Wireless security configuration

• US 9,467,860 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Dittrich, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Shepperd, Eric W
• Application Number:
  US14/261,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20140226819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/43 wireless channels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2123 Dummy operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/65 Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/73 Access point logical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 Graphical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An apparatus, method and computer-readable storage medium to efficiently connect to wireless access point(s). An electronic device may capture coded information. The coded information may include a security key to connect to a wireless access point, and the coded information may be an image, an audio clip, text, or a video. The coded information may be steganographically encoded. The coded information may be captured from a display of a second electronic device. The second electronic device may include the wireless access point.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to connect a first device wirelessly to a network comprising:

at the first device, capturing coded information, wherein the coded information includes a security key and an identifier to connect to a wireless access point hidden from being seen during scanning for available wireless access points, wherein the coded information is at least one of an image, an audio clip, and a video, and wherein the at least one of an image, and audio clip, and a video, is steganographically encoded using a steganographic algorithm that hides the security key and the identifier within the coded information such that the coded information must be decoded using a corresponding steganographic decoding algorithm in order to recover the security key and the identifier;

decoding the coded information by applying the corresponding steganographic decoding algorithm to recover the security key and the identifier; and

using the recovered security key and the recovered identifier to connect the first device to the hidden wireless access point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the coded information is captured from one of a display of an electronic device and an audio output of the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the electronic device includes the hidden wireless access point.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the coded information is at least two of the image, the audio clip, a text, and the video.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the hidden wireless access point is secured by one of Wi-Fi Protected Access, Wi-Fi Protected Access II, and Wired Equivalent Privacy.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the coded information is an audio clip captured from an audio output of an electronic device.

7. A computer-implemented method comprising:

coding information including a security key and an identifier, wherein the identifier is required to locate a wireless access point hidden from being seen during scanning for available wireless access points, the security key is required to connect to the hidden wireless access point and the coded information is at least one of an image, an audio clip, and a video, and wherein the coding is performed using a steganographic algorithm that hides the security key and the identifier within the coded information such that the coded information must be decoded using a corresponding steganographic decoding algorithm in order to recover the security key and the identifier; and

at least one of a) displaying the coded information on a display of an electronic device and b) playing the coded information via at least an audio speaker of the electronic device,

wherein the coded information is decoded by applying the corresponding steganographic decoding algorithm to recover the security key and the identifier, and the recovered security key and the recovered identifier are used to connect to the hidden wireless access point.

8. An apparatus comprising:

at least one of a camera and a microphone to capture coded information, wherein the coded information includes a security key and an identifier to connect to a wireless access point hidden from being seen during scanning for available wireless access points, and the coded information is at least one of an image, an audio clip, and a video, and wherein the at least one of an image, an audio clip, and a video is steganographically encoded using a steganographic algorithm that hides the security key and the identifier within the coded information such that the coded information must be decoded using a corresponding steganographic decoding algorithm in order to recover the security key and the identifier;

a processor for executing computer instructions, the processor configured to;

decode the coded information by applying the corresponding steganographic decoding algorithm to recover the security key and the identifier, and

use the recovered security key and the recovered identifier to connect to the hidden wireless access point.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the coded information is an image captured from a display of an electronic device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the electronic device includes the hidden wireless access point.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the hidden wireless access point is secured by one of Wi-Fi Protected Access, Wi-Fi Protected Access II, and Wired Equivalent Privacy.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the coded information is an audio clip captured from an audio output of an electronic device.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a processor for executing computer instructions, the processor configured to code information including a security key and an identifier, wherein the security key and the identifier are required to connect to a wireless access point hidden from being seen during scanning for available wireless access points, and the coded information is at least one of an image, an audio clip, and a video, and wherein the at least one of an image, an audio clip, and a video is steganographically encoded using a steganographic algorithm that hides the security key and the identifier within the coded information such that the coded information must be decoded using a corresponding steganographic decoding algorithm in order to recover the security key and the identifier; and

at least one of a) a display to display the coded information and b) at least an audio speaker to play the coded information,

wherein the coded information is decoded by applying the corresponding steganographic decoding algorithm to recover the security key and the identifier, and the recovered security key and the recovered identifier are used to connect to the hidden wireless access point.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable instructions which, when executed, implement operations comprising:

capturing coded information, wherein the coded information includes a security key and an identifier to connect to a wireless access point hidden from being seen during scanning for available wireless access points, and the coded information is at least one of an image, an audio clip, and a video, and wherein the at least one of an image, an audio clip, and a video is steganographically encoded using a steganographic algorithm that hides the security key and the identifier within the coded information such that the coded information must be decoded using a corresponding steganographic decoding algorithm in order to recover the security key and the identifier;

decoding the coded information by applying the corresponding steganographic decoding algorithm to recover the security key and the identifier; and

using the recovered security key and the recovered identifier to connect a device to the hidden wireless access point.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the coded information is captured from one of a display of an electronic device and an audio output of the electronic device.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the electronic device includes the hidden wireless access point.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the coded information is an audio clip captured from an audio output of an electronic device.