SECURE TUNNELING FOR CONNECTED APPLICATION SECURITY

• US 20170257345A1
• Filed: 03/01/2016
• Published: 09/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: WESTRA, Michael Raymond, ERKKILA, David Ray, HALASH, Elizabeth, BURDETTE, Kevin, MARCHWICKI, Julius, GONZALEZ, Alan Daniel, ESSELINK, Chad Evert
• Granted Patent: US 11,228,569 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication

Abstract

A computing platform of a vehicle may receive a request, from a mobile application accessing a secure vehicle function, to create a secure tunnel between the computing platform and the mobile device; retrieve an application certificate from the mobile application; and validate the creation of the secure tunnel using the application certificate and a module certificate from a local policy table of the computing platform. A mobile device, connected to a computing platform of a vehicle may execute a mobile application requiring a secure vehicle function; send a request to create a secure tunnel with the computing platform responsive to access of by the mobile application of the secure vehicle function; and send to the computing platform an application certificate corresponding to the mobile application to validate creation of the secure tunnel.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computing platform of a vehicle programmed to

receive a request, from a mobile device executing a mobile application accessing a secure function, to create a secure tunnel between the computing platform and the mobile device;

retrieve an application certificate from the mobile application; and

validate creation of the secure tunnel using the application certificate and a module certificate stored to a local policy table of the computing platform.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the secure function includes access to an audio or video vehicle function of the computing platform.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the secure function includes one or more of access to vehicle diagnostics, access to writing of information to the vehicle, or access to personally-identifiable information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the secure function includes authentication for one or more of mobile payment, autonomous driving, unlocking the vehicle, starting the vehicle, ride sharing, micro-rental, and access to personalization settings for a user of the mobile device.

5. The system of claim 1, the application certificate is keyed to an application identifier of the mobile application and the computing platform is further programmed to validate that the application certificate is keyed to the application identifier and is unexpired.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing platform is further programmed to validate the module certificate as being keyed to the computing platform and unexpired.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing platform is further programmed to, responsive to occurrence of expiration of the module certificate corresponding to the computing platform, send an application usage update message to the mobile device configured to cause the mobile device to request a policy table update from a remote server, the policy table update including a new module certificate.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing platform is further programmed to provide the mobile application with access to vehicle functions for which the mobile application is authorized in accordance with application permissions in the local policy table.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing platform is further programmed to terminate the mobile application responsive to failing to validate creation of the secure tunnel.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing platform is further programmed to refuse the mobile application access to the secure function responsive to failing to validate creation of the secure tunnel.

11. A system comprising:

a mobile device, connected to a computing platform of a vehicle, programmed to

execute a mobile application requiring a secure function;

send a request to create a secure tunnel with the computing platform responsive to access of by the mobile application of the secure function; and

send to the computing platform an application certificate corresponding to the mobile application to validate creation of the secure tunnel.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the secure function includes audio and video features of the computing platform.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the secure function includes one or more of access to vehicle diagnostics, access to writing of information to the vehicle, or access to personally-identifiable information.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the mobile device is further programmed to:

send a certificate request for the application certificate to a remote server, the request including an application identifier of the mobile application and a name of the mobile application;

receive a certificate response from the remote server, the certificate response including an encrypted blob containing the application certificate; and

utilize a decryption library of the mobile device to decrypt the application certificate using a secret key.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the mobile device is further programmed to maintain the application certificate in a storage of the mobile device in encrypted form.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein and application certificate is specified as expiring after a plurality of days, and the mobile device is further programmed to request an updated application certificate daily.

17. A method comprising:

sending, by a mobile device connected to a computing platform, a request to create a secure tunnel with the computing platform to execute a mobile application requiring a secure function; and

receiving validation of the secure tunnel with the computing platform performed using an application certificate stored to the mobile device and a module certificate stored to a local policy table of the computing platform.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the secure function includes an audio or video feature of the computing platform.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the secure function includes one or more of access to vehicle diagnostics, access to writing of information to the computing platform, or access to personally-identifiable information.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the secure function includes authentication for one or more of mobile payment, autonomous driving, vehicle unlocking, vehicle starting, ride sharing, micro-rental, and access to personalization settings for a user of the mobile device.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the application certificate is keyed to an application identifier of the mobile application, and further comprising sending the application certificate to the computing platform for validation of the application identifier and that the application certificate has not expired.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

sending a certificate request for the application certificate to a remote server, the request including an application identifier of the mobile application and a name of the mobile application;

receiving a certificate response from the remote server, the certificate response including an encrypted blob containing the application certificate; and

utilizing a decryption library of the mobile device to decrypt the application certificate using a secret key.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising maintaining the application certificate in a storage of the mobile device in encrypted form.