Secure short message service (SMS) communications

• US 10,595,201 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2019
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mardikar, Upendra
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai M
• Application Number:
  US16/433,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20200029215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 285 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/082 applying multi-factor authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• 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: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0643 Hash functions, e.g. MD5, SHA, HMAC or f9 MAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/302 involving the integer factorization problem, e.g. RSA or quadratic sieve [QS] schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/304 based on error correction codes, e.g. McEliece
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3249 using RSA or related signature schemes, e.g. Rabin scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 : Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 : Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products for providing secure messaging communications are disclosed. For example, a computer-implemented method may include receiving an encrypted message and a key from a sender associated with a first computing device where the encrypted message is generated by the first computing device, verifying the received key at least in part based on a comparison with a pre-determined key, processing one or more unique factors associated with the sender in view of verifying the received key, decrypting the encrypted message, re-encrypting a result of the decrypting using a key of a receiver associated with a second computing device, and sending the re-encrypted result to the receiver associated with the second computing device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a non-transitory memory; and

one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory and configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by a cryptography application of a user device from a text messaging application of the user device, a request to encrypt a message for sending to a remote device;

applying, by the cryptography application, a message authentication code (MAC) function to a device identifier of the user device and a variable negotiated between the user device and the remote device;

generating, by the cryptography application, a MAC value based on the applying;

encrypting, by the cryptography application, the message using an encryption key generated based on at least one of the device identifier or the variable;

passing, by the cryptography application, the encrypted message and the MAC value to the text messaging application; and

causing the text messaging application to transmit the encrypted message along with the MAC value to the remote device over a network, wherein the MAC value enables at least one of the message or a user of the user device to be authenticated by the remote device based on the MAC value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

causing the text messaging application to prompt the user of the user device for a passcode;

obtaining the passcode from the text messaging application; and

authenticating the user for using the cryptography application based on the passcode, wherein the encrypting the message is in response to authenticating the user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the encryption key is generated further based on the passcode.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the variable comprises at least one of a timestamp or a counter.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the message comprises financial transaction data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the text messaging application, an input from the user;

analyzing, by the text messaging application, the input;

determining, by the text messaging application, that the input is associated with a financial transaction based on the analyzing; and

transmitting, by the text messaging application to the cryptography application, the request to encrypt the message in response to determining that the input is associated with the financial transaction, wherein the message comprises the input.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the cryptography application and the text messaging application are connected via a physical secured link.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a cryptography application of a user device from a text messaging application of the user device, a request to encrypt a message for sending to a remote device;

applying, by the cryptography application, a message authentication code (MAC) function to a device identifier of the user device and a variable agreed upon between the user device and the remote device;

generating, by the cryptography application, a MAC value based on the applying;

encrypting, by the cryptography application, the message using an encryption key;

passing, by the cryptography application, the encrypted message and the MAC value to the text messaging application; and

transmitting, by the user device, the encrypted message along with the MAC value to the remote device over a network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein MAC value enables the remote device to authenticate at least one of the message or a sender of the message based on the MAC value.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

decrypting the encrypted message using the device identifier and the variable;

determining a recipient of the message based on the decrypted message;

re-encrypting the decrypted message using a device identifier associated with a second user device of the recipient; and

transmitting the re-encrypted message to the second user device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the device identifier comprises at least one of an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number, or an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the MAC function comprises at least one of a Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) algorithm or an Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) algorithm.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the encrypted message and the MAC value are transmitted over the air via a short-message-system (SMS) communication chip of the user device.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, by the text messaging application, an input from a user;

analyzing, by the text messaging application, the input;

determining, by the text messaging application, that the input is associated with a financial transaction based on the analyzing; and

transmitting, by the text messaging application to the cryptography application, the request to encrypt the message in response to determining that the input is associated with the financial transaction, wherein the message comprises the input.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon machine-readable instructions executable to cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a cryptography component of the machine from a text messaging component of the machine, a request to encrypt a message for sending to a remote device;

applying, by the cryptography component, a message authentication code (MAC) function to a device identifier of the machine and a variable negotiated between the machine and the remote device;

generating, by the cryptography component, a MAC value based on the applying;

encrypting, by the cryptography component, the message using an encryption key generated based on at least one of the device identifier or the variable;

passing, by the cryptography component, the encrypted message and the MAC value to the text messaging component via a physical connection; and

causing the text messaging component to transmit the encrypted message along with the MAC value to the remote device over a network.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the cryptography component and the text messaging component are connected via a physical secured link within the machine.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

causing the text messaging component to prompt a user of the user device for a passcode;

obtaining the passcode from the text messaging component; and

authenticating the user based on the passcode, wherein the encrypting the message is in response to authenticating the user.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the variable comprises at least one of a timestamp or a counter.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the message comprises financial transaction data.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the text messaging component, an input by a user;

analyzing, by the text messaging component, the input;

determining, by the text messaging component, that the input is associated with a financial transaction based on the analyzing; and

transmitting, by the text messaging component to the cryptography component, the request to encrypt the message in response to determining that the input is associated with the financial transaction, wherein the message comprises the input.