Proximity Based Authentication Using Tokens

• US 20090265775A1
• Filed: 03/15/2006
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Turnbull, Rory S., Wisely, David R.
• Application Number:
  US11/887,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20090265775A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• 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 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

The present invention relates to authenticating a mobile device using location information associated with the device. The present invention provides a mechanism for authenticating a mobile device based on location related information or a “logical location”, but without requiring an actual location. The mobile user device gathers tokens such as SIM data from other wireless devices using wireless communication between the user device and the other devices. A server determines whether these tokens match predetermined reference information, and if so authenticates the user device.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating a mobile wireless user device by establishing a logical location for the device, the method comprising:

gathering tokens from a number of other wireless devices using wireless communication between the user device and the other devices;

determining whether said tokens match a number of predetermined authentication tokens defining a known logical association for said user device; and

authenticating said user device on the basis of said known logical association, wherein said logical association is determined by a previous proximity association of said user device to said other devices.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the wireless communication comprises using one or more wireless access technologies to directly communicate with one or more of said other devices in order to obtain said respective token.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein one or more said wireless access technologies are used to communicate with said other devices having said wireless access technology capability within the respective ranges of said user device.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein a said token comprises information corresponding to one of the following group:

a MAC address for the other device;

SIM data for the other device;

a unique group identifier for the other device;

a combination.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the wireless communication comprises one of the following group:

IEEE802.11a;

IEEE802.11b;

IEEE802.11g;

Bluetooth;

a combination.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the authentication tokens correspond to a predetermined grouping of other devices.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the grouping comprises one of the following:

devices having a company identifier;

devices using a predetermined wireless network;

devices using or requesting a predetermined service;

a combination.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the matching comprises determining whether other device identifiers associated with the gathered tokens match a corresponding number of device identifiers associated with the authentication tokens.

9. A method according to claim 1 further comprising forwarding to the user device an encrypted resource using one wireless channel and a key for the encrypted resource using another wireless channel.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the first wireless channel is WiFi and the second wireless channel is SMS.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein said tokens comprise the wireless communications technology used to gather each respective token.

12. A method according to claim 1 further comprising determining whether a service requested by the user device and corresponding to the authentication method is the same as that requested by or being used by the other devices from which tokens have been gathered.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein the user device communicates the tokens using a wireless network to a server for said determining and authenticating in response to an authentication challenge from the server, and wherein the tokens are from other devices also using said wireless network.

16. Processor control code which when executed on a processor is arranged to cause the processor to carry out the method according to claim 1.

14. A method of authenticating a mobile wireless user device by establishing a logical location for the device, the method comprising at the user device:

receiving at the user device an authentication challenge from a server;

responding to said authentication challenge by gathering tokens from a number of other wireless devices using wireless communication between the user device and the other devices;

forwarding said tokens to said server in response to said challenge, said tokens collectively defining a known logical association for said user device, said logical association being determined by a previous proximity association of said user device to said other devices.

15. A method of authenticating a wireless user device, the method comprising:

sending an authentication challenge to the user device, said authentication challenge requiring the user device to establish a logical association with a plurality of other devices by receiving wirelessly communicated tokens from said other devices, said tokens collectively defining a known logical association for said user device, said logical association being determined by a previous proximity association of said user device to said other devices;

receiving tokens associated with a number of other wireless devices from the user device in response to the challenge;

determining whether said tokens match a number of predetermined authentication tokens establishing said known logical association; and

,

in the event of a match,

authenticating said user device.

17. A system for authenticating a wireless user device, the system comprising:

means arranged to gather tokens from a number of other wireless devices using wireless communication between the user device and the other devices;

means arranged to determine whether said tokens match a number of predetermined authentication tokens defining a known logical association for said user device; and

means arranged to authenticate said user device on the basis of said known logical association, wherein said logical association is determined by a previous proximity association of said user device to said other devices.

18. A wireless user device comprising:

means arranged to receive an authentication challenge from a server;

means arranged to respond to said authentication challenge by gathering tokens from a number of other wireless devices using wireless communication between the user device and the other devices; and

means arranged to forward said tokens to said server in response to said challenge, said tokens collectively defining a known logical association for said user device, said logical association being determined by a previous proximity association of said user device to said other devices.

19. A server for authenticating a wireless user device, the server comprising:

means arranged to send an authentication challenge to the user device, said authentication challenge requiring the user device to establish a logical association with a plurality of other devices by receiving wirelessly communicated tokens from said other devices, said tokens collectively defining a known logical association for said user device, said logical association being determined by a previous proximity association of said user device to said other devices;

means arranged to receive tokens associated with a number of other wireless devices from the user device in response to the challenge;

means arranged to determine whether said tokens match a number of predetermined authentication tokens establishing said known logical association; and

,

authentication means arranged, in the event of a match, to authenticate said user device.