Internet of things security

• US 9,432,378 B1
• Filed: 05/06/2016
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jerome Svigals
• Original Assignee: Jerome Svigals
• Inventors: Svigals, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Chau
• Application Number:
  US15/148,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20160255083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 116 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G09C 1/00 Apparatus or methods whereby a given sequence of signs, e.g. an intelligible text, is transformed into an unintelligible sequence of signs by transposing the signs or groups of signs or by replacing them by others according to a predetermined system cryptographic typewriters G09C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• 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 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Apparati, methods, and computer-readable media for improving the security of communications networks. An embodiment of the present invention is a system for enabling smart devices (1401, 1402, 1403) to communicate with each other over a network (1450) without human intervention. The system comprises at least two bidirectional smart devices (1401, 1402) adapted to send and receive messages (1460) over the network (1450). Each smart device (1401, 1402) is coupled to the network (1450) via a bidirectional intelligent chip, logic device, or smart device (1411, 1421). In message sending mode, intelligent chip, logic device, or smart device (1411) appends an identifier (1417) to each message (1460) emanating from its associated sending smart device (1401). The identifier (1417) comprises a fixed portion (1415, 1416) uniquely identifying the associated sending smart device (1401), and a variable portion (1414) containing a time having a secret random starting point. The receiving intelligent chip, logic device, or smart device (1421) invokes a module (1423) contained within each intelligent chip (1411, 1421) configured to screen incoming messages (1460), by validating both the fixed and variable portions of the identifier (1417).

Claims

1. A system for enabling smart devices to communicate with each other over a network without human intervention, said system comprising:

at least two bidirectional smart devices adapted to send and receive messages over the network, each smart device coupled to the network via an associated bidirectional intelligent chip;

wherein

each intelligent chip is configured to append an identifier to each outgoing message emanating from the smart device associated with said intelligent chip, said identifier comprising a fixed portion uniquely identifying the associated sending smart device, and a variable portion; and

each intelligent chip comprises a module for approving incoming messages by validating both the fixed and variable portions of the identifier;

wherein

the variable portion comprises a time having a secret random starting point.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the network is the Internet.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the outgoing message contains the addresses of several smart devices that the sending smart device has designated to be recipients of the outgoing message.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein each outgoing message comprises a substantive portion and a portion containing the address of a smart device that the sending smart device designates to be a recipient of the outgoing message.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the identifier comprises 40 digits, and uses an ISO Track 2 format.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein each intelligent chip comprises:

a processor;

coupled to the processor, a clock for tracking the time;

coupled to the processor, a first memory storing the type of smart device associated with said intelligent chip; and

coupled to the processor, a second memory storing a unique identification of the smart device associated with said intelligent chip.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the clock in each intelligent chip is initialized by a single entity with the secret random starting point.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the processor is adapted to:

digitize the time tracked by the clock according to a time interval preselected by a user of the intelligent chip, and place the digitized time into the variable portion of the identifier; and

make the type of sending smart device and the unique identification of the sending smart device the fixed portion of the identifier.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the processor approves an incoming message addressed to the smart device associated with the corresponding intelligent chip only when:

the time contained in the variable portion of the identifier falls within a preselected acceptable time prior to the time tracked by the clock;

the type of sending smart device is found in a first whitelist of acceptable sending smart device types; and

the unique identification of the sending smart device is found within a second whitelist of acceptable sending smart device identifications;

wherein;

the first and second whitelists are stored on the corresponding intelligent chip.

10. A method for a first bidirectional smart device to send a message over a network to a second bidirectional smart device without human intervention, said method comprising a bidirectional intelligent chip coupled to the first bidirectional smart device performing the steps of:

appending an identifier to the message, said identifier comprising a fixed portion uniquely identifying the first bidirectional smart device, and a variable portion, wherein the variable portion comprises a time having a secret random starting point; and

sending the message over the network to a second bidirectional intelligent chip coupled to the second bidirectional smart device;

wherein

the second bidirectional intelligent chip approves the message by validating both the fixed and variable portions of the identifier.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the secret random starting point has been communicated to each bidirectional smart device by a single entity.