Anonymous Charger Authentication Without Network Connectivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic authentication methods for devices and chargers lack effective security and privacy measures, particularly in scenarios without network connectivity, and fail to prevent misuse of credentials by counterfeit devices.
Innovation Solution
A method for anonymous authentication between electronic devices and chargers using direct communication, where devices verify each other's authenticity without relying on network connections, utilizing a set of shared authentication keys and signatures to ensure security and privacy, with a revocation mechanism to prevent compromised credentials from affecting genuine devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional electronic authentication methods are used, then network connectivity is required for verification, but this reduces usability in scenarios without internet access
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system is segmented into offline and online components. The offline component uses locally stored authentication keys for immediate verification without network dependency, while the online component handles credential updates and revocation checks. This segmentation allows the system to maintain security reliability while improving ease of operation in offline scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
Authentication keys and verification data are preliminarily loaded into the device's local storage during manufacturing or initial setup. This preliminary action enables the device to perform authentication operations independently of network connectivity, resolving the contradiction between requiring network access for security and needing offline usability.
2Reliability
If unique authentication credentials are used for each device, then device identity can be verified, but this enables tracking and reduces user privacy
Solution Approach 1:
A trusted platform module (TPM) or secure enclave acts as an intermediary between the device's unique credentials and the authentication system. This intermediary verifies device authenticity while preventing the exposure of unique identifying information, thus maintaining both verification reliability and user privacy simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using unique device identifiers directly in authentication exchanges, the system uses cryptographic copies or representations of credentials (such as signed tokens or hashed values). These copies verify device authenticity without revealing the actual unique identifiers, preserving both verification capability and privacy.
3Ease of manufacture
If authentication credentials are shared across device models, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but this allows counterfeit devices to use stolen credentials
Solution Approach 1:
Authentication credentials are segmented into model-specific components and device-specific components. The model-specific portion can be shared across devices of the same type for ease of manufacture, while the device-specific portion (such as a unique serial number or cryptographic key) provides individual verification. This segmentation prevents counterfeit devices from using stolen credentials, as they cannot replicate the device-specific component.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the authentication credential have different security properties. The shared model-specific portion uses standard authentication mechanisms for ease of manufacture, while the unique device-specific portion uses stronger cryptographic verification. This local quality differentiation maintains both manufacturing efficiency and counterfeit prevention.
4Reliability
If comprehensive authentication verification is performed, then security against counterfeit chargers is improved, but this increases processing time and power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication process uses partial verification for low-power scenarios and comprehensive verification when security requirements are higher. The system performs essential authentication checks with minimal processing for routine operations, and only activates full verification protocols when suspicious activity is detected or security policies require it, thus balancing security with power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Comprehensive authentication verification is performed periodically or at scheduled intervals rather than continuously. Between these periodic comprehensive checks, the system uses lighter verification methods that consume less power. This periodic approach maintains security reliability while significantly reducing average power consumption during charging operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, apparatus, and computer-readable storage devices for anonymous device authentication. A method includes: accessing, by the electronic device, data stored by the electronic device that identifies authentication keys the electronic device accepts as valid; sending, by the electronic device to a second electronic device, an authentication request that identifies a set of authentication keys including at least some of authentication keys the electronic device accepts as valid; and receiving, by the electronic device, response data that the second electronic device provides in response to the authentication request. The response data (i) identifies a particular authentication key from the set of authentication keys identified by the authentication request, and (ii) includes a signature generated using the particular authentication key. The method includes authenticating, by the electronic device, the second electronic device by determining that the received signature was generated using the particular authentication key.