Authentication mechanisms for wireless networks

• US 9,105,031 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2008
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Shen, Hui, Hassan, Amer A., Lu, Yi, Kuehnel, Thomas W., Baron, Andrew T., Wu, Deyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Colin, Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAVELLE, GARY E
• Application Number:
  US12/035,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20090214036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,727 Days
• Field of Search: 726/3, 726/4, 726/7, 726/30
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/30 Public key, i.e. encryption algorithm being computationally infeasible to invert or user's encryption keys not requiring secrecy
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 : Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 : Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Security techniques and security mechanisms for wireless networks that transmit content such as advertisements. According to exemplary techniques, control messages comprising unrequested content (e.g., advertisement data) may be transmitted in response to a request from a client device, while in other exemplary techniques the control messages may be transmitted without any request from a client device. In some exemplary implementations, security mechanisms such as public key cryptography algorithms may be used to secure transmissions. In some of these techniques which implement public key cryptography, a user may be required to retrieve a public key from a source other than the wireless access point transmitting encrypted advertisements (e.g., a sign or terminal in a commercial entity transmitting such advertisements, or from a web service), such that the user may confirm that the encrypted content is from a source matching the retrieved public key and thus confirm the authenticity of a wireless access point.

Claims

1. A method performed on a client device, the method for displaying advertisement information relating to a commercial service, the method comprising:

obtaining, by the client device, trust information corresponding to a wireless access point from a source other than the wireless access point, where the obtained trust information comprises a public key of the wireless access point;

receiving, by the client device from the wireless access point while the client device is not connected to any network to which access is provided by the wireless access point, an unrequested encrypted message comprising the advertisement information;

verifying, based on the obtained trust information, an identity of the wireless access point, where the verifying is based on successfully decrypting, by the client device using the public key from the trust information, the unrequested encrypted message received from the wireless access point;

accepting, based on the verifying, the unrequested encrypted message received from the wireless access point; and

displaying, via the client device based on the accepting, at least a portion of the advertisement information from the decrypted message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying comprises transmitting at least one message to the wireless access point.

3. The method of claim 2, where a commercial entity originating the advertisement information is associated with a mall or shopping center.

4. The method of claim 1, where the obtaining is based on Near-Field Communication.

5. The method of claim 1, where the obtaining is from a web service acting as a repository of trust information.

6. The method of claim 1, where the obtaining is from a directory.

7. The method of claim 1, where the received unrequested encrypted message comprises location data for the wireless access point.

8. The method of claim 1, where the obtaining is from a kiosk.

9. At least one computer-readable storage device encoded with computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a client device, cause the client device to perform actions for displaying advertisement information relating to a commercial service, the actions comprising:

obtaining, by the client device, trust information corresponding to a wireless access point from a source other than the wireless access point, where the obtained trust information comprises a public key of the wireless access point;

receiving, by the client device from the wireless access point while the client device is not connected to any network to which access is provided by the wireless access point, an unrequested encrypted message comprising the advertisement information;

verifying, based on the obtained trust information, an identity of the wireless access point, where the verifying is based on successfully decrypting, by the client device using the public key from the trust information, the unrequested encrypted message received from the wireless access point;

accepting, based on the verifying, the unrequested encrypted message received from the wireless access point; and

displaying, via the client device based on the accepting, at least a portion of the advertisement information from the decrypted message.

10. The at least one computer-readable storage device of claim 9, where the received encrypted message comprises location data for the wireless access point.

11. The at least one computer-readable storage device of claim 9, where the obtaining is from a kiosk.

12. The at least one computer-readable storage device of claim 9, where the obtaining is from a web service acting as a repository of trust information.

13. The at least one computer-readable storage device of claim 9, where the obtaining is from a directory.

14. The at least one computer-readable storage device of claim 9, where the obtaining is based on Near-Field Communication.

15. A system comprising a client device and at least one program module together configured for performing actions for displaying advertisement information relating to a commercial service, the actions comprising:

obtaining, by the client device, trust information corresponding to a wireless access point from a source other than the wireless access point, where the obtained trust information comprises a public key of the wireless access point;

receiving, by the client device from the wireless access point while the client device is not connected to any network to which access is provided by the wireless access point, an unrequested encrypted message comprising the advertisement information;

verifying, based on the obtained trust information, an identity of the wireless access point, where the verifying is based on successfully decrypting, by the client device using the public key from the trust information, the unrequested encrypted message received from the wireless access point;

accepting, based on the verifying, the unrequested encrypted message received from the wireless access point; and

displaying, via the client device based on the accepting, at least a portion of the advertisement information from the decrypted message.

16. The system of claim 15, where the received unrequested encrypted message comprises location data for the wireless access point.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, where the obtaining is from a web service acting as a repository of trust information.

18. The system of claim 15, where the obtaining is from a kiosk.

19. The system of claim 15, where the obtaining is from a directory.

20. The system of claim 15, where the obtaining is based on Near-Field Communication.