Secure messaging

• US 7,991,158 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2007
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyfone Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tyfone Incorporated
• Inventors: Talukder, Asoke, Tadepalli, Prabhakar, Narendra, Siva G., Spitzer, Thomas N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zee; Edward
• Application Number:
  US11/895,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20080279381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 713191-194, 717174-178, 380/260, 380/262, 380/273, 380/274, 380/280, 380/44
• US Class Current: 380/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC

Abstract

Secure authentication and messaging for mobile online transactions are performed by a secure messaging platform. The secure messaging platform may include a token coupled to a mobile device, or a mobile device alone. The token enables secure access, and client and server protocols enable secure transactions using text/SMS messaging.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory card compatible interface to communicate with a mobile device;

a short message service (SMS) encryption component to encrypt SMS messages using a first key;

an SMS decryption component to decrypt SMS messages using a second key;

a key increment component to increment the first key and second key each time they are used; and

a key recovery component to encrypt a new initial key as an SMS message with a reference key when the second key fails to correctly decrypt a received SMS message.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a character mapping component to map encrypted SMS messages to SMS compatible characters.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the SMS encryption component includes a component for message authentication code (MAC) generation.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the MAC is included within encrypted SMS messages as cipher text.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the MAC is included with the encrypted SMS messages as clear text.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the SMS decryption component includes a component for calculated message authentication code (CMAC) generation.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a comparison component to compare calculated message authentication codes (CMAC) with received message authentication codes (RMAC).

8. A method comprising:

receiving a first text message that includes an encrypted payload;

decrypting the encrypted payload using a decryption key that changes for each use;

when the decryption is successful, encrypting data to produce cipher text using an encryption key that changes for each use;

when the decryption is unsuccessful, encrypting a new initial key to produce cipher text using a reference key so as to resynchronize the decryption key with a sending device;

mapping the cipher text to short message service (SMS) compatible data; and

sending the SMS compatible data as a second text message.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising calculating a message authentication code (MAC).

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the MAC is encrypted and included in the cipher text.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the MAC is included in the text message as clear text.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a memory card compatible interface to communicate with a mobile device;

a short message service (SMS) encryption component to encrypt SMS messages using a first key;

an SMS decryption component to decrypt SMS messages using a second key;

a key increment component to increment the first key and second key each time they are used; and

a key recovery component to encrypt a request for a new initial key as an SMS message with a reference key when the second key fails to correctly decrypt a received SMS message.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a first text message that includes an encrypted payload;

decrypting the encrypted payload using a decryption key that changes for each use;

when the decryption is successful, encrypting data to produce cipher text using an encryption key that changes for each use;

when the decryption is unsuccessful, encrypting a request for a new initial key to produce cipher text using a reference key so as to resynchronize the decryption key with a sending device;

mapping the cipher text to short message service (SMS) compatible data; and

sending the SMS compatible data as a second text message.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising calculating a message authentication code (MAC).

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the MAC is encrypted and included in the cipher text.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the MAC is included in the text message as clear text.

17. An apparatus comprising:

an interface for communicating with a mobile device; and

a memory having cryptographic information for encrypting and decrypting short message service (SMS) messages, wherein the cryptographic information includes first updateable seeds for producing different cryptographic keys each time encrypted SMS messages are sent or received; and

reference seeds for producing a reference cryptographic key when the different cryptographic keys become out of sync;

wherein the memory further includes;

a short message service encryption component to encrypt SMS messages using a first key of the different cryptographic keys;

an SMS decryption component to decrypt SMS messages using a second key of the different cryptographic keys;

a key increment component to increment the first key and second key each time they are used; and

a key recovery component to encrypt a new initial key as an SMS message with the reference cryptographic key when the second key fails to correctly decrypt a received SMS message.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the memory further includes software to be installed on the mobile device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the software includes short message service (SMS) encryption.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the software includes short message service (SMS) decryption.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the interface for communicating with a mobile device comprises a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the interface for communicating with a mobile device comprises a memory card compatible interface.