Preventing spoofing attacks for bone conduction applications

• US 9,405,892 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2013
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baldwin, Christopher, Amento, Brian S.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEDIN, SHANTO
• Application Number:
  US14/090,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20150150116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 726/16, 726/23, 726/30, 713168-170, 713/182, 713/186, 340/5.6, 340/5.65, 340/5.81, 340/5.82, 340/10.42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/15 Biometric patterns based on physiological signals, e.g. heartbeat, blood flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/40 Spoof detection, e.g. liveness detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/121 Timestamp cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements involving time stamps H04L9/3297
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1466 Active attacks involving interception, injection, modification, spoofing of data unit addresses, e.g. hijacking, packet injection or TCP sequence number attacks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/79 Radio fingerprint

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for preventing spoofing attacks for bone conduction applications. According to one aspect, a device can receive an authentication signal that has propagated through a body. The device can prevent an adversary from using the authentication signal to spoof a user to be authenticated by the device. The device can also authenticate the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an authentication device, a convolved authentication signal comprising

a first signal that has propagated through a body of a user and is indicative of a unique body signature of the body of the user, wherein the first signal comprises an authentication signal that originated from a user device and has been modified by the unique body signature by way of propagation through the body of the user, and

a second signal originating from a vibrational filter system, wherein the second signal causes the first signal to be encrypted within the body of the user to form the convolved authentication signal;

receiving, by the authentication device, the second signal directly from the vibrational filter system;

preventing an adversary from using the authentication signal to spoof the user to be authenticated by the authentication device by deconvolving the convolved authentication signal to isolate the unique body signature using the second signal that is received separate from the convolved authentication signal; and

authenticating, by the authentication device, the user based upon the unique body signature.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the second signal comprises a filter signal; and

the filter signal encrypts the first signal by modifying a signal characteristic of the first signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the filter signal is sent by the vibrational filter system to the authentication device before transmission of the filter signal to the body.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the filter signal is sent by the vibrational filter system to the authentication device during transmission of the filter signal to the body.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the filter signal is sent by the vibrational filter system to the authentication device after transmission of the filter signal to the body.

6. An authentication device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a convolved authentication signal comprising

a first signal that has propagated through a body of a user and is indicative of a unique body signature of the body of the user, wherein the first signal comprises an authentication signal that originated from a user device and has been modified by the unique body signature by way of propagation through the body of the user, and

a second signal originating from a vibrational filter system, wherein the second signal causes the first signal to be encrypted within the body of the user to form the convolved authentication signal,

receiving the second signal directly from the vibrational filter system,

preventing an adversary from using the authentication signal to spoof the user to be authenticated by the authentication device by deconvolving the convolved authentication signal to isolate the unique body signature using the second signal that is received separate from the convolved authentication signal, and

authenticating the user based upon the unique body signature.

7. The authentication device of claim 6, wherein:

the second signal comprises a filter signal; and

the filter signal encrypts the first signal by modifying a signal characteristic of the first signal.

8. The authentication device of claim 7, wherein the filter signal is sent by the vibrational filter system to the authentication device before transmission of the filter signal to the body.

9. The authentication device of claim 7, wherein the filter signal is sent by the vibrational filter system to the authentication device during transmission of the filter signal to the body.

10. The authentication device of claim 7, wherein the filter signal is sent by the vibrational filter system to the authentication device after transmission of the filter signal to the body.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor of an authentication device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a convolved authentication signal comprising

a first signal that has propagated through a body of a user and is indicative of a unique body signature of the body of the user, wherein the first signal comprises an authentication signal that originated from a user device and has been modified by the unique body signature by way of propagation through the body of the user, and

a second signal originating from a vibrational filter system, wherein the second signal causes the first signal to be encrypted within the body of the user to form the convolved authentication signal;

receiving the second signal directly from the vibrational filter system;

preventing an adversary from using the authentication signal to spoof the user to be authenticated by the authentication device by deconvolving the convolved authentication signal to isolate the unique body signature using the second signal that is received separate from the convolved authentication signal; and

authenticating the user based upon the unique body signature.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the second signal comprises a filter signal; and

the filter signal encrypts the first signal by modifying a signal characteristic of the first signal.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the filter signal is sent by the vibrational filter system to the authentication device before transmission of the filter signal to the body.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the filter signal is sent by the vibrational filter system to the authentication device during transmission of the filter signal to the body.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the filter signal is sent by the vibrational filter system to the authentication device after transmission of the filter signal to the body.