Kernel Device Driver for Contactless Payment Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing use of smartphones and tablets for contactless payments poses a vulnerability as they may lack the control and security measures present in dedicated hardware card readers, making them susceptible to unauthorized access and fraud, especially when handling sensitive credit card information.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a device driver that runs as a privileged component of the operating system kernel on portable devices, encrypting payment instrument information using a public key from a payment processing system, and evaluating the trustworthiness of the device based on a security policy to prevent unauthorized access and use of sensitive information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If smartphones and tablets are used for contactless payments, then ease of operation is improved, but security and control are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the security architecture by introducing a dedicated device driver layer between the payment application and the operating system kernel. This driver acts as a security gateway that isolates sensitive payment operations from the general application environment, providing controlled access while maintaining ease of use through the familiar smartphone interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The device driver serves as an intermediary component that mediates between the payment application and the NFC/RFID hardware. It implements security policies, encrypts payment instrument information, and controls access to sensitive functions, thereby enhancing security without requiring changes to the user interface or payment flow.
2Reliability
If payment instrument information is encrypted using public key, then security is improved, but device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex encryption and security management logic from the payment application and places it in the device driver layer. This separation allows the application to remain simple while the driver handles cryptographic operations, key management, and security policy enforcement, effectively hiding complexity from the user-facing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The device driver implements self-service security mechanisms by automatically managing encryption keys, performing cryptographic operations, and enforcing security policies without requiring user intervention or application-level security configuration. The driver autonomously protects payment instrument information through driver-level encryption.
3Reliability
If device driver runs as privileged component, then security is improved, but ease of operation is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The device driver is installed and configured in advance as a privileged system component before any payment operations occur. Security policies, encryption keys, and access controls are pre-established in the driver layer, allowing applications to operate freely without needing to request or manage security permissions during runtime payment transactions.
Data Source
AI summary
A device is configured to process contactless payments by wirelessly reading account information from enabled payment instruments and providing the account information, along with other information, to a remote payment processing system. The device has an embedded reader, such as a near-field communications (NFC) reader or a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader. The operating system of the device has a device driver that provides access to the embedded reader. The device driver is implemented as part of the operating system kernel in order to protect it from access by non-privileged software. A POS application installed on the device uses the device driver to obtain payment instrument information from a payment instrument such as a credit card. Before providing the payment instrument information to the POS application, the device driver encrypts the payment instrument information using a public key provided by the payment processing system.