BLE Distance Measurement Attack Detection Using Receive-Circuit Modeling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) high accuracy distance measurement systems are vulnerable to Man in the Middle attacks, where attackers manipulate packets to deceive devices into measuring incorrect distances, compromising security in applications like keyless vehicle entry.
Innovation Solution
A system that compares actual received packets with an internally generated model of the packet using a digitized model of the receive circuit, optionally including parts of the transmit circuit, to detect discrepancies indicative of a Man in the Middle attack, utilizing a finite impulse response filter and attack metric calculator to generate a detection score.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If Sounding Sequence is used for distance measurement, then measurement precision is improved, but vulnerability to Man in the Middle attacks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital twin (digitized model) of the receive circuit that replicates the electrical characteristics and timing behavior of the actual hardware. This copy is used to generate an expected waveform that can be compared against the received signal, enabling detection of Man in the Middle attacks while maintaining the use of Sounding Sequence for accurate distance measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary comparison mechanism that sits between the received signal and the distance measurement process. The digitized model acts as a mediator that transforms the received waveform into an expected pattern, allowing the system to verify authenticity before accepting the distance measurement data.
2Reliability
If a digitized model of the receive circuit is created to detect attacks, then security against Man in the Middle attacks is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of duplicating the entire receive circuit hardware, the patent creates a digital model that replicates only the essential electrical characteristics and timing behavior needed for attack detection. This digital twin approach provides the necessary security functionality while avoiding the complexity of hardware duplication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces what would otherwise require additional physical hardware components with a software-based digitized model. The digital model performs the same functional role as physical circuit duplication would, but with significantly reduced complexity, lower power consumption, and easier implementation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the attacker transmits stronger signal to deceive the initiator, then the attack effectiveness is improved, but waveform shape differences become more detectable
Solution Approach 1:
The digitized model accurately replicates the expected waveform characteristics including timing, amplitude, and shape. By comparing the received signal against this precise digital copy, the system can detect even subtle waveform distortions caused by attacker signal manipulation, regardless of the attacker's transmission power.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the received waveform is continuously compared against the expected waveform from the digitized model. Any deviations, including those caused by attacker signal strength manipulation, are detected and can trigger attack detection algorithms to identify the Man in the Middle attack.
Data Source
AI summary
A system that is capable of detecting a Man in the Middle attack is disclosed. The system includes a receive circuit for receiving incoming packets. The system also includes a digitized model of at least part of the receive circuit and optionally part of the transmit circuit. The system compares the output from the digitized model with the output from the read circuit to determine the likelihood of a Man in the Middle Attack. In certain embodiments, the digitized model is a finite impulse response filter with multiple taps. The system correctly identifies Man in the Middle attacks more than 90% of the time when the signal to noise ratio is greater than 20 dB.