Method and apparatus for providing a one-time password

• US 8,990,888 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 12, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Busser, Jens-Uwe, Fries, Steffen
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US13/813,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20130145449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2- 7, 726 27- 30, 713168-170, 713/178, 713181-184, 380/44, 380/46
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0838 using one-time-passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3228 One-time or temporary data, i.e. information which is sent for every authentication or authorization, e.g. one-time-password, one-time-token or one-time-key

Abstract

In a method for providing a one-time password for a user device belonging to a user, which password is intended to register the user device with a server, the server generates the one-time password using a cryptographic operation on the basis of a unique use identifier and transmits the password to the user device. The method provides a service provider with the possibility of tying additional conditions for registration to the one-time password and thus increases the flexibility of the service provider when configuring the services offered by the latter and increases security against manipulation.

Claims

1. A method for providing a one-time password for a user device of a user, said password being intended to register the user device with a server, comprising:

the server generating the one-time password using a cryptographic operation based on a unique use identifier that uniquely identifies the user device, and transmitting said password to the user device,

the user device storing the one-time password received from the server and transmitting the one-time password with the use identifier during a registration of the user device with the server, and

during the registration of the user device with the server, the server verifies the user device with reference to the use identifier that is implicitly contained in the received one-time password.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique use identifier is formed by a user ID of the user or by a user device ID of the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the server generates the one-time password by calculating a cryptographic function value of the unique use identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the server calculates the cryptographic function value of the use identifier as a one-time password using a secret cryptographic key.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the server calculates the cryptographic function value as a one-time password using a predetermined cryptographic function for the unique use identifier using the secret cryptographic key.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the server calculates the cryptographic function value as a one-time password based on a time stamp or random number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the server deletes the one-time password it has generated, after said password has been transmitted to the user device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated one-time password is sent with the user device to the user for registering the user device of the user with the server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated one-time password is sent from the server via a data network or using a data medium to a user device sited on the premises of the user, for registering said user device with the server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a validity of the one-time password that has been generated by the server expires after a predetermined time duration.

11. A server for providing a one-time password for a user device of a user, said password being useful for registering the user device with the server, the server comprising:

a processor programmed to;

generate the one-time password using a cryptographic operation based on a unique use identifier that uniquely identifies the user device, and transmit said password to the user device,

receive from the user device sends both the one-time password previously sent by the server to the user device and the use identifier,

verify the user device based on the use identifier that is implicitly contained in the one-time password and the received use identifier, and

grant access to a service based on the verification.

12. The server of claim 11, wherein the unique use identifier is formed by a user ID of the user or by a user device ID of the user device.

13. The server of claim 11, wherein the server is programmed to generate the one-time password by calculating a cryptographic function value of the unique use identifier.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein the server is programmed to calculates the cryptographic function value of the use identifier as a one-time password using a secret cryptographic key.

15. The server of claim 14. wherein the server is programmed to calculate the cryptographic function value as a one-time password using a predetermined cryptographic function for the unique use identifier using the secret cryptographic key.

16. The server of claim 13, wherein the server is programmed to calculates the cryptographic function value as a one-time password based on a time stamp or random number.

17. The server of claim 11, wherein the server is configured to delete the one-lime password it has generated, after said password has been transmitted to the user device.

18. The server of claim 11, wherein the server is programmed to send the generated one-time password to the user device sited on a premises of the user via a data network or using a data medium.

19. The server of claim 11, wherein a validity of the one-time password that has been generated by the server expires after a predetermined time duration.

20. A method for providing a one-time password for a user device of a user, said password being intended to register the user device with a server, comprising:

the server generating the one-time password using a cryptographic operation based on a unique use identifier and transmitting said password to the user device,

the user device storing the one-time password received from the server and transmitting the one-time password with the use identifier during a registration of the user device with the server, and

during the registration of the user device with the server, the server verifies the user device with reference to the use identifier that is implicitly contained in the received one-time password,

wherein the server generates the or time password by calculating a cryptographic function value of the unique use identifier either (a) using a secret cryptographic key or (b) based on a time stamp or random number.