Obfuscated Account Identifier Messaging for Contactless Payments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies fail to securely transmit and protect sensitive data such as account identifiers in contactless smart card transactions, allowing existing technologies to be easily intercepted and/or obfuscated data fields, and the account identifier remains static, enabling fraudsters to track user transactions.
Innovation Solution
The account identifier is obfuscated and encrypted using a unique derived key, ensuring the bank identification number remains unencrypted for routing while the rest of the identifier is encrypted with a dynamic value, making it difficult to track transactions and maintain privacy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the account identifier is encrypted using conventional techniques, then security is improved, but the encrypted data field remains identifiable according to known protocols, allowing fraudsters to locate and intercept it
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary obfuscation layer between the clear account identifier and the encrypted form. The obfuscation function transforms the account identifier into a non-identifiable format that does not reveal its nature as financial data, while still allowing legitimate processing. This intermediary step prevents fraudsters from easily identifying encrypted data fields in transaction messages.
2Productivity
If the account identifier remains static for transaction processing, then processing efficiency is maintained, but fraudsters can track user transactions across different transactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic obfuscation where the obfuscation parameters change with each transaction. A random value is generated for each transaction and used in the obfuscation function, causing the obfuscated representation to differ across transactions. This dynamic approach prevents transaction tracking while maintaining processing efficiency, as the core account information remains accessible for legitimate verification.
3Reliability
If the entire account identifier is encrypted, then security is improved, but routing information (BIN) becomes unavailable for proper transaction routing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the account identifier into two parts: the Bank Identification Number (BIN) and the remaining account digits. The BIN is kept in clear text to enable proper routing of transactions to the correct financial institution, while only the remaining digits are obfuscated. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by preserving routing capability while still providing security for the sensitive account information.
4Reliability
If conventional encryption protocols are used, then security is provided, but the known protocol structure allows fraudsters to easily identify data fields
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making only the necessary portion of the account identifier (the non-BIN digits) obfuscated, rather than encrypting the entire identifier. This localized obfuscation maintains compatibility with existing protocol structures and data field formats, avoiding the need for complex protocol changes while still providing security for the sensitive portions of the account information.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed for securely communicating sensitive such as an identifier. An encrypted value may be generated utilizing at least a portion of the identifier, a dynamic value, and an encryption key. An obfuscated identifier may be generated using at least a portion of the unencrypted identifier and a portion of the encrypted value. The obfuscated identifier and the encrypted value may be provided in a message to inhibit potential fraudsters from obtaining the identifier.