UWB Ranging Plausibility Assessment Against Relay Attacks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Ultra-WideBand (UWB) ranging systems are vulnerable to relay and Man-In-The-Middle attacks, which compromise the security of short-range transactions between IoT devices by allowing unauthorized access.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to assess the plausibility of ranging measurements using unsupervised or semi-supervised Machine Learning algorithms, such as Grid Clustering or One-class SVM, to analyze UWB metrics like received power, channel impulse response, and time of flight, identifying outliers in a constructed n-dimensional space to detect malicious or malfunctioning devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If UWB ranging measurements are used to secure transactions, then security against relay attacks is improved, but vulnerability to malicious timing manipulation persists
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces physical metrics (received power, Channel Impulse Response, Time of Flight, angle of arrival) as intermediary indicators that mediate between the ranging measurement and security verification. These physical metrics serve as evidence that can be analyzed to detect malicious devices, resolving the contradiction by adding a verification layer that exposes deception attempts.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring physical UWB metrics during ranging transactions and using Machine Learning algorithms to assess plausibility. The feedback loop compares expected physical behavior with actual measurements, enabling real-time detection of anomalies and malicious attempts, thus improving security while maintaining reliability.
2Measurement precision
If multiple physical UWB metrics are collected and analyzed, then detection accuracy of malicious devices is improved, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by selectively analyzing the most discriminative physical metrics rather than processing all possible UWB measurements. The system collects multiple metrics (received power, CIR, ToF, angle of arrival) but uses Machine Learning to identify and focus on the subset that provides sufficient detection accuracy, thereby reducing computational complexity while maintaining high detection precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex manual analysis mechanisms with automated Machine Learning algorithms (unsupervised or semi-supervised). This substitution enables the system to process multiple physical metrics efficiently, extracting security-relevant information through algorithmic pattern recognition rather than requiring complex hardware or manual verification processes.
3Reliability
If unsupervised Machine Learning algorithms are used to detect outliers, then security against relay attacks is improved, but device resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by using unsupervised Machine Learning algorithms that automatically learn normal transaction patterns and detect anomalies without requiring external training data or continuous human intervention. The algorithm autonomously adapts to the specific UWB environment and device characteristics, enabling security verification with reduced external resource requirements and lower overall power consumption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the security of UWB transactions by reliably determining the plausibility of ranging measurements, thereby preventing unauthorized access and ensuring secure short-range communications.
Implementation Method 1
a Time of Flight (ToF) associated with the ranging measurement
Implementation Method 2
a Channel Impulse Response, (CIR) associated with the ranging measurement
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods of assessing a plausibility of a ranging measurement are provided. In some embodiments, a method of assessing a plausibility of a ranging measurement includes: obtaining the ranging measurement from a remote device; obtaining one or more measurements associated with the ranging measurement; and based on the one or more measurements associated with the ranging measurement, determining the plausibility of the ranging measurement. The embodiments disclosed herein determine the reliability of the measured range and thus enforce the security level of Ultra-WideBand (UWB) transactions to be secured. Some embodiments are based on existing and standardized metrics. Some embodiments include a capability to auto-assess whether it is reliable to estimate the plausibility of the transaction range. In some embodiments, the computations needed are relatively simple and can be performed by relatively simple devices.