Medical Equipment Access Authentication Without Passcode Sync
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical equipment authentication methods, especially for offline systems, are insecure due to the use of hardcoded passcodes, require administrative effort for database maintenance, and are not feasible with synchronization options like one-time-passwords, leading to challenges in user access management.
Innovation Solution
A method using asymmetric key cryptography with a temporary equipment key pair and an authority key pair, where the authority public key is pre-configured in equipment and the private key is stored in an authentication server, enabling secure access without individual passcodes, allowing centralized user management and eliminating the need for synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hardcoded passcodes are used for authentication, then user access can be authorized, but security is compromised and administrative effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the passcode management function from the medical equipment itself and relocates it to an external authentication server. The equipment no longer stores or validates passcodes locally, but instead communicates authentication requests to the external server, which handles passcode storage, validation, and management centrally.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an authentication server as an intermediary between the user and the medical equipment. This server acts as a mediator that receives authentication requests from the equipment, validates credentials against stored passcodes, and returns authentication decisions, thereby securing the authentication process while simplifying equipment design.
2Reliability
If one-time-passwords with synchronization are used, then authentication security is improved, but synchronization management becomes infeasible
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication server autonomously manages passcode generation, storage, and validation without requiring synchronization with the medical equipment. The server independently maintains the passcode database and handles all authentication logic, eliminating the need for time or order synchronization between distributed systems.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple user IDs and passcodes are stored on each equipment, then user identification is enabled, but maintenance burden increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the user database from each medical equipment unit and consolidates it into a centralized authentication server. Individual equipment no longer stores user credentials locally, but instead queries the central server for validation, eliminating redundant data storage and simplifying maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized authentication server serves as a universal credential management system that can authenticate users across multiple different medical equipment units. A single database infrastructure supports authentication for numerous devices, eliminating the need for each device to maintain its own separate user database.
4Reliability
If individual passcodes are pre-programmed in equipment, then access control is enabled, but production complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the passcode pre-programming step from the manufacturing process and relocates credential initialization to the operational phase. Equipment is produced without embedded credentials, and passcodes are subsequently provisioned through the external authentication server, simplifying production while maintaining access control.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a medical equipment, to an authentication server (20) and to methods for authorizing a user access to a medical equipment (10) via an equipment user interface. According to a first aspect the disclosure proposes a method, for use in a medical equipment, for authorizing a user access to a medical equipment via an equipment user interface. The method comprises, storing S0 an authority public key of an authority asymmetric key pair associated with an authentication server and providing S3, to the user via the equipment user interface, an authorization challenge indicative of an equipment public key of a temporary equipment asymmetric key pair generated in the medical equipment. The method further comprises receiving S4 from the user via the equipment user interface, a response code comprising validity information encrypted using a shared key derivable from the authority private key of the authority asymmetric key pair and the provided equipment public key, and authorizing S7 the user access to the medical equipment, upon the validity information decrypted using the same shared key but derived in the medical equipment using the stored authority public key and an equipment private key of the temporary equipment asymmetric key pair, being valid. The present disclosure also relates to a computer program and a computer program product implementing the method.