NFC Contactless Smart Card Password Generation Without Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional password managers are vulnerable to brute-force attacks, require users to remember a master password, and lack verifiable randomness in password generation, with generated passwords being susceptible to exposure and unauthorized access.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing a near-field communication (NFC) enabled contactless smart card to generate secure, human-readable passwords through a random number generator or cryptographic hash function, which can be transformed for added security, and using the card itself as a master password to unlock password manager applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional password manager uses a master password for access control, then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened due to vulnerability to brute-force attacks and reliance on user memory
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the master password function from the conventional password manager and relocates it to a hardware security module (HSM) or secure element. This physical extraction eliminates the need for users to remember complex master passwords while maintaining secure access control through hardware-based authentication mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hardware security module (HSM) or secure element as an intermediary between the user and the password manager system. This intermediary device handles authentication and key management securely, eliminating the vulnerability of software-based master passwords while maintaining convenient access through physical or biometric authentication.
2Productivity
If a conventional password manager stores passwords in an encrypted database, then productivity is improved, but security is worsened due to potential exposure and unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the password storage function from the conventional encrypted database model and relocates it to a hardware security module (HSM) or secure element. This extraction eliminates the vulnerability of stored password databases by implementing never-store passwords principle, where credentials are generated and used temporarily without persistent storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a system where the hardware security module automatically generates, stores, and manages passwords without requiring user intervention or external database storage. The HSM self-manages the encryption keys and credential lifecycle, eliminating the risk of database exposure while maintaining efficient password generation and retrieval.
3Productivity
If a conventional password manager generates passwords using a random number generator, then productivity is improved, but security is worsened due to lack of verifiable randomness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the random number generation function from the software-based password manager and relocates it to a hardware security module (HSM) or secure element with a certified random number generator. This extraction ensures verifiable randomness by using hardware-level entropy sources that are cryptographically secure and auditable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the software-based random number generation mechanism with a hardware-based random number generator implemented in the HSM or secure element. This substitution ensures verifiable randomness by using physical entropy sources (such as thermal noise, radioactive decay, or environmental variations) that are inherently unpredictable and difficult to replicate.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures secure, verifiable, and complex password generation without storage on the device, minimizing exposure to hackers and eliminating reliance on a single master password for access control.
Implementation Method 1
a near-field communication (NFC) enabled contactless smart card
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
Various embodiments are directed to securely generating and managing passwords using a near-field communication (NFC) enabled contactless smart card. For example, a secure password may be generated by generating a random number via a random number generator of the contactless smart card and converting the random number to one or more human-readable characters. In another example, a secure cryptographic hash function of the contactless smart card may generate a hash output value, which may be converted to one or more human-readable characters. The humanreadable characters may be used as the secure password or it may be transformed to add more layers of security and complexity.