Verifying a secure connection between a network beacon and a user computing device

• US 10,019,703 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2015
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Weksler, Michel, Abousselham, Yassir
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Steven S
• Application Number:
  US14/604,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20150332248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3226 Use of secure elements separate from M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/79 Radio fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/244 using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A beacon device establishes a network connection with a user computing device. The beacon device determines the received signal strength indicator of the user computing device (the “reverse RSSI”) and transmits it to the user computing device, which determines the received signal strength indicator (the “RSSI”) of the beacon device, and saves the RSSI with the reverse RSSI as a data pair. At a later time, the beacon device determines a subsequent reverse RSSI and transmits it to the user computing device, which determines a subsequent RSSI, and saves the subsequent RSSI with the subsequent reverse RSSI as a data pair. If the user computing device determines a correspondence in the changes of the RSSI values and reverse RSSI values in the two data pairs, a transaction between the two devices is allowed. If correspondence does not exist, then the user computing device terminates the network connection.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to secure a network connection, comprising:

receiving, by a user computing device at a first time, a first set of data from a beacon device, the first set of data comprising a first reverse signal strength indicator, the first reverse signal strength indicator comprising a signal strength indicator of the user computing device as determined by the beacon device;

determining, by the user computing device at the first time, a first signal strength indicator in response to the receiving the first set of data, the first signal strength indicator comprising a signal strength indicator of the beacon device as determined by the user computing device;

receiving, by the user computing device, at a second time after determining the first signal strength indicator, a second set of data from the beacon device, the second set of data comprising a second reverse signal strength indicator from the beacon device, the second reverse signal strength indicator comprising a second signal strength indicator of the user computing device as determined by the beacon device at a time after the user computing device determines the first signal strength indicator;

determining, by the user computing device, a second signal strength indicator in response to the receiving of the second set data, the second signal strength indicator comprising a second signal strength indicator of the beacon device as determined by the user computing device;

comparing, by the user computing device, a change in the first signal strength indicator with respect to the second signal strength indicator to a change in the first reverse signal strength indicator with respect to the second reverse signal strength indicator;

determining, by the user computing device, a correspondence between the change in the first signal strength indicator with respect to the second signal strength indicator and the change in the first reverse signal strength indicator with respect to the second reverse signal strength indicator, the correspondence comprising a proportional change in magnitude; and

transacting, by the user computing device, with a merchant system associated with the beacon device in response to determining the correspondence.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the user computing device at a third time after proceeding with the transaction, that there is not a correspondence in the change in the first signal strength indicator with respect to the second signal strength indicator and the change in the first reverse signal strength indicator with respect to the second reverse signal strength indicator; and

terminating, by the user computing device, a network connection between the user computing device and the beacon device in response to determining at the third time that there is not a correspondence.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the beacon device, movement of the beacon device; and

terminating, by the beacon device, a network connection between the beacon device and the user computing device in response to detecting movement of the beacon device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the movement of the beacon device is detected via an accelerometer residing on the beacon device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of data and the second set of data further comprise advertising data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the beacon device comprises Bluetooth low energy beacon.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of data and the second set of data further comprise a digital signature created by the beacon device via a private cryptographic key residing within a secure memory of the beacon device, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the user computing device, a public cryptographic key from the beacon device;

decrypting, by the user computing device via the public cryptographic key, the digital signature; and

verifying, by the user computing device, that the digital signature corresponds to a merchant system with which the user computing device intends to transact.

8. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a user computing device cause the user computing device perform operations to secure a network connection, the operations comprising;

receiving a first set of data from a beacon device, the first set of data comprising a first reverse signal strength indicator, the first reverse signal strength indicator comprising a signal strength indicator of the user computing device as determined by the beacon device;

determining a first signal strength indicator in response to the receiving the first set of data, the first signal strength indicator comprising a signal strength indicator of the beacon device as determined by the user computing device;

receiving, at a second time after determining the first signal strength indicator, a second set of data from the beacon device the second set of data comprising a second reverse signal strength indicator from the beacon device, the second reverse signal strength indicator comprising a second signal strength indicator of the user computing device as determined by the beacon device at a time after the user computing device determines the first signal strength indicator;

determining a second signal strength indicator in response to the receiving of the second set data, the second signal strength indicator comprising a second signal strength indicator of the beacon device as determined by the user computing device;

comparing a change in the first signal strength indicator with respect to the second signal strength indicator to a change in the first reverse signal strength indicator with respect to the second reverse signal strength indicator;

determining a correspondence between the change in the first signal strength indicator with respect to the second signal strength indicator and the change in the first reverse signal strength indicator with respect to the second reverse signal strength indicator, the correspondence comprising a proportional change in magnitude; and

transacting with a merchant system associated with the beacon device in response to determining the correspondence.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise establishing a wireless network connection between the user computing device and the beacon device.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving at a third time after proceeding the transaction, a notification from the beacon device of a detection of movement of the beacon device; and

terminating the wireless network connection based on receiving the notification of the detection of movement.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the movement of the beacon device is detected via an accelerometer residing on the beacon device.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the wireless network device comprises Bluetooth low energy device.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first data and the second data further comprise a digital signature created by the beacon device via a private cryptographic key residing within a secure element of the beacon device, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a public cryptographic key from the beacon device;

decrypting, via the public cryptographic key, the digital signature; and

verifying that the digital signature corresponds to a merchant system with which the user intends to transact.

19. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first set of data and the second set of data further comprise advertising data.

14. A user computing device to secure a network connection, comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the storage device, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first set of data from a beacon device, the first set of data comprising a first reverse signal strength indicator, the first reverse signal strength indicator comprising a signal strength indicator of the user computing device as determined by the beacon device;

determining a first signal strength indicator in response to the receiving the first set of data, the first signal strength indicator comprising a signal strength indicator of the beacon device as determined by the user computing device;

receiving at a second time after determining the first signal strength indicator a second set of data from the beacon device, the second set of data comprising a second reverse signal strength indicator from the beacon device, the second reverse signal strength indicator comprising a second signal strength indicator of the user computing device as determined by the beacon device at a time after the user computing device determines the first signal strength indicator;

determining a second signal strength indicator in response to the receiving of the second set data, the second signal strength indicator comprising a second signal strength indicator of the beacon device as determined by the user computing device;

comparing a change in the first signal strength indicator with respect to the second signal strength indicator to a change in the first reverse signal strength indicator with respect to the second reverse signal strength indicator;

determining a correspondence between the change in the first signal strength indicator with respect to the second signal strength indicator and the change in the first reverse signal strength indicator with respect to the second reverse signal strength indicator, the correspondence comprising a proportional change in magnitude; and

transacting with a merchant system associated with the beacon device in response to determining the correspondence.

15. The user computing device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise establishing a wireless network connection between the user computing device and the beacon device.

16. The user computing device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining at a third time after proceeding with the transaction that the change in the first and second signal strength indicators is not proportional to the change in the first and second reverse signal strength indicators; and

terminating a wireless network connection between the user computing device and the beacon device in response to determining that the change in the first and second signal strength indicators is not proportional to the change in the first and second reverse signal strength indicators.

17. The user computing device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, at a third time after allowing the transaction, a notification from the beacon device of a detection of movement of the beacon device; and

terminating a wireless network connection between the user computing device and the beacon device in response to receiving the notification from the beacon device.

18. The user computing device of claim 17, wherein the beacon device comprises a Bluetooth low energy beacon.

20. The user computing device of claim 14, wherein the first set of data and the second set of data further comprise advertising data.