Keyless Vehicle Access Relay Attack Detection via Channel Features
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Solution Overview
Problem
Keyless vehicle access systems are vulnerable to relay attacks, which allow unauthorized access by amplifying the signal between the vehicle and the key fob, thereby bypassing the limited range and encryption measures.
Innovation Solution
The method involves receiving pilot signals, determining if the message and channel features match the expected values, and only triggering the device if both conditions are met, thereby detecting and preventing relay attacks by analyzing channel state information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If passive keyless access is implemented with limited range wake-up signals, then convenience is improved, but vulnerability to relay attacks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces channel state information as an intermediary verification layer between the wake-up signal and access grant. The accessible device analyzes characteristics of the communication channel (multipath profiles, signal strength, phase information) to determine whether the keyless device is genuinely within range or being relayed through intermediate devices. This intermediary verification mechanism allows passive keyless access to remain convenient while detecting and blocking relay attacks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the verification parameter from simple signal presence to detailed channel state information analysis. Instead of merely detecting whether a wake-up signal is received, the system now measures and compares multiple channel parameters including signal strength, phase, multipath characteristics, and spatial information. This parameter transformation enables the system to distinguish between direct signals from authorized devices and relayed signals from attackers.
2Reliability
If channel state information analysis is added to detect relay attacks, then security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary channel state information analysis during the wake-up phase before final access authorization. By analyzing channel characteristics early in the communication sequence, the system can quickly eliminate relay attacks without requiring complex processing during the critical access decision phase. The channel information is pre-processed and compared against expected patterns, reducing the computational burden on the final access determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy or model of the expected channel state information from legitimate direct communication and compares it against the actual received channel characteristics. Instead of implementing complex real-time analysis of all possible attack scenarios, the system uses a simplified approach of comparing actual channel measurements against pre-established models of legitimate channel behavior, reducing processing complexity while maintaining detection effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for triggering a first device, the first device having at least one antenna for wireless communication with a second device having at least one antenna, the first device being an access device, for example, a key fob or smart device, or an accessible device, for example a vehicle, the second device being the other one of the accessible device and the access device, and the triggering of the first device being a step required for accessing the accessible device.