IC Chip Authentication Key Leakage Prevention via Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing IC chip-based smart card authentication methods are vulnerable to hacking attacks, allowing unauthorized access and misuse due to the risk of canceling or invalidating user authentication processes, especially when external terminals access the smart card chip.

Innovation Solution

An integrated circuit (IC) chip with an authenticator, authentication key setter, and state storage that securely sets and verifies authentication keys, such as PINs or passwords, using a physically unclonable function (PUF) to prevent unauthorized access by storing authentication states in idle fields of the smart card chip, ensuring secure user authentication before financial transactions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If user authentication is performed by allowing an external terminal to access a smart card chip, then user authentication can be verified, but the smart card is exposed to hacking attacks that may cancel or hinder the authentication process

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser authentication reliabilityVSAvoidhacking attack risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the authentication system into two separate components: an authenticator chip that performs authentication and a smart card chip that stores financial data. This segmentation prevents external terminals from directly accessing the smart card chip, thereby reducing hacking risks while maintaining authentication reliability through the dedicated authenticator chip.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The authenticator chip acts as an intermediary between the external terminal and the smart card chip. It handles all authentication operations and controls access to the smart card chip, preventing direct exposure of the smart card chip to external terminals and thus mitigating hacking attacks while ensuring reliable authentication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If an authenticator is activated to authenticate an authentication key, then security is enhanced, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication securityVSAvoidIC chip structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the authenticator chip and smart card chip into a single integrated IC chip structure. This merging reduces overall system complexity compared to using completely separate components, while still maintaining the functional separation needed for security. The integrated design allows the authenticator and smart card functionalities to work together within a unified device architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS10263781B2IC chip and authentication method for user authentication

Publication Date: 2019.04.16 ICTK HLDG CO

AI summary

An IC chip for preventing an authentication key from leaking, and an authentication key setting and authentication key verifying method are provided. A part performing connection or disconnection between an external terminal and a smartcard chip may be configured by a separate chip or may be incorporated into the smartcard chip to configure a single chip. When the part is configured by the separate chip, the disconnection between the external terminal and the smart card chip can be performed according to whether an authentication key is verified. When the part is configured by the one chip, the disconnection between the external terminal and the smart card chip can be performed under a control of the smartcard chip according to whether the authentication key is verified.