Mobile device prevention of contactless card attacks

• US 9,379,841 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2014
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Fine, Kevin, Kruglick, Ezekiel
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Fayyaz
• Application Number:
  US14/431,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20160142174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 455/1, 455/550.1, 455 411- 413
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/30 of propagation channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/224 with countermeasures at transmission and/or reception of the jammed signal, e.g. stopping operation of transmitter or receiver, nulling or enhancing transmitted power in direction of or at frequency of jammer
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/86 related to preventing deceptive jamming or unauthorized interrogation or access, e.g. WLAN access or RFID reading record carriers with integrated circuit chips including means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or to record carriers by hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07318; arrangements for sensing record carriers including arrangements for protecting the interrogation against piracy attacks G06K7/10257
• 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 12/47 using near field communication [NFC] or radio frequency identification [RFID] modules
• 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

Abstract

Technologies related to mobile device prevention of contactless card attacks are generally described. In some examples, a mobile computing device may monitor for electromagnetic signals at frequencies used for short range communications with contactless cards. Detection of such electromagnetic signals by the mobile computing device may indicate an attack attempt on a proximal contactless card. In response to detection of such electromagnetic signals, the mobile computing device may automatically generate a disruption signal effective to disrupt communications between contactless card readers and any proximal contactless cards, to thereby foil the attack before sensitive contactless card data is stolen.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device method to prevent contactless card attacks, comprising:

monitoring, by a mobile computing device comprising a Near Field Communications (NFC) module, the NFC module for passive communication mode NFC signals comprising encoded signatures;

detecting, by the mobile computing device, during the monitoring of the NFC module, a passive communication mode NFC signal comprising an encoded signature;

in response to detecting the passive communication mode NFC signal comprising the encoded signature, automatically transmitting, by the mobile computing device, a battery powered NFC disruption signal, wherein the NFC disruption signal comprises a passive communication mode NFC response frequency, and wherein the NFC disruption signal comprises a passive Proximity Integrated Circuit Card (PICC) subcarrier frequency modulated by a bit stream effective to disrupt NFC communications between a proximal Proximity Coupling Device (PCD) and a proximal PICC; and

pausing, by the mobile computing device, the monitoring of the NFC module during use of the NFC module by an NFC application at the mobile computing device.

2. The mobile computing device method of claim 1, wherein the NFC disruption signal comprises a larger amplitude than an NFC response signal generated by the proximal PICC.

3. The mobile computing device method of claim 1, wherein the bit stream that modulates the NFC disruption signal comprises a random bit stream.

4. The mobile computing device method of claim 1, wherein the bit stream that modulates the NFC disruption signal comprises artificial PICC data, wherein the artificial PICC data includes PICC data different from card holder PICC data associated with the proximal PICC.

5. The mobile computing device method of claim 1, wherein the passive communication mode NFC signals comprise one or more of 13.56 MHz signals generated by the proximal PCD or 12.7 MHz-14.40 MHz sideband signals generated by the proximal PICC, and wherein the NFC disruption signal comprises 12.7 MHz-14.40 MHz sideband signals.

6. The mobile computing device method of claim 1, wherein the encoded signature comprises at least a portion of a passive communication mode NFC preamble generated by the proximal PCD.

7. The mobile computing device method of claim 6, wherein the passive communication mode NFC preamble comprises a sequence including 48 zeroes.

8. The mobile computing device method of claim 1, wherein the encoded signature comprises contactless card information generated by the proximal PICC.

9. The mobile computing device method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the NFC module is performed substantially continuously by the mobile computing device over at least one period of 10 minutes or longer.

10. The mobile computing device method of claim 1, further comprising one or more of:

automatically activating an audible alarm by the mobile computing device in response to detecting the passive communication mode NFC signal comprising the encoded signature;

automatically sending an attack alert communication by the mobile computing device in response to detecting the passive communication mode NFC signal comprising the encoded signature;

or

automatically recording, by the mobile computing device in response to detecting the passive communication mode NFC signal comprising the encoded signature, event information for the detected passive communication mode NFC signal.

11. A mobile computing device configured to prevent contactless card attacks, comprising:

a Near Field Communications (NFC) module;

a battery;

a processor;

a memory; and

a contactless card attack preventer stored in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein the contactless card attack preventer is configured to;

monitor the NFC module for passive communication mode NFC signals comprising encoded signatures;

detect, during monitoring of the NFC module, a passive communication mode NFC signal comprising an encoded signature;

in response to detecting the passive communication mode NFC signal comprising the encoded signature, automatically transmit a battery powered NFC disruption signal, wherein the NFC disruption signal comprises a passive communication mode NFC response frequency, and wherein the NFC disruption signal comprises a passive Proximity Integrated Circuit Card (PICC) subcarrier frequency modulated by a bit stream effective to disrupt NFC communications between a proximal Proximity Coupling Device (PCD) and a proximal PICC; and

pause monitoring of the NFC module during use of the NFC module by an NFC application at the mobile computing device.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 11, wherein the NFC disruption signal comprises a larger amplitude than an NFC response signal generated by the proximal PICC.

13. The mobile computing device of claim 11, wherein the bit stream that modulates the NFC disruption signal comprises a random bit stream.

14. The mobile computing device of claim 11, wherein the bit stream that modulates the NFC disruption signal comprises artificial PICC data, wherein the artificial PICC data includes PICC data different from card holder PICC data associated with the proximal PICC.

15. The mobile computing device of claim 11, wherein the passive communication mode NFC signals comprise one or more of 13.56 MHz signals generated by the proximal PCD or 12.7 MHz-14.40 MHz sideband signals generated by the proximal PICC, and wherein the NFC disruption signal comprises 12.7 MHz-14.40 MHz sideband signals.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 11, wherein the encoded signature comprises at least a portion of a passive communication mode NFC preamble generated by the proximal PCD.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein the passive communication mode NFC preamble comprises a sequence including 48 zeroes.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 11, wherein the encoded signature comprises contactless card information generated by the proximal PICC.

19. The mobile computing device of claim 11, wherein the contactless card attack preventer is configured to monitor the NFC module substantially continuously over at least one period of 10 minutes or longer.

20. The mobile computing device of claim 11, wherein the contactless card attack preventer is configured to one or more of:

automatically activate an audible alarm at the mobile computing device in response to detecting the passive communication mode NFC signal comprising the encoded signature;

automatically send an attack alert communication by the mobile computing device in response to detecting the passive communication mode NFC signal comprising the encoded signature;

or

automatically record, in response to detecting the passive communication mode NFC signal comprising the encoded signature, event information for the detected passive communication mode NFC signal.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer executable instructions executable by a processor at a mobile device, the instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

monitor a Near Field Communications (NFC) module within the mobile device for passive communication mode NFC signals comprising encoded signatures;

detect, during monitoring of the NFC module, a passive communication mode NFC signal comprising an encoded signature;

in response to detecting the passive communication mode NFC signal comprising the encoded signature, automatically transmit a battery powered NFC disruption signal, wherein the NFC disruption signal comprises a passive communication mode NFC response frequency, and wherein the NFC disruption signal comprises a passive Proximity Integrated Circuit Card (PICC) subcarrier frequency modulated by a bit stream effective to disrupt NFC communications between a proximal Proximity Coupling Device (PCD) and a proximal PICC; and

pause monitoring of the NFC module during use of the NFC module by an NFC application at the mobile computing device.