Chip Card Remote Verification Prevents Denial of Service
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Solution Overview
Problem
Chip cards are vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks due to repeated incorrect entries of PINs or PUKs, which can lead to blocking and render the card unusable, especially in scenarios where multiple users are in close proximity.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method that requires a third identifier to be entered only when the number of remaining input attempts for the primary identifier is below a minimum threshold, using a remote verification protocol to prevent unauthorized blocking, and storing an additional identifier to protect against such attacks, with encryption and secure transmission to prevent interception.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If remote verification is implemented to allow activation without entering the first identifier, then ease of operation is improved, but vulnerability to denial-of-service attacks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a contactless interface as an intermediary mechanism for remote verification. This intermediary allows the system to verify identifiers without direct physical contact, improving ease of operation while maintaining security controls through the additional identifier requirement and attempt limiting
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary verification by checking the number of remaining input attempts before allowing remote verification to proceed. This preliminary action prevents denial-of-service attacks by ensuring that remote verification is only permitted when sufficient attempt buffers remain, thus protecting against harmful factors while maintaining operational convenience
2Reliability
If the number of input attempts is strictly limited to prevent blocking, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of input attempts by monitoring the remaining attempt count and adaptively adjusting verification requirements. When attempts are sufficient, remote verification is allowed for ease of operation; when attempts are low, additional security measures are triggered, thus maintaining reliability while preserving operational ease when possible
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the verification parameter requirements based on the remaining attempt count. When attempts are充足, the system accepts remote verification requests; when attempts are不足, it requires additional identifiers or contactless verification. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by adapting security levels to the current state, maintaining both reliability and ease of operation
3Object-affected harmful factors
If additional identifiers are stored and required for verification, then security against denial-of-service attacks is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the verification process into multiple stages: initial attempt counting, remote verification with contactless interface, and additional identifier requirements. This segmentation allows the system to protect against denial-of-service attacks through distributed security checks rather than a single complex barrier, thus improving security while managing device complexity through modular verification steps
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for releasing a chip card function (128) of a chip card (102), wherein the input of a first identifier is required for releasing the chip card function, the chip card having a first contactless interface (130). The method according to the invention comprises the following steps: inputting a second identifier into a card reader (100) that has a second contactless interface (118); transmitting a request for remotely checking the second identifier from the second contactless interface of the card reader to the first contactless interface of the chip card; checking by the chip card whether the currently available number of input attempts for correctly inputting the first identifier for releasing the chip card function exceeds a predefined minimum number and, if this is the case, carrying out the remote check and, if this is not the case, carrying out the following steps: (i) transmitting a request for inputting a third identifier into the card reader from the first contactless interface of the chip card to the second contactless interface of the card reader; (ii) inputting the third identifier into the card reader; (iii) transmitting the third identifier from the second contactless interface of the card reader to the first contactless interface of the chip card; (iv) the chip card compares the third identifier with a fourth identifier stored in the chip card, and only when the comparison shows that the third identifier matches the fourth identifier, the remote check is carried out. The chip card function is released when the remote check shows that the second identifier matches the first identifier and the number of currently available input attempts is reduced when the second identifier does not match the first identifier.