Method of authenticating a short message service (sms) message

• US 7,970,381 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2007
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Yi, Ki Hak, Krause, Kevin R., Chesnutt, Elizabeth, Sumcad, Anthony J.
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US11/837,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20090047929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 455410-411, 455418-420, 455/466, 455/3.06, 701/36, 380/247, 713/168
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/106 Packet or message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

An authentication method that can be used by a telematics-equipped vehicle to authenticate an SMS message and provide additional security features above and beyond those inherent to the SMS protocol. Generally speaking, a call center uses a mathematical function to derive a security code, and then sends an SMS message to a telematics-equipped vehicle that includes information related to the derived security code. The telematics-equipped vehicle can utilize the transmitted information to authenticate the sender of the SMS message and/or its contents. One group of suitable mathematical functions utilizes keyed-hash message authentication codes (HMACs).

Claims

1. A method of sending authenticating an SMS message having authentication information, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a vehicle key for a telematics-equipped vehicle;

(b) generating a security code using a mathematical function and the vehicle key;

(c) producing an SMS message with a payload section having authentication information that is based on related to the security code; and

(d) wirelessly sending the SMS message to the telematics-equipped vehicle, whereby the telematics-equipped vehicle can utilize the authentication information to authenticate the SMS message;

wherein the mathematical function utilizes a keyed-hash message authentication code (HMAC).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the HMAC includes at least one function selected from the group consisting of:

HAVAL, MD4, MD5, SHA-0, SHA-1 or SHA-256.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further includes generating the security code using the mathematical function, the vehicle key, and one or more additional component(s) that are located in the payload section and are wirelessly sent with the SMS message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more additional component(s) includes a component that is related to a message segment.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more additional component(s) includes a component that is related to a features segment field.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the features segment field is selected from the group consisting of:

a version field, a sequence field, a priority field, an expiration field, a display timer field, and a random field.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more additional component(s) includes a first component that is related to a random field, and a second component that is related to an expiration field.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the payload section further includes a features segment, a message segment, and a padding segment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the features segment includes at least one field selected from the list consisting of:

a version field, a sequence field, a priority field, an expiration field, a display timer field, and a random field.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the padding segment includes one or more filler characters that:

i) cause the payload section to fully use its allotment of characters, ii) are recognizable as filler characters, and iii) are not used in step (b) to generate the security code.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the payload section consists of a plurality of seven-bit ASCII characters.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the payload section consists of a plurality of eight-bit binary bytes.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication method operates as an initial authentication gate;

and wherein if the SMS message passes the authentication gate then a subsequent decryption method is applied to the SMS message, and if the SMS message does not pass the authentication gate then the SMS message is deleted.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication information is the security code.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication information is derived from the security code.

14. A method of authenticating an SMS message, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a vehicle key for a telematics-equipped vehicle;

(b) wirelessly receiving an SMS message at the telematics-equipped vehicle, wherein the SMS message includes a payload section having authentication information that is based on a security code;

(c) generating a security code using a mathematical function and the vehicle key; and

(d) comparing the authentication information received in step (b) with information related to the security code generated in step (c) to authenticate the SMS message;

wherein the mathematical function utilizes a keyed-hash message authentication code (HMAC).

15. The authentication method of claim 14, wherein the HMAC includes at least one function selected from the group consisting of:

HAVAL, MD4, MDS, SHA-0, SHA-1 or SHA-256.

16. The authentication method of claim 14, wherein step (c) further includes generating the security code using the mathematical function, the vehicle key, and one or more additional component(s) that are located in the payload section and are wirelessly received with the SMS message.

17. The authentication method of claim 16, wherein the one or more additional component(s) includes a component that is related to a message segment.

18. The authentication method of claim 16, wherein the one or more additional component(s) includes a component that is related to a features segment field.

19. The authentication method of claim 18, wherein the features segment field is selected from the group consisting of:

a version field, a sequence field, a priority field, an expiration field, a display timer field, and a random field.

20. The authentication method of claim 18, wherein the one or more additional component(s) includes a first component that is related to a random field, and a second component that is related to an expiration field.

21. The authentication method of claim 14, wherein the payload section further includes a features segment, a message segment, and a padding segment.

22. The authentication method of claim 21, wherein the features segment includes at least one field selected from the list consisting of:

a version field, a sequence field, a priority field, an expiration field, a display timer field, and a random field.

23. The authentication method of claim 21, wherein the padding segment includes one or more filler characters that:

i) cause the payload section to fully use its allotment of characters, ii) are recognizable as filler characters, and iii) are not used in step (c) to generate the security code.

24. The authentication method of claim 14, wherein the payload section consists of a plurality of seven-bit ASCII characters.

25. The authentication method of claim 14, wherein the payload section consists of a plurality of eight-bit binary bytes.

26. The authentication method of claim 14, wherein the authentication method operates as an initial authentication gate;

and wherein if the SMS message passes the authentication gate then a subsequent decryption method is applied to the SMS message, and if the SMS message does not pass the authentication gate then the SMS message is deleted.

27. A method of authenticating an SMS message, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a call center and a telematics-equipped vehicle with a vehicle key;

(b) generating a first security code at the call center using the vehicle key;

(c) constructing an SMS message that includes information related to the first security code;

(d) wirelessly sending the SMS message from the call center to the telematics-equipped vehicle;

(e) generating a second security code at the telematics-equipped vehicle using the vehicle key; and

(f) comparing information related to the first and second security codes to authenticate the SMS message;

wherein steps (b) and (e) each further comprises generating the security codes using the vehicle key and a mathematical function that utilizes a keyed-hash message authentication code (HMAC).

28. The authentication method of claim 27, wherein steps (b) and (e) each further comprises generating the security codes using the vehicle key, the mathematical function, and one or more additional component(s) that are located in the SMS message.

29. The authentication method of claim 28, wherein the one or more additional component(s) includes a component that is located in a payload section and is related to a message segment.

30. The authentication method of claim 28, wherein the one or more additional component(s) includes a component that is located in a payload section and is related to a features segment field.

31. The authentication method of claim 27, wherein the authentication method generally operates as an initial authentication gate;

wherein if the SMS message passes the authentication gate then a subsequent decryption method is applied to the SMS message, and if the SMS message does not pass the authentication gate then the SMS message is deleted.