Method for the protection of a movable object, especially a vehicle, against unauthorized use

• US 8,222,989 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2007
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bundesdruckerei GmbH (Government of Germany)
• Original Assignee: Bundesdruckerei GmbH (Government of Germany)
• Inventors: Ziska, Andreas, Müffelmann, Gunda, Küter, Joachim, Bortfeldt-Herkendell, Shirley
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Knox, Kaleria
• Application Number:
  US12/293,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20090207004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,951 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.2, 340/5.6, 340/5.8, 340/5.1, 726/5, 726/23, 705/31, 713/175, 713/193, 380/45
• US Class Current: 340/5.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/105 Radio frequency identification data [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2018 Central base unlocks or authorises unlocking
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for protection of a movable asset, particularly a motorvehicle (100), against unauthorized use with the following steps: cryptographic identity verification and/or cryptographic authentication of the vehicle with an external computer system (108), verification whether a blocking is stored for the motorvehicle, transmission of a signal from the computer system to the vehicle in order to allow use of the motorvehicle if no blocking is stored for the motorvehicle.

Claims

1. A method for the protection of a movable item (100) against unauthorized use, wherein the movable item is an aircraft, vehicle, a motor vehicle, or a construction machine, the method comprising the following steps:

cryptographically authenticating the movable item to an external computer system (108), wherein the cryptographical authentication is performed using an asymmetric key pair (126, 128) which is associated with the movable item, wherein the asymmetric key pair comprises a secret key (128) and a public key (126), wherein a code is obtained from one or more identifiers of electronic components (120) of the movable item, wherein the code is signed using the secret key (128), wherein the code is used to identify the movable item,

sending the signed code and a certificate (130) from the movable item to the external computer system, wherein the certificate contains the public key, wherein the certificate contains a code or an identifier identifying the movable item,

receiving the signed code and the certificate (130) from the movable item by the external computer system,

checking validity of the signed code using the public key by the external computer system, wherein the signed code is valid if the signed code matches the code of the certificate or if the signed code matches a code which is associated, in an association table (136), with the identifier contained in the certificate, wherein the association table is stored in the external computer system, wherein the signed code is compared with the code in the certificate when the certificate contains the code, and wherein the signed code is compared with the code in the association table when the certificate contains the identifier identifying the movable item,

performing a check by the external computer system to determine whether a block is stored for the movable item,

sending a use signal from the external computer system to the movable item in order to allow use of the movable item when no block is stored for the movable item, wherein the use signal is sent only if the signed code is valid, and

sending a block signal from the external computer system to the movable item, wherein the block signal is sent only if a block is stored for the movable item or the signed code is invalid.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the computer system contains a database for storing blocks, and

the method further comprises accessing the database by the computer system, after completion of the cryptographic authentication of the movable item, in order to verify whether the block for the movable item is stored in the database.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a message signalizing loss of the movable item by the computer system, and

storing a block for the movable item in response to said message.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

reception of a substitute code by the computer system,

generation of a substitute certificate for the substitute code,

transmission of the substitute certificate via a secure connection to the movable item in order to replace the certificate stored in the movable item.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the certificate is replaced by the substitute certificate upon request of an authorized garage.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computer system belongs to a trust-center.

7. A non-transitory, computer readable storage medium, comprising instructions executable by a computer and which cause the computer to perform actions for the protection of a movable item (100) against unauthorized use, where the movable item is an aircraft, vehicle, a motor vehicle, or a construction machine, the actions comprising:

cryptographically authenticating the movable item to an external computer system (108), wherein the cryptographical authentication is performed using an asymmetric key pair (126, 128) which is associated with the movable item, wherein the asymmetric key pair comprises a secret key (128) and a public key (126), wherein a code is obtained from one or more identifiers of electronic components (120) of the movable item, wherein the code is signed using the secret key (128), wherein the code is used to identify the movable item,

sending the signed code and a certificate (130) from the movable item to the external computer system, wherein the certificate contains the public key, wherein the certificate contains a code or an identifier identifying the movable item,

receiving the signed code and the certificate (130) from the movable item by the external computer system,

checking validity of the signed code using the public key by the external computer system, wherein the signed code is valid if the signed code matches the code of the certificate or if the signed code matches a code which is associated, in an association table (136), with the identifier contained in the certificate, wherein the association table is stored in the external computer system, wherein the signed code is compared with the code in the certificate when the certificate contains the code, and wherein the signed code is compared with the code in the association table when the certificate contains the identifier identifying the movable item,

performing a check by the external computer system to determine whether a block is stored for the movable item,

sending a use signal from the external computer system to the movable item in order to allow use of the movable item when no block is stored for the movable item, wherein the use signal is sent only if the signed code is valid, and

sending a block signal from the external computer system to the movable item, wherein the block signal is sent only if a block is stored for the movable item or the signed code is invalid.

8. A computer system, operating under the control of a computer program and which cause the computer to perform actions for the protection of a movable item (100) against unauthorized use, where the movable item is an aircraft, vehicle, a motor vehicle, or a construction machine, the actions comprising:

cryptographically authenticating the movable item to an external computer system (108), wherein the cryptographical authentication is performed using an asymmetric key pair (126, 128) which is associated with the movable item, wherein the asymmetric key pair comprises a secret key (128) and a public key (126), wherein a code is obtained from one or more identifiers of electronic components (120) of the movable item, wherein the code is signed using the secret key (128), wherein the code is used to identify the movable item,

sending the signed code and a certificate (130) from the movable item to the external computer system, wherein the certificate contains the public key, wherein the certificate contains a code or an identifier identifying the movable item,

receiving the signed code and the certificate (130) from the movable item by the external computer system,

checking validity of the signed code using the public key by the external computer system, wherein the signed code is valid if the signed code matches the code of the certificate or if the signed code matches a code which is associated, in an association table (136), with the identifier contained in the certificate, wherein the association table is stored in the external computer system, wherein the signed code is compared with the code in the certificate when the certificate contains the code, and wherein the signed code is compared with the code in the association table when the certificate contains the identifier identifying the movable item,

performing a check by the external computer system to determine whether a block is stored for the movable item,

sending a use signal from the external computer system to the movable item in order to allow use of the movable item when no block is stored for the movable item, wherein the use signal is sent only if the signed code is valid, and

sending a block signal from the external computer system to the movable item, wherein the block signal is sent only if a block is stored for the movable item or the signed code is invalid.