System for the secure distributed firmware and configuration update of unnetworked physical devices

• US 10,559,007 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Middleton, Thomas, Morris, Orin
• Primary Examiner(s): Aponte, Francisco J
• Application Number:
  US15/352,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20170131994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 717172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography postage metering system using cryptography G06Q2250/05
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0819 Key transport or distribution, i.e. key establishment techniques where one party creates or otherwise obtains a secret value, and securely transfers it to the other(s) network architectures or network communication protocols for key distribution in a packet data network H04L63/062
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for the secure distribution of firmware and configuration updates to un-networked physical devices. A client component is provided for installation on a client device, which is configured to receive, via the client component, a status data packet including a status indication from a beacon, when the client is proximate to the beacon. A server receives the status data packet via the client component, determines whether an update is available for the beacon based at least in part on the status indication, and transmits, to the client device, an encrypted update data message relating to the update for installation at the beacon to complete the update of the beacon.

Claims

1. A method for secure distributed update of un-networked physical devices, the method comprising:

providing a client component for installation on a client device, wherein the client device is configured to receive, via the client component, a status data packet including a status indication from a beacon when the client is proximate to the beacon;

receiving, at a server, via the client component, the status data packet;

determining, by the server, that an update is available for the beacon based at least in part on the status indication; and

transmitting, by the server, to the client device, an encrypted update data message relating to the update for installation at the beacon to complete the update of the beacon, the encrypted update data message including message validation information for use by the beacon to verify validity of the update data message,

wherein the beacon is un-networked with the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device transmits the encrypted update data message to the beacon.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the beacon decrypts the encrypted update data packet to extract the update, validates the encrypted update data packet, and performs the update.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device receives the status data packet from the beacon via a first wireless communication protocol, and

wherein the server receives the status data packet from the client device via a second wireless communication protocol without a direct network connection between the beacon and the server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message validation information includes a nonce in the encrypted update data packet.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the beacon validates the encrypted update data packet and the validating further comprises:

extracting the nonce; and

comparing the nonce to previously received nonces.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the beacon, an encrypted status message back to the server upon completed delivery.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the encryption is performed using a shared secret key that is known to the beacon and the server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining, by the server, that an update is available for the beacon based at least in part on the status indication further comprises:

retrieving, from a database, a desired status; and

comparing the status indication to the desired status.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device includes any of a computer, a handheld device, and a point of sale (POS) register, and relays to the beacon the encrypted update data message without decrypting the encrypted update data message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted update data message is transmitted to the client device without authenticating the client device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted update data message is atomically packaged for transmission.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device and the server are networked via a first network and wherein the beacon is not networked via the first network;

wherein receiving the status data packet at the server includes receiving the status data packet over the first network; and

wherein providing the client component includes providing a configuration for the client device to receive the status data packet from the beacon via a local connection distinct from the first network.

14. A method for secure distributed update of un-networked physical devices, the method comprising:

receiving, via a client component installed at a client device, a status data packet including a status indication from a beacon when the client is proximate to the beacon;

transmitting, via the client component and to a server, the status data packet to be used by the server to determine whether an update is available for the beacon based at least in part on the status indication;

receiving, from the server, an encrypted update data message relating to the update for installation at the beacon to complete the update of the beacon, the encrypted update data message including message validation information for use by the beacon to verify validity of the update data message; and

transmitting, to the beacon, the encrypted update data message wherein the beacon is un-networked with the server.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining the update indication includes:

searching a local database at the client device for previously downloaded update data.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining the update indication includes:

receiving the update indication from the server,

wherein the server determines that the update is available for the beacon based at least in part on the status indication.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the encrypted update data message is atomically packaged, and transmitted to the beacon from the client device without being decrypted at the client device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the status data packet is received from the beacon via a first wireless communication protocol, and

wherein the status data packet is transmitted to the server from the client device via a second wireless communication protocol without a direct network connection between the beacon and the server.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the encrypted update data message is decrypted and installed at the beacon.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the client device and the server are networked via a first network and wherein the beacon is not networked via the first network;

wherein transmitting the status data packet to the server and receiving the encrypted update data message from the server each includes communicating with the server over the first network; and

wherein receiving the status data packet from the beacon and transmitting the encrypted update data message to the beacon each includes communicating with the beacon via a local communication connection distinct from the first network.

21. A system for secure distributed update of un-networked physical devices, the system comprising:

a memory for storing a client component for installation on a client device and an encrypted update data message relating to an update for installation at a beacon, the encrypted update data message including message validation information for use by the beacon to verify validity of the update data message;

a communication interface coupled to the memory, the communication interface configured to;

provide the client component for installation on the client device, wherein the client component, when executed, is to cause the client device to receive, via the client component, a status data packet including a status indication from a beacon when the client is proximate to the beacon,

receive, from the client component, the status data packet, and

transmit the encrypted update data message relating to the update for installation at the beacon to complete the update of the beacon; and

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to;

determine that the update is available for the beacon based at least in part on the status indication; and

prepare the encrypted update data message,

wherein the beacon is un-networked with the communication interface.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the client device and the communication interface are networked via a first network and wherein the beacon is not networked via the first network;

wherein the communication interface is further configured;

to receive the status data packet over the first network from the client device; and

to transmit the encrypted update data message over the first network to the client device; and

wherein the client component is to configure the client device to receive the status data packet from the beacon via a local connection distinct from the first network.

23. A processor-readable non-transitory storage medium storing processor-executable instructions for secure distributed update of un-networked physical devices, the processor-executable instructions being executed by a processor to:

receive, via a client component installed at a client device, a status data packet including a status indication from a beacon when the client is proximate to the beacon;

transmit, via the client component and to a server, the status data packet to be used by the server to determine whether an update is available for the beacon based at least in part on the status indication;

receive, from the server, an encrypted update data message relating to the update for installation at the beacon to complete the update of the beacon; and

transmit, to the beacon, the encrypted update data message, the encrypted update data message including message validation information for use by the beacon to verify validity of the update data message;

wherein the beacon is un-networked with the server.

24. The processor-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 23, wherein the client device and the server are networked via a first network and wherein the beacon is not networked via the first network;

wherein the processor-executable instructions are further executed by the processor to;

transmit the status data packet to the server over the first network;

receive the encrypted update data message from the server over the first network; and

receive the status data packet from the beacon via a local communication connection distinct from the first network; and

transmit the encrypted update data message to the beacon via the local communication connection.