Secure Touchscreen Seed Phrase Entry for Hardware Crypto Wallets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crypto wallets face challenges in securely and efficiently entering recovery seed phrases due to the tediousness and vulnerability of conventional entry methods, particularly on devices with limited space and separate processors.
Innovation Solution
A crypto wallet device with a secure element controlling a touch screen, using a dictionary to map words to binary values, allowing secure entry of recovery seed phrases through a novel word entry mechanism on a touch screen without a physical keyboard or separate memory, ensuring secure cryptographic operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a physical keyboard or separate memory is used for seed phrase entry, then data entry capability is improved, but device complexity and security vulnerabilities increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the touch screen display and input functionality into a single integrated component controlled by the secure element. The touch screen serves both as the visual interface and the data entry mechanism, eliminating the need for separate physical keyboards or external memory components. This merging reduces device complexity while maintaining full data entry capability for seed phrase input.
2Ease of operation
If a touch screen controlled by external processor is used, then user interface capability is improved, but security is worsened due to additional vulnerability points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the touch screen control functionality from external processors and places it entirely within the secure element. The secure element generates all visual representations, processes all user inputs, and performs all cryptographic operations independently. This extraction eliminates additional vulnerability points associated with external processors communicating with the secure element, thereby improving security while maintaining full user interface capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch screen acts as an intermediary controlled directly by the secure element, rather than being controlled by external processors. All communication between the user and the cryptographic system occurs through this secure-mediated interface, ensuring that no external processor can intercept or manipulate the seed phrase entry process. This intermediary approach maintains user-friendly interface capabilities while enhancing security.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional seed phrase entry methods are used, then compatibility is improved, but time consumption and user frustration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the secure element pre-generate and display visual representations of all possible seed phrase words on the touch screen before the user needs to enter them. The system prepares the complete vocabulary set in advance, organized and ready for selection. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for users to manually type or navigate through complex input methods, significantly reducing time consumption and frustration while maintaining compatibility with standard seed phrase protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
Cryptocurrency transactions are increasing in prevalence. An important security practice for cryptocurrency transactions includes maintaining a crypto wallet with a private key for signing cryptocurrency transactions. Hardware based crypto wallets with a secure element retaining the private key are highly secure. This disclosure provides a hardware based crypto wallet with a small form factor and a display screen for entering recovery seed phrases. The security of the display screen is enhanced via a novel data entry mechanism that does not require a separate processor but can be handled directly by a processor of a secure element.