SMS Message Signing via SMPP Field Hash Embedding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Individuals and organizations face security and data integrity risks in the transmission and receipt of text messages due to modifications and corruption by malicious actors and processing errors.

Innovation Solution

The use of signed tokens to verify short message service (SMS) message bodies through cryptographic key pairs, where a public key is published and a private key is used to sign the SMS message, embedding a cryptographic hash in an SMPP field for validation by a downstream system.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional SMS transmission is used without cryptographic signing, then message transmission is simple and fast, but message integrity and authenticity cannot be guaranteed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage integrityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces cryptographic intermediaries (hash functions and digital signatures) as mediators between the sender and receiver. The hash function acts as an intermediary to create a compact representation of the message, while digital signatures serve as intermediaries to provide authentication and integrity verification without requiring the recipients to directly trust the senders

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical trust mechanisms (such as manual verification or trusted third-party intermediaries) with cryptographic mathematical mechanisms. Instead of relying on physical security or human verification, the system uses cryptographic hash functions and digital signature algorithms to automatically verify message integrity and authenticity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If cryptographic signing is implemented for SMS messages, then message authenticity and integrity are verified, but processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage authenticityVSAvoidverification time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the cryptographic verification process into distinct phases: hash computation during message creation, signature generation, and verification at the receiving end. This segmentation allows parallel processing and optimization of each stage independently, reducing overall verification time while maintaining security

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs parameter optimization in cryptographic operations, such as selecting appropriate hash function parameters and signature algorithm parameters that balance security requirements with computational efficiency. By carefully choosing cryptographic parameters, the system achieves adequate security with minimized processing overhead

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If digital signatures are embedded in SMS messages, then tampering detection is enabled, but message size and data overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetampering detectionVSAvoidmessage data size
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential cryptographic elements (hash values and signature data) from the complete cryptographic verification process and embeds them in the SMS message. Rather than including entire cryptographic keys or redundant verification data, the system extracts and includes only the minimal necessary components for tampering detection

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements partial cryptographic signing where only critical portions of the message or specific message attributes are signed, rather than the entire message content. This partial action approach provides sufficient tampering detection for the most important message elements while minimizing the amount of cryptographic data that needs to be transmitted and stored

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3989622B1Using signed tokens to verify short message service (SMS) message bodies
Publication Date: 2025.06.18 PROOFPOINT INC
  • EP3989622B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3989622B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP3989622B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

Aspects of the disclosure relate to message verification. A computing platform may generate (310) a cryptographic key pair comprising a public key and a private key. The computing platform may publish (315), to a server, the public key. The computing platform may generate a short message service (SMS) message. The computing platform may sign (325), using the private key, the SMS message, which may include computing a cryptographic hash of the SMS message using the private key and embedding the cryptographic hash in an SMPP field of the SMS message. The computing platform may send (330), to a downstream computing system, the signed SMS message, where the downstream computing system may be configured to validate the signed SMS message using the cryptographic hash embedded in the SMPP field of the SMS message and by accessing the public key.