Hybrid secure communication system and method

• US 9,197,413 B1
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Hall, Ivan N. III, Raghu, Kaushik
• Primary Examiner(s): Reza, Mohammad W
• Application Number:
  US13/760,793
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 713/171
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3215 using a plurality of channels network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication

Abstract

Systems and methods for securely communicating between a mobile computing device and a vehicle system are provided. A method includes receiving authentication data from the mobile computing device over a first communication link between the vehicle system and the mobile computing device. The method further includes authenticating the mobile computing device using the authentication data received over the first communication link. Subsequent to the initial authentication phase, the method further allows transmitting encrypted data from the vehicle system to the mobile computing device (and vice-versa) over a second communication link. The encrypted data is encrypted using the authentication data transmitted over the first communication link. The second communication link is a wireless communication link that is more susceptible to one or more security risks than the first communication link.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between a mobile computing device and a vehicle system, the method comprising:

receiving, at the vehicle system, authentication data from the mobile computing device over a first communication link between the vehicle system and the mobile computing device;

authenticating, at the vehicle system, the mobile computing device using the authentication data received over the first communication link and based on at least one of flight management data received from a flight management system of the vehicle and global positioning data received from a global positioning system of the vehicle; and

transmitting encrypted data from the vehicle system to the mobile computing device over a second communication link, wherein the encrypted data is encrypted using the authentication data, and wherein the second communication link is a wireless communication link having a susceptibility to one or more wireless security risks, the first communication link comprising one or more characteristics configured to reduce the susceptibility of the first communication link to the one or more wireless security risks as compared to the second communication link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication data received from the mobile computing device comprises a mobile computing device identifier and a mobile computing device encryption key, and wherein the method further comprises:

after authenticating the mobile computing device, transmitting a vehicle system encryption key to the mobile computing device,

wherein the encrypted data transmitted over the second communication link is encrypted using at least one of the mobile computing device encryption key and the vehicle system encryption key.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication link comprises a wired connection between the mobile computing device and the vehicle system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication link is established using a secure intermediary device configured to transmit data between the mobile computing device and the vehicle system by separately connecting to each of the mobile computing device and the vehicle system and providing each of the mobile computing device and the vehicle system with data received from the other of the mobile computing device and the vehicle system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft and the mobile computing device is authenticated while the aircraft is on the ground.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted data is encrypted using public key encryption.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the mobile computing device with access to one or more unsecured resources over the second link regardless of whether the mobile computing device has been authenticated.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more wireless security risks comprise sniffing attacks.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data received from at least one of a flight management system and a global positioning system of the vehicle comprises at least one of vehicle elevation data or vehicle location data.

10. A vehicle system, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and

an electronic processor operably coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and configured to;

receive authentication data from a mobile computing device over a first communication link between the vehicle system and the mobile computing device;

authenticate the mobile computing device using the authentication data received over the first communication link and based on at least one of flight management data received from a flight management system of the vehicle and global positioning data received from a global positioning system of the vehicle; and

transmit encrypted data from the vehicle system to the mobile computing device over a second communication link, wherein the encrypted data is encrypted using the authentication data, and wherein the second communication link is a wireless communication link having a susceptibility to one or more wireless security risks, the first communication link comprising one or more characteristics configured to reduce the susceptibility of the first communication link to the one or more wireless security risks as compared to the second communication link.

11. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the authentication data received from the mobile computing device comprises a mobile computing device identifier and a mobile computing device encryption key, wherein the electronic processor is further configured to transmit a vehicle system encryption key to the mobile computing device after authenticating the mobile computing device, and wherein the encrypted data transmitted over the second communication link is encrypted using at least one of the mobile computing device encryption key and the vehicle system encryption key.

12. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the first communication link comprises a wired connection between the mobile computing device and the vehicle system.

13. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the first communication link is established using a secure intermediary device configured to transmit data between the mobile computing device and the vehicle system by separately connecting to each of the mobile computing device and the vehicle system and providing each of the mobile computing device and the vehicle system with data received from the other of the mobile computing device and the vehicle system.

14. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft and the mobile computing device is authenticated while the aircraft is on the ground.

15. The vehicle system of claim 10, wherein the data received from at least one of a flight management system and a global positioning system of the vehicle comprises at least one of vehicle elevation data or vehicle location data.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to execute a method comprising:

transmitting authentication data from a mobile computing device to a vehicle system over a first communication link between the vehicle system and the mobile computing device, wherein the authentication data comprises a mobile computing device identifier and mobile computing device encryption data;

authenticating the mobile computing device using the authentication data received over the first communication link and based on at least one of flight management data received from a flight management system of the vehicle and global positioning data received from a global positioning system of the vehicle; and

receiving vehicle system encryption data from the vehicle system over the first communication link;

communicating between the mobile computing device and the vehicle system using a second communication link, wherein communications transmitted from the mobile computing device to the vehicle system and communications received at the mobile computing device from the vehicle system are encrypted using at least one of the mobile computing device encryption data and the vehicle system encryption data, wherein communications transmitted from the mobile computing device to the vehicle system comprise the mobile computing device identifier, and wherein the second communication link is a wireless communication link having a susceptibility to one or more wireless security risks, the first communication link comprising one or more characteristics configured to reduce the susceptibility of the first communication link to the one or more wireless security risks as compared to the second communication link.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the first communication link comprises a wired connection between the mobile computing device and the vehicle system.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the first communication link is established using a secure intermediary device configured to transmit data between the mobile computing device and the vehicle system by separately connecting to each of the mobile computing device and the vehicle system and providing each of the mobile computing device and the vehicle system with data received from the other of the mobile computing device and the vehicle system.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a cellular telephone or a tablet computing device.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the data received from at least one of a flight management system and a global positioning system of the vehicle comprises at least one of vehicle elevation data or vehicle location data.