Smartphone Secure Element for Vehicle Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing authentication methods for accessing vehicles and apparatuses via smart devices are vulnerable to attacks by third parties, particularly due to non-secure data transmission channels and manipulation of operating systems by malware.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilizes a protected area on the smart device, separate from the operating system and applications, to compare authentication and approval features, ensuring user approval is explicitly granted before authentication is allowed, using biometric or secure input methods within a hardware-secured environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If authentication operations are performed through the operating system and applications of the smart device, then the ease of operation is improved, but the security against third-party attacks deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the smart device into two separate areas: a standard area containing the operating system and applications, and a protected area with hardware-based security. The authentication feature is stored in the protected area, which is segmented from the standard area to prevent malware and unauthorized applications from accessing or manipulating authentication credentials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a trusted execution environment or secure element as an intermediary between the standard area and the authentication verification process. This intermediary component securely stores authentication features and mediates authentication operations, ensuring that even if the operating system or applications are compromised, the core authentication mechanism remains secure.
2Reliability
If a protected area separate from the operating system is implemented, then the security is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the protected area with the existing smart device architecture, integrating hardware-based security features (such as secure elements or trusted execution environments) into the device's processor or storage system. This merging approach provides enhanced security without requiring a completely separate physical device or system.
3Reliability
If user approval is required for authentication, then the security against unauthorized access is improved, but the productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements user approval mechanisms that require explicit consent before authentication operations are performed. This preliminary action ensures that even if authentication credentials are compromised, unauthorized access cannot occur without the user's knowledge and approval, providing an additional layer of security control.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system controls access to an authentication-dependent or authentication-conditional function of a vehicle, via a smart device or smartphone. For the authentication, an authentication feature of the smart device is compared with a stored authentication feature of the device, and authentication is granted if they are identical or sufficiently correspond, the authentication is subjected to an approval process by a user of the smart device, in which it is determined whether the user approves the authentication or not. The authentication and the approval process have at least one channel in a protected region of the smart device and/or are themselves embedded in the protected region, which lies outside a region of the operating system of the applications and/or the apps of the smart device. The function of the device is executed when there is an authentication and an approval.