Dynamic Mobile Device Recognition via Hashed Secret Values
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies for recognizing mobile devices using wireless signals, such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), allow non-trusted third-parties to recognize the device and its user, as they rely on static encryption keys that can be decompiled, disrupting user experience and security.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mobile device generating a secret value with a random number and signature, using a shared key unique to each user, which is broadcast and verified by a server to ensure only trusted parties can recognize the device, preventing eavesdropping and unauthorized recognition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If static encryption keys are used to encrypt device ID, then initial security is provided, but non-trusted third-parties can decompile the application to extract the key and recognize the device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static encryption key into a dynamic secret value that changes with each random number. Instead of using a fixed key that can be extracted, the system generates a unique secret value for each communication instance by combining a random number with a shared key through hashing, making the encryption dynamic and resistant to decompilation attacks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of the encryption key from static to dynamic by introducing randomness. The secret value is derived by hashing the concatenation of a random number and a shared key, where the random number parameter ensures that each encryption instance uses a different effective key, preventing key extraction through decompilation
2Ease of operation
If BLE advertisement messages contain smartphone address, then device identification is enabled, but the address is only useful to bonded stations and user experience is disrupted by bonding prompts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a secret value as an intermediary between the smartphone address and the identifying information. Instead of directly using the address or requiring bonding, the system encrypts the address with a secret value derived from a shared key and random number, creating an intermediate representation that only trusted parties can decode
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the identifying capability from the public smartphone address and relocates it into an encrypted form within the advertisement message. By embedding the encrypted address (secret value) in the advertisement, the system separates the identification function from the public address, allowing unrecognized stations to receive the message without being able to interpret the identifying information
3Reliability
If encryption techniques are used with BLE packet size constraints, then device recognition security is improved, but existing techniques are incompatible with BLE packet size limits or require extractable static keys
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the encryption process into distinct components: a random number generator, a hashing function, and a concatenation operation. This segmentation allows the complex cryptographic operation to be broken down into manageable steps that fit within BLE packet size constraints while maintaining security, avoiding the need for bulky encryption libraries
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods and articles of manufacture to perform an operation comprising receiving, from one of a plurality of stations, a message which includes at least a random number and a first hash value of the random number concatenated with a first key, comparing the first hash value to one or more second hash values, wherein each second hash value is generated by hashing the random number concatenated with one of a plurality of second keys and wherein each second key corresponds to a registered device of a device identification system, upon determining the first hash value matches one of the second hash values, determining an identity of the mobile device based on the corresponding second key, and based on the location of the station which sent the message, assigning a location to the mobile device.