate: they download the corresponding video service’s app from the app store of their compatible Android handset, log in with their user credentials, and a few seconds after the first log in, they can start accessing the video offering. In stationary pay-TV applications that are common today, the required encryption keys are stored in a smart card, which can be omitted from this solution. The digital key data is loaded directly over-the-air into the protected area of the compatible handset, where it is kept safe throughout the entire life cycle of the application and remotely managed.

“Paid video on demand for mobile devices – such as movie and TV show subscription services as well as premium content such as sporting events or musical live acts – are increasingly in demand by subscribers. With the DRM solution provided by G&D and Verimatrix, providers of mobile video offerings can achieve a seamless user experience, address the high security requirements of the content owners end-to-end, and enhance revenue security” describes Petr Peterka, CTO, Verimatrix.

Security made simple

With the help of G&D’s Trusted Service Manager (TSM), compatible Android handsets can be equipped with the required secure application parts (Trusted Applications) and the user specific keys. Thus, video content providers can utilize the on-demand installation to grant their customers access to pay-TV content in a secure and straightforward way: when a user requests access, this request initiates the over-the-air activation of the digital rights management mechanism via G&D’s secure, flexible TSM.

Based on a protected area in the device chipset, the highly secured Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) operating system offers effective protection against abuse for sensitive applications. Axel Deininger, Group Senior Vice President, Division Enterprise Security/OEM, Giesecke & Devrient: “The encryption key and additional security credentials are safely stored inside the corresponding Android app in a so-called Trusted Application (TA) that is protected by the TEE operating system, reducing the possibility of brute force attacks even on rooted devices. In order to securely distribute and manage TAs and the assets stored and utilized within the apps, G&D’s TSM establishes a secure channel to the device to deliver the security sensitive part of the DRM solution. All of this is in managed in the background and does not require additional user interaction.”

G&D’s services portfolio supports revenue security providers like Verimatrix throughout the different phases required to deploy secure applications based on TEE. G&D is the service provider partner in the early planning and development of the TEE solution, as well as during its commercial deployment when the lifecycle of secure applications is managed over-the-air by G&D’s TEE TSM. The secure solution will be demonstrated at Verimatrix’s stand 4.A55 in hall 4 at the IBC 2014 Exhibition in Amsterdam.