Wireless Ranging Authentication Against Relay Attack Distance Spoofing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless ranging methods are vulnerable to attacks from illegitimate devices, particularly relay attacks that manipulate phase and distance measurements, compromising the security and accuracy of proximity-based access control systems.
Innovation Solution
A method involving two-way phase and round-trip time measurements, using frame delimiters with authentication codes based on a commonly known key, to authenticate carrier signals and mitigate relay attacks, ensuring secure distance calculation between wireless nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If two-way phase measurements are performed for distance calculation, then measurement precision is improved, but vulnerability to relay attacks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces frame delimiters as intermediary elements that carry authentication codes between nodes. These delimiters serve as mediators that verify the legitimacy of carrier signals, allowing the system to maintain precise phase measurements while preventing relay attacks through cryptographic authentication of each measurement exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary authentication of carrier signals using authentication codes embedded in frame delimiters before performing phase measurements. This preliminary verification ensures that only legitimate signals are measured, preventing adversaries from manipulating phase measurements in relay attack scenarios while maintaining measurement precision for authenticated signals.
2Reliability
If authentication codes are added to frame delimiters for signal verification, then security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges authentication functionality with the existing frame delimiter structure by embedding authentication codes directly within the delimiters. This combining of authentication and framing functions into a single integrated element provides security verification without requiring separate authentication packets or significantly increasing overall packet complexity.
3Measurement precision
If multiple frequencies are used for phase measurements, then measurement precision is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by performing authentication and measurement operations selectively at specific frequency points rather than uniformly across all frequencies. The system authenticates carrier signals at each frequency and processes measurements only for authenticated signals, optimizing energy usage by focusing computational resources on valid measurement opportunities while maintaining precision through multi-frequency analysis.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of secure wireless ranging between a verifier node and a prover node comprises, for each frequency in a plurality of frequencies, performing a measurement procedure resulting in a two-way phase measurement and a round-trip time measurement between the verifier node and the prover node, the measurement procedure comprising the verifier node transmitting on the frequency a verifier packet comprising a verifier carrier signal and a verifier frame delimiter, the prover node receiving the verifier packet and performing a phase measurement of the verifier carrier signal and a time-of-arrival measurement of the verifier frame delimiter, the prover node transmitting on said frequency, a prover packet comprising a prover carrier signal and a prover frame delimiter, and the verifier node receiving the prover packet and performing a phase measurement of the prover carrier signal and a time-of-arrival measurement of the prover frame delimiter, wherein each the verifier frame delimiter and each the prover frame delimiter comprises a respective authentication code, wherein the authentication code is based on key a commonly known by the verifier node and the prover node, the method further comprising: calculating a distance between the verifier node and the prover node based on the two-way phase measurements and the round-trip time measurements for the plurality of frequencies, wherein each the carrier signal is authenticated based on each corresponding the authentication code of the corresponding the frame delimiter and the commonly known key.