Mobile Digital Key Relay for Secure Vehicle Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle authentication systems face challenges in securely managing key codes, as they often require servers to manage one-time keys or store static keys on mobile devices, leading to security risks and increased maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A user authentication method that uses a digital key application on a mobile device to relay communication between a key module and an authentication unit, where the key code is stored in the key module, eliminating the need for a digital key server and reducing the risk of key code leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a server manages one-time keys for vehicle authentication, then authentication security is improved, but system complexity and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the key storage function from the server and relocates it to a dedicated key module in the mobile device. The server only needs to issue initial keys, while the key module locally stores and manages one-time keys generated from challenge-response authentication, eliminating the need for the server to manage ongoing key distribution and reducing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a key module as an intermediary component between the server and the authentication unit. This key module handles the generation and storage of one-time keys locally, acting as a mediator that reduces the burden on the server while maintaining secure authentication, thus resolving the contradiction between security and system complexity.
2Speed
If static keys are stored on mobile devices for authentication, then authentication speed is improved, but security risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic key generation where one-time keys are created on-demand through challenge-response authentication. Instead of storing static keys, the key module generates fresh one-time keys for each authentication attempt based on challenges from the authentication unit, providing both speed (local generation) and security (ephemeral keys that cannot be reused).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the key parameter from static to dynamic by using challenge-response mechanisms. The one-time keys vary with each authentication challenge, transforming the key characteristic from a fixed value to a changing value that maintains security while enabling fast local authentication without server intervention.
3Adaptability or versatility
If digital key servers are used to manage authentication keys, then key distribution flexibility is improved, but maintenance costs and security vulnerabilities increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the key management system into distinct functional components: the server handles initial key issuance and challenge generation, while the key module in the mobile device handles one-time key storage and generation. This segmentation allows flexible key distribution initiated by the server while protecting the actual authentication keys from server-side vulnerabilities and reducing the attack surface for key leakage.
Data Source
AI summary
The mobile device performs a second communication with a key module when the key module is overlapped on the mobile device. The mobile device performs a first communication with the authentication unit. The mobile device transmits a challenge code, which is transmitted from the authentication unit, to the key module via the second communication. Upon receiving the challenge code from the mobile device, the key module generates a response code using the vehicle key code stored in a local storage, transmits the generated response code to the mobile device. The authentication unit performs user authentication using the response code.