Phone Number Certificate Authentication via Out-of-Band Channel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for verifying phone numbers lack a trusted mechanism, leading to vulnerabilities in authenticating identities during financial and personal transactions, as they often rely on unverified sources and may expose users to fraudulent activities.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing digital certificates for phone number verification, where a client device requests and authenticates a digital certificate for an incoming or outgoing call through an out-of-band control channel, determining its authenticity and indicating whether it is trusted or not, thereby providing a trusted mechanism for phone number verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If crowd source mechanisms are used to verify phone numbers, then verification coverage is improved, but privacy concerns increase and trustworthiness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a certificate authority as an intermediary that issues digital certificates to phone numbers. This mediator resolves the contradiction by providing a trusted verification mechanism without requiring direct access to user device information, thus maintaining privacy while ensuring trustworthiness through cryptographic proof of identity.
2Reliability
If digital certificates are implemented for phone number verification, then security and trustworthiness are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service mechanisms where the phone system automatically manages certificate issuance, validation, and renewal. The digital certificate is embedded in the phone number record and automatically verified during calls without requiring user intervention or complex manual management, thus reducing perceived device complexity while maintaining high security.
3Ease of operation
If traditional verification methods are used, then ease of operation is maintained, but vulnerability to fraudulent activities increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by verifying the phone number's digital certificate before the call connection is established. The verification occurs in advance during call setup, allowing the system to authenticate the caller's identity before the conversation begins, thus maintaining ease of operation while preventing fraudulent activities through pre-verification.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, related devices and methods, having a memory element operable to store instructions; and a processor operable to execute the instructions, such that the apparatus is configured to identify, on an electronic device, a phone number of an incoming caller device; request, via an out-of-band control channel, a digital certificate for the phone number from the incoming caller device; receive, via the out-of-band control channel, the digital certificate for the phone number from the incoming caller device; determine whether the digital certificate for the phone number is authentic; and indicate, on the electronic device, based on a determination that the digital certificate for the phone number is authentic or not authentic, whether the phone number is authentic or not authentic.