Trusted Component Secures Payment Terminal Cash Register Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing process for securing data transmission between a payment terminal and a cash register during pairing is vulnerable as it relies on an unsecured operating system, allowing potential fraudulent activities, such as data modification or unauthorized actions, due to the peripheral's ability to directly communicate with the cash register.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a 'double-stage' secured data transmission method where a trusted component establishes a first secured channel with the cash register and a second secured channel with the peripheral, ensuring all data passes through the trusted component, preventing direct communication between the peripheral and the cash register.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the peripheral directly communicates with the cash register through the unsecured operating system, then the communication process is simple and fast, but the security is compromised allowing fraudulent activities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a trusted component as an intermediary between the peripheral and the cash register. This mediator establishes secured communication channels on behalf of the peripheral, preventing direct unsecured communication while maintaining system security. The trusted component acts as a proxy that the peripheral cannot bypass, resolving the security vulnerability.
2Reliability
If the peripheral can directly transmit data to the cash register, then the data transmission is efficient, but the data can be modified or falsified
Solution Approach 1:
The trusted component serves as a mediator that receives data from the peripheral and forwards it to the cash register through secured channels. This ensures data integrity by preventing direct unsecured transmission, while the automated mediation process maintains transaction efficiency without requiring additional manual verification steps.
3Reliability
If the pairing process is finalized at the initiative of the peripheral, then the peripheral has control over the connection, but fraudulent peripherals can replay data exchanges
Solution Approach 1:
The trusted component mediates the pairing process by receiving pairing requests from the peripheral and establishing secured communication channels. This prevents fraudulent peripherals from directly finalizing pairings and replaying data exchanges, as all pairing communications must pass through the trusted component's security verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary security verification through the trusted component before allowing the pairing to be finalized. This preliminary anti-action prevents fraudulent peripherals from successfully completing pairing operations, as the trusted component verifies the legitimacy of pairing requests before establishing communication channels.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for transmitting data, implemented within a secured execution environment of an electronic device, called a trusted component, which is coupled to a cash register. The method includes transmitting, by using a payment terminal, a piece of data intended for cash register. The method includes, prior to transmitting the data: receiving, from the cash register, a first request for setting up a first secured communications channel with the trusted component; setting up the first secured communications channel by using at least one piece of data contained in the first request; receiving, from the payment terminal, a second request for setting up a second secured communications channel with the trusted component; and setting up the second secured communications channel with the payment terminal by using at least one piece of data of the second request.