Proximity Token Authentication for Mobile Service Spoofing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Servers face challenges in verifying the location of mobile devices requesting services and distinguishing genuine from bogus requests, particularly vulnerable to location-based denial of service attacks that can disrupt critical services like traffic lights, elevators, and valet systems.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where a server and a transmitting device share a secret key invisible to mobile devices, using a short-haul wireless protocol to generate and transmit tokens, ensuring that only devices within a specific proximity can receive and use these tokens to authenticate service requests, thereby preventing spoofing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the server accepts service requests from mobile devices without location verification, then the service response time is fast and the system is simple, but the system becomes vulnerable to denial of service attacks and location spoofing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transmitting device as an intermediary between the mobile device and the server. This transmitting device generates and transmits tokens that serve as proof of proximity, mediating the authentication process without requiring complex server-side location verification mechanisms. The intermediary handles the complexity of proximity verification while keeping the server's role relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmitting device performs preliminary actions by generating tokens in advance that prove the mobile device's proximity to the site. Instead of verifying location in real-time when the service request is made, the system pre-establishes proximity proof through token generation and transmission, which the server can then verify quickly without complex computations.
2Reliability
If the server verifies location of each mobile device request, then the system can filter bogus requests, but the verification process increases system complexity and processing time
Solution Approach 1:
Proximity verification is performed in advance through token generation and transmission by the transmitting device. The token serves as pre-validated proof of proximity, so when the service request reaches the server, authentication is quick and simple - the server only needs to verify the token's validity rather than performing complex location verification.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of verifying the actual physical location in real-time, the system uses a copy or representation of proximity proof in the form of a token. The transmitting device creates this token copy that encapsulates the proximity verification, which can be efficiently transmitted and validated without repeating the complex verification process.
3Ease of operation
If mobile devices use public wireless protocols to request services, then communication is open and accessible, but attackers can intercept and spoof device locations
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitting device acts as an intermediary that establishes a secure communication channel between the mobile device and the server. It generates and transmits tokens through this intermediary channel, protecting the communication from interception and spoofing while maintaining ease of service access for legitimate users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements local security at the transmitting device near the site, which generates and transmits tokens with proximity information. This localized security measure protects the specific service location from spoofing attacks without affecting the overall accessibility of the service system.
Data Source
AI summary
Technical problems and their solution are disclosed regarding the location of mobile devices requesting services near a site from a server. Embodiments adapt and/or configure the transmitting device near the site, the mobile device communicating with the transmitting device using a short haul wireless communications protocol to deliver a token based upon a key shared with the server but invisible to the mobile device. The server can determine the proximity of the mobile device to the site to control actuation of the requested service or disable the service request, and possibly flushing the service request from the server.