Secure Element Secret Image Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current security mechanisms for protecting sensitive data entry in computer applications are insufficient as they cannot guarantee the authenticity of the input screen, allowing fraudulent applications to deceive users by superimposing a fake input screen.
Innovation Solution
Storing the secret image in a secure element like a SIM card or embedded secure element and combining it with dynamic, inaccessible data to create a complex image that is difficult for fraudulent applications to reconstruct, ensuring the authenticity of the image displayed on the terminal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a known secret image is displayed on the terminal screen to reinforce user confidence, then user trust in the application is improved, but the security is worsened because fraudulent applications can obtain the binary file and create fraudulent screens
Solution Approach 1:
The secret image binary file is extracted from the application and stored in a secure element (such as a SIM card or embedded secure element) that is separate from the application code. This extraction prevents fraudulent applications from obtaining the secret image file, as it is stored in a protected environment inaccessible to regular applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The secret image is nested within the secure element, which acts as a protected container. The secure element is integrated into the terminal but maintains logical separation, allowing the terminal to access the secret image for display while preventing applications from directly accessing or copying the binary file.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the secret image is combined with dynamic data to create a complex image, then security against fraudulent reconstruction is improved, but the complexity of the image generation process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The secret image is dynamically combined with application-specific data (such as transaction amounts or application identifiers) to generate a complex image that changes based on the current application context. This dynamic combination ensures that even if fraudulent applications obtain a copy of the displayed complex image, they cannot reconstruct the original secret image without knowing the specific application data used in that combination.
Solution Approach 2:
The parameters of the displayed image are changed by combining the static secret image with variable application data. This parameter transformation creates a complex image that maintains the recognizability of the secret image while adding entropy through the dynamic data component, making fraudulent reconstruction computationally infeasible.
3Reliability
If the secret image is stored in a security element instead of the application, then the authenticity of the secret image is improved, but the device architecture becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The secure element acts as an intermediary between the application and the secret image. It provides a controlled interface that allows the terminal to access the secret image for display purposes while preventing direct access by applications. This intermediary layer adds security without requiring fundamental changes to the terminal architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The secure element serves multiple functions: storing the secret image, controlling access to the secret image, and providing a secure environment for sensitive operations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated security components, as the secure element can handle various security requirements within a single integrated component.
Data Source
Figure 1~3B
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A method for making a computer application running on a terminal secure, said method comprising: a step (E10) of obtaining a piece of information, wherein said application prepares to prompt a user of the terminal to enter data; - a step (E20) of accessing a binary file representative of a secret image known to the terminal's user, said binary file being saved within a security element of the terminal; - a step (E30) of creating, within said security element, a complex image obtained based on said secret image and a piece of dynamic data inaccessible to said terminal; and - a step (E40) of displaying said complex image on a screen of the terminal.