Mobile terminal and method for preventing illegitimate change of identification number of the same

• US 20080207169A1
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yea, Byoung Suk, Hwang, Pyoung Ju, Shin, Kwan Min, Park, Gun Woo
• Granted Patent: US 8,660,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a method for preventing illegitimate change of an identification number of the mobile terminal. The method includes receiving, if change of an identification number is requested, and storing new authentication information and encoding the authentication information; determining whether a previously stored first authentication information exists; storing, if a previously stored first authentication information does not exist, an identification number, and storing the encoded authentication information as a first authentication information; and determining, if a previously stored first authentication information exists, whether the encoded authentication information corresponds to the first authentication information, and storing an identification number, if the encoded authentication information corresponds to the first authentication information, and performing error handling, if the encoded authentication information does not correspond to the first authentication information.

Claims

1. A method for preventing illegitimate change of an identification number of a mobile terminal not having authentication information and a code, the method comprising:

if change of an identification number is requested, receiving and storing new authentication information and encoding the authentication information;

determining whether a previously stored first authentication information exists;

if a previously stored first authentication information does not exist, storing an identification number and the encoded authentication information as a first authentication information; and

if a previously stored first authentication information exists, performing the steps of—

determining whether the encoded authentication information corresponds to the first authentication information,

if the encoded authentication information corresponds to the first authentication information, storing an identification number, and

if the encoded authentication information does not correspond to the first authentication information, performing error handling.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first authentication information is formed by encoding authentication information received from an authentication data server and is stored in a one time programmable (OTP) area in which information stored once cannot be permanently changed or erased.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the authentication data server

stores authentication data formed by matching authentication information with a code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification number is a unique identification number allocated to each mobile terminal for differentiation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of performing error handling comprises one of the steps selected from the group consisting of interrupting power supply to the mobile terminal and outputting a message to notify that change of the identification number is not possible.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of receiving and storing authentication information comprises:

connecting to the authentication data server and receiving an authentication information transmission request signal from the authentication data server;

transmitting a signal to the authentication data server notifying that authentication information is not stored; and

receiving and new authentication information from the authentication data server.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of receiving and storing authentication information from the authentication data server further comprises receiving and storing a code corresponding to the authentication information from the authentication data server.

8. A method for preventing illegitimate change of an identification number of a mobile terminal having stored an authentication information, a code and a first authentication information, the method comprising:

if change of an identification number is requested, encoding the stored authentication information;

determining whether the encoded authentication information corresponds to the stored first authentication information;

if the encoded authentication information corresponds to the first authentication information, storing an identification number; and

if the encoded authentication information does not correspond to the first authentication information, performing error handling.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of encoding the authentication information further comprises the steps of:

transmitting the stored authentication information to an authentication data server and receiving a code corresponding to the transmitted authentication information;

determining whether the received code corresponds to the stored code;

if the received code corresponds to the stored code, encoding the stored authentication information; and

if the received code does not correspond to the stored code, performing error handling to accomplish one action selected from the group consisting of interrupt power supply to the mobile terminal and output a message to notify that change of the identification number is not possible.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first authentication information is formed by encoding authentication information received from the authentication data server and is stored in an OTP area in which information stored once cannot be permanently changed and erased.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the identification number is a unique identification number allocated to each mobile terminal for differentiation.

12. A mobile terminal comprising:

a storage unit for storage of an authentication information, a code, an identification number and a first authentication information;

an encoding unit for encoding the stored authentication information to generate an encoded authentication information;

a comparing unit for comparison of the encoded authentication information with the first authentication information; and

a control unit for performing the steps of—

if the encoded authentication information corresponds to the first authentication information, storing the identification number, and

if the encoded authentication information does not correspond to the first authentication information, performing error handling.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, further comprising the step of providing the storage unit with a flash area formed of a flash memory device for storage of the authentication information and code received from an authentication data server and the identification number received from an identification number server.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the providing step further comprises the steps of configuring the storage unit to include a one time programmable (OTP) area in which information stored once cannot be permanently changed and erased for storage of the first authentication information formed by encoding authentication information received from the authentication data server in the manufacture of the mobile terminal.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the identification number is a unique identification number allocated to each mobile terminal for differentiation.