Hashed strings for machine-to-machine communication based on time and secret strings

• US 8,825,223 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Carney, Mark Douglas, McCown, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US13/396,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20130211622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 713/50, 340/426.12, 340/425.5, 340/426.28, 340/5.31, 340/5.64, 340/988, 180/167.7, 342/70, 705/14.51, 455/12.1, 726 26- 30
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD

Abstract

Methods, devices, and storage media provide for receiving a request to invoke a machine-to-machine communication to permit remote control of a device, wherein the request includes a device string that identifies the device and one or more secret strings; generating one or more hashed strings based on the request and a current time; and transmitting a remote control request to the device, wherein the remote control request includes the one or more hashed strings and the one or more secret strings.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network device, a request to invoke a machine-to-machine communication to permit remote control of a vehicle, wherein the request includes a vehicle string that identifies the vehicle and one or more secret strings, wherein the one or more secret strings include a role string that indicates a role of a user invoking an action to be remotely performed by the vehicle;

generating, by the network device, one or more hashed strings based on the request and a current time; and

transmitting, by the network device, a remote control request to the vehicle, wherein the remote control request includes the one or more hashed strings.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more secret strings include an action string that indicates the action to be remotely performed by the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the role of the user includes one of a service representative or a customer of a machine-to-machine communication service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more secret strings include a master string that indicates a master role of the user with permissions to invoke actions equivalent to permissions associated with multiple roles.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating comprises:

storing secret strings in a database;

performing a secret string lookup in the database in response to receiving the request;

selecting a hashing algorithm, wherein the hashing algorithm uses at least one of the one or more secret strings as arguments to calculate the one or more hashed strings;

identifying a current time; and

generating the one or more hashed strings based on the secret string lookup, the selected hashing algorithm, and the current time.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the remote control request;

determining whether the remote control request is valid;

performing one or more actions in response to a determination that the remote control request is valid.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

storing, by a vehicle communication system of the vehicle, secret strings; and

verifying one or more secret strings included in the remote control request based on the stored secret strings.

8. A network device comprising:

a communication interface;

one or more memories that store instructions; and

one or more processors to execute the instructions to;

receive, via the communication interface, a request to invoke a machine-to-machine communication to permit remote control of a vehicle, wherein the request includes a vehicle string that identifies the vehicle and one or more secret strings, wherein the one or more secret strings include a role string that indicates a role of a user invoking an action to be remotely performed by the vehicle;

generate one or more hashed strings based on the vehicle string, the one or more secret strings, and a current time; and

transmit a remote control request to the vehicle, wherein the remote control request includes the one or more hashed strings.

9. The network device of claim 8, wherein the one or more secret strings include an action string that indicates the action to be remotely performed by the vehicle.

10. The network device of claim 8, wherein the role of the user includes one of a service representative or a customer of a machine-to-machine communication service.

11. The network device of claim 8, wherein the one or more secret strings include a master string that indicates a master role of the user with permissions to invoke actions equivalent to permissions associated with multiple roles.

12. The network device of claim 8, further comprising:

a database that stores secret strings, and wherein the one or more processors further execute the instructions to;

perform a secret string lookup in the database in response to receiving the request;

select a hashing algorithm, wherein the hashing algorithm uses at least one of the one or more secret strings as arguments to calculate the one or more hashed strings;

identify the current time; and

generate the one or more hashed strings based on the secret string lookup, the selected hashing algorithm, and the current time.

13. The network device of claim 12, further comprising:

a memory to store multiple hashing algorithms, in which at least one of the hashing algorithms uses the one or more secret strings that include an action string that indicate the action to be remotely performed by the vehicle, the role string that indicates the role of the user invoking the action to be remotely performed by the vehicle, and the vehicle string.

14. The network device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors further execute the instructions to:

truncate the one or more hashed strings to a predetermined number of bits.

15. The network device of claim 8, wherein the remote control request includes the one or more secret strings.

16. A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable by a computational device to:

receive a request to invoke a machine-to-machine communication to permit remote control of a device, wherein the request includes a device string that identifies the device and one or more secret strings, wherein the one or more secret strings include a role string that indicates a role of a user invoking an action to be remotely performed by the device;

generate one or more hashed strings based on the one or more secret strings, the device string, and a current time; and

generate a remote control request that includes the one or more hashed strings.

17. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more secret strings include an action string that indicates the action to be remotely performed by the device.

18. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the role of the user includes one of a service representative, a customer, or an administrator of a machine-to-machine communication service.

19. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, further storing instructions executable by the computational device to:

perform a secret string lookup in response to receiving the request; and

compare one or more entries associated with the secret string lookup to the one or more secret strings.

20. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network device, a request to invoke a machine-to-machine communication to permit remote control of a device, wherein the request includes a device string that identifies the device and secret strings, wherein the secret strings include an action string that indicates an action to be remotely performed by the device and a role string that indicates a role of a user invoking the action to be remotely performed by the device;

generating, by the network device, one or more hashed strings based on the device string, the secret strings, and a current time; and

transmitting, by the network device, a remote control request to the device, wherein the remote control request includes the one or more hashed strings and the secret strings.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the device includes a vehicle and the role includes one of a driver of the vehicle or an owner of the vehicle.