view doc/GrcardSIM2-WEKI-file @ 222:8c151bb01d28

doc/GrcardSIM2-WEKI-file: update for partial understanding and implementation
author Mychaela Falconia <falcon@freecalypso.org>
date Tue, 09 Mar 2021 03:13:41 +0000
parents c804f2f8c138
children
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GrcardSIM2 cards have a proprietary EF under DF_GSM with file ID 0x0001;
Osmocom wiki page for this card model gives EF.WEKI as the name for this
proprietary file.  We (FreeCalypso) have no idea as to where this name came
from, and where and how the people who wrote that wiki page (Sysmocom staff or
not - unknown) got this knowledge.  This file is important because it stores Ki
and the selection of COMP128 algorithm version, but the same file also appears
to have other fields serving other purposes which are not currently understood.

The total length of this transparent EF is 35 bytes, out of which only the first
19 bytes are documented in the Osmocom wiki page and written by their pySim-prog
tool.  Let us now break down this file according to our currently available
limited understanding:

* The first two bytes are always 00 10 - these byte values appear in "blank"
  unprogrammed cards as shipped by Grcard, they also appear in the Osmocom wiki
  page, and are programmed by pySim-prog.  The purpose and meaning of these two
  bytes are completely unknown, and we have never tried writing anything
  different into them.

* The next byte gives COMP128 algorithm selection plus something else that is
  not understood:

  - The low 2 bits of this byte select COMP128 algorithm version as follows:

    0b00 = COMP128v1
    0b01 = COMP128v2
    0b10 = COMP128v3

    Note that the Osmocom wiki page is wrong in its description of these bits:
    setting these two bits to 0b11 ends up selecting COMP128v2 rather than v3.
    (pySim-prog is unaffected because it always writes 00 into the whole byte,
    selecting COMP128v1.)

  - The remaining 6 bits of this byte are not understood.  Osmocom wiki page
    tells people to write zeros into the upper 6 bits and so does pySim-prog,
    but the "blank" unprogrammed cards we got from Grcard have this byte set to
    0x20.  Setting the upper nibble to either 0 or 2 does not seem to affect
    the result of RUN GSM ALGORITHM operations, thus it probably controls
    something else.

* The next 16 bytes store Ki - this part is straightforward.

* The last 16 bytes are not understood; our "blank" unprogrammed cards from
  Grcard have all FFs in these bytes.

fc-simtool support for programming Ki and COMP128 algorithm selection
=====================================================================

Even if we never learn the function of the other mysterious fields of EF.WEKI,
we must be able to program our own Ki and make our own selection of COMP128
algorithm version in order to use these programmable SIM cards with our own GSM
networks.  The following solution has been implemented for immediate use:

* Our grcard2-set-comp128 command takes a single argument of 1, 2 or 3,
  selecting COMP128 algorithm version.  The implementation of this command
  selects EF.WEKI, reads the previous content of the magic byte at offset 2,
  keeps the upper 6 bits unchanged, and writes the new COMP128 algorithm
  selection into the low 2 bits.  If we ever learn the meaning of other bits,
  we'll be able to add new orthogonal commands that manipulate those other bits,
  but leave COMP128 selection unchanged.

* Our grcard2-set-ki command writes 16 bytes at offset 3, leaving all other
  bytes untouched.