Techniques for securing body-based communications

• US 10,277,333 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2017
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Triantafillou, Nicholas D., Keaffaber, Todd A., Kavas, Shai Skavas
• Primary Examiner(s): Shepperd, Eric W
• Application Number:
  US15/463,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20180019827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/00 Transmission systems characterised by the medium used for transmission, not provided for in groups H04B3/00 - H04B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/00 Secret communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Various embodiments are generally directed to techniques to form and maintain secure communications among two or more body-carried devices disposed in close proximity to the body of a person to form a body area network (BAN). An apparatus to establish secure communications includes a processor component; a signal component for execution by the processor component to compare a signal characteristic of a security test signal to a known signal characteristic of the security test signal to derive a bioelectric characteristic, the security test signal received via a tissue; and a bioelectric component for execution by the processor component to determine whether to allow transmission of data through the tissue based on the bioelectric characteristic. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory; and

logic, at least a portion of the logic implemented in circuitry coupled to the memory, the logic to;

identify a security test signal with a body-carried device;

compare a signal characteristic of the security test signal to a known signal characteristic;

derive a value for one or more bioelectric characteristics of a user body based on the comparison of the signal characteristic of the security test signal to the known signal characteristic, the one or more bioelectric characteristics associated with a frequency of the security test signal and comprising one or more of a resistance, an inductance, and a capacitance of the user body, the frequency one of a plurality of frequencies; and

store the value for the one or more bioelectric characteristics with an association to a location on the user body of the body-carried device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the logic to compare a derived value for a first bioelectric characteristic of the one or more bioelectric characteristics to an expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the user body has a different value for the one or more bioelectric characteristics when derived based on a different security test signal having a different frequency of the plurality of frequencies, the logic to:

determine the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic matches the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic within a predetermined threshold; and

allow transmission of data in response to the determination the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic matches the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic within the predetermined threshold.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, the logic to cause the data to be transmitted through the user body.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic is associated with the location of the user body, the logic to:

determine the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic fails to match the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic within a predetermined threshold; and

determine a difference from a closest match to the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic when the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic fails to match the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic within the predetermined threshold.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, the logic to update the closest match and allow transmission of data when the difference from the closest match is within a maximum rate of change, wherein a different location of the user body is associated with a different expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, the logic to cause the data to be transmitted through the user body.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, the logic to disallow transmission of data when the difference from the closest match is outside a maximum rate of change.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, the logic to present a security challenge when the difference from the closest match is outside a maximum rate of change.

10. A method, comprising:

identifying a security test signal with a body-carried device;

comparing a signal characteristic of the security test signal to a known signal characteristic;

deriving a value for one or more bioelectric characteristics of a user body based on the comparison of the signal characteristic of the security test signal to the known signal characteristic, the one or more bioelectric characteristics associated with a frequency of the security test signal and comprising one or more of a resistance, an inductance, and a capacitance of the user body, the frequency one of a plurality of frequencies; and

storing the value for the one or more bioelectric characteristics with an association to a location on the user body of the body-carried device.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising comparing a derived value for a first bioelectric characteristic of the one or more bioelectric characteristics to an expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user body has a different value for the one or more bioelectric characteristics when derived based on a different security test signal having a different frequency of the plurality of frequencies, the method comprising:

determining the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic matches the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic within a predetermined threshold; and

allowing transmission of data in response to the determination the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic matches the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic within the predetermined threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising causing the data to be transmitted through the user body.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic is associated with the location of the user body, the method comprising:

determining the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic fails to match the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic within a predetermined threshold; and

determining a difference from a closest match to the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic when the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic fails to match the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic within the predetermined threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a different location of the user body is associated with a different expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic, the method comprising updating the closest match and allow transmission of data when the difference from the closest match is within a maximum rate of change.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising causing the data to be encrypted and transmitted through the user body.

17. The method of claim 14, comprising disallowing transmission of data when the difference from the closest match is outside a maximum rate of change.

18. The method of claim 14, comprising presenting a security challenge when the difference from the closest match is outside a maximum rate of change.

19. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions that, in response to being executed by a processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to:

identify a security test signal with a body-carried device;

compare a signal characteristic of the security test signal to a known signal characteristic;

derive a value for one or more bioelectric characteristics of a user body based on the comparison of the signal characteristic of the security test signal to the known signal characteristic, the one or more bioelectric characteristics associated with a frequency of the security test signal and comprising one or more of a resistance, an inductance, and a capacitance of the user body, the frequency one of a plurality of frequencies; and

store the value for the one or more bioelectric characteristics with an association to a location on the user body of the body-carried device.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, comprising instructions that, in response to being executed by the processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to compare a derived value for a first bioelectric characteristic of the one or more bioelectric characteristics to an expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic.

21. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, comprising instructions that, in response to being executed by the processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to:

determine the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic matches the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic within a predetermined threshold; and

allow transmission of data in response to the determination the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic matches the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic within the predetermined threshold, wherein the user body has a different value for the one or more bioelectric characteristics when derived based on a different security test signal having a different frequency of the plurality of frequencies.

22. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21, comprising instructions that, in response to being executed by the processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to cause the data to be encrypted and transmitted through the user body.

23. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, comprising instructions that, in response to being executed by the processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to:

determine the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic fails to match the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic within a predetermined threshold; and

determine a difference from a closest match to the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic when the derived value for the first bioelectric characteristic fails to match the expected value for the first bioelectric characteristic within the predetermined threshold.

24. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of 23, comprising instructions that, in response to being executed by the processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to update the closest match and allow transmission of data when the difference from the closest match is within a maximum rate of change, wherein the expected bioelectric characteristic is associated with the location of the user body, wherein a different location of the user body is associated with a different expected bioelectric characteristic.

25. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, comprising instructions that, in response to being executed by the processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to cause the data to be encrypted and transmitted through the user body.