VALIDATION METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USE IN SECURING NOMADIC ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS

• US 20110246780A1
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BCE Incorporated
• Original Assignee: BCE Incorporated
• Inventors: O'Brien, William G., Yeap, Tet Hin, Murray, Sean MacLean
• Granted Patent: US 9,231,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4015 using location information
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/425 using two different networks, one for transaction and one for security confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography postage metering system using cryptography G06Q2250/05
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• 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 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3215 using a plurality of channels network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

A method involving a communication device, which comprises sending a request to a communication device; receiving a response from the communication device over a local communication path; deriving a received data set from said response; determining at least one data set that had been previously transmitted to the communication device over a wireless portion of a second communication path different from the local communication path; and validating the response based on the received data set and the at least one previously transmitted data set.

Claims

1. A method involving a communication device, comprising:

sending a request to a communication device;

receiving a response from the communication device over a local communication path;

deriving a received data set from said response;

determining at least one data set that had been previously transmitted to the communication device over a second communication path different from the local communication path; and

validating the response based on the received data set and the at least one previously transmitted data set.

2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein deriving the received data set from the response comprises decrypting the received data set and an identifier of the communication device using a decryption key.

3. The method defined in claim 2, further comprising identifying the decryption key.

4. The method defined in claim 3, wherein identifying the decryption key is based exclusively on information available prior to receipt of the response.

5. The method defined in claim 3, wherein the response comprises a key index, wherein identifying the decryption key comprises consulting a database of stored keys and associated stored indexes to identify as the decryption key the stored key associated with the key index.

6. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising determining from the at least one previously transmitted data set a particular data set expected to be included in the response if the response is valid, wherein validating the response comprises considering the response to be valid if the received data set matches the particular data set.

9. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising determining from the at least one previously transmitted data set at least one particular data set expected to be absent from the response if the response is valid, wherein validating the response comprises considering the response to be valid if the received data set does not match any of the at least one particular data set.

12. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising decrypting a putative identifier and a putative code value from the received data set using a decryption key.

13. The method defined in claim 12, wherein determining the at least one previously transmitted data set comprises determining a particular code value which, when encrypted together with the putative identifier using an encryption key complementary to the decryption key, yields a signature expected to be included in the response if the response is valid, wherein validating the response comprises considering the response to be valid if the putative code value matches the particular code value.

16. The method defined in claim 12, wherein determining the at least one previously transmitted data set comprises determining at least one particular code value each of which, when encrypted together with the putative identifier using an encryption key complementary to the decryption key, yields a corresponding signature expected to be absent from the response if the response is valid, wherein validating the response comprises considering the response to be valid if the putative code value does not match any of the at least one particular code value.

25. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising sending the at least one previously transmitted data set to the communication device.

27. The method defined in claim 25, wherein said sending the at least one previously transmitted data set is carried out by a control server in response to receipt of a message indicating a detected presence of the communication device.

28. The method defined in claim 27, further comprising detecting the presence of the communication device and sending said message.

29. The method defined in claim 28, wherein detecting the presence of the communication device comprises obtaining knowledge of an identifier of the communication device.

30. The method defined in claim 29, wherein knowledge of the identifier of the communication device is obtained from a signal transmitted by the communication device over the local communication path.

31. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the response is received during a transaction attempt carried out using the communication device.

32. The method defined in claim 31, wherein if the response is considered valid, the received data set is indicative of a transaction identifier generated by a control server in anticipation of the transaction attempt.

33. The method defined in claim 31, wherein if the response is considered valid, the received data set is indicative of a transaction identifier generated by a control server after being informed of the transaction attempt.

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43. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for execution by a processing entity, wherein execution of the set of instructions by the processing entity causes the processing entity to execute a method of validating a response received from a communication device over a local communication path, the response having been sent by the communication device in response to a request sent thereto, the method comprising:

deriving a received data set from the response;

determining at least one data set that had been previously transmitted to the communication device over a second communication path different from the local communication path; and

validating the response based on the received data set and the at least one previously transmitted data set.

44. A system, comprising:

a control server configured to generate at least one particular data set for transmission to a particular communication device over a first communication path;

transmit/receive equipment configured to send a request to a detected communication device over a local communication path different from the first communication path and to obtain a response from the detected communication device over the local communication path; and

a processing entity communicatively coupled to the transmit/receive equipment and to the control server, the processing entity configured to derive a received data set from the response;

wherein upon identifying the detected communication device as the particular communication device, the processing entity is configured to validate the response based on the received data set and the at least one particular data set.

45. The system defined in claim 44, wherein the control server is configured to send the at least one particular data set autonomously.

46. The system defined in claim 44, wherein the control server is configured to send the at least one particular data set in response to receipt of a message indicating detection of the detected communication device.

47. The system defined in claim 46, wherein the processing entity is configured to generate said message in response to detection of the detected communication device.

48. The system defined in claim 47, wherein to detect the presence of the communication device, the processing entity is configured to obtain knowledge of an identifier of the detected communication device.

49. The system defined in claim 48, wherein knowledge of the identifier of the detected communication device is obtained from a signal transmitted by the detected communication device over the local communication path.

50. The system defined in claim 44, wherein the processing entity being configured to derive the received data set from the response comprises the processing entity being configured to decrypt the received data set and an identifier of the detected communication device using a decryption key.

51. The system defined in claim 50, wherein identifying the detected communication device as the particular communication device comprises confirming that the identifier of the detected communication device corresponds to an identifier of the particular communication device.

55. The system defined in claim 44, wherein the control server is further reconfigured to include each of the at least one particular data set within encrypted data transmitted to the particular communication device, the encrypted data being obtained by encrypting the at least one particular data set using an encryption key, wherein the at least one particular data set is capable of being decrypted from the encrypted data by a decryption key that is complementary to the encryption key.

56. The system defined in claim 55, wherein the encryption key is a private key known to the control server, and wherein the decryption key is a public key, knowledge of which is available to the particular communication device.

57. The system defined in claim 44, wherein the response is received during a transaction attempt carried out using the communication device.

58. The system defined in claim 44, wherein the processing entity is further configured to authorize the transaction upon considering the response to be valid and to deny the transaction upon considering the response to be invalid.

59. The system defined in claim 58, wherein the transaction is a financial transaction.

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