Method and apparatus for providing vehicle security

• US 9,767,627 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entrust Corp.
• Original Assignee: Entrust Incorporated (Entrust Corp.)
• Inventors: Soroko, Jason Aurele
• Primary Examiner(s): Neyzari, Ali
• Application Number:
  US14/795,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20160012653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 340 561, 340 51
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2018 Central base unlocks or authorises unlocking
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass

Abstract

Apparatus, systems and methods are disclosed that utilize a vehicle user'"'"'s input to provide logical context of legitimate vehicle usage through a remote access device to defend the vehicle from theft. As such, an additional level of security is employed and may be used in addition to other security and theft prevention technologies of the vehicle. In one example, a legitimate automobile operator signals the context of the vehicle'"'"'s state to a hardware security module in the vehicle. The states include, for example, to disallow all diagnostic system access or to allow diagnostic access for servicing.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing vehicle security for a vehicle comprising:

a security module comprising;

an asymmetric key based cryptographic engine operative to authenticate a vehicle remote access device based on a public key associated with the vehicle remote access device and operative to establish a secure link with the vehicle remote access device; and

logic operatively responsive to selectively prevent access to a diagnostic system of the vehicle in response to vehicle security context information received from the vehicle remote access device via the established secure link.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the security module comprises a hardware security module with a tamper resistant hardware structure.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the logic selectively prevents access to the diagnostic system of the vehicle by at least allowing or preventing an action of certificate singing commands sent to the diagnostic system.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the security module, the asymmetric key based cryptographic engine and logic are in the vehicle.

4. A vehicle remote access device comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

logic, operatively coupled to the wireless transceiver, operative to facilitate public key based authentication with a vehicle electronic control unit;

a user interface operatively coupled to the logic, and operative to provide vehicle security context information for the vehicle electronic control unit to prevent access to a diagnostic system of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle remote access device of claim 4 wherein the vehicle remote access device comprises a handheld vehicle remote access device.

9. The vehicle remote access device of claim 8 wherein the handheld vehicle remote access device comprises a key fob.

5. A method performed by a device in a vehicle comprising:

authenticating, by the device in the vehicle, a vehicle remote access device based on a public key associated with the vehicle remote access device;

establishing, by the device in the vehicle, a secure link with the vehicle remote access device; and

selectively preventing, by the device in the vehicle, access to a diagnostic system of the vehicle in response to vehicle security context information received from the vehicle remote access device via the established secure link.

6. A vehicle system comprising:

a vehicle remote access device comprising;

a wireless transceiver;

first logic, operatively coupled to the wireless transceiver, operative to facilitate public key based authentication with a vehicle electronic control unit;

a user interface operatively coupled to the logic, and operative to provide vehicle security context information for the vehicle electronic control unit to prevent access to a diagnostic system of the vehicle; and

a security module comprising;

an asymmetric key based cryptographic engine operative to authenticate the vehicle remote access device based on a public key associated with the vehicle remote access device and operative to establish a secure link with the vehicle remote access device; and

second logic operatively responsive to selectively prevent access to a diagnostic system of the vehicle in response to vehicle security context information received from the vehicle remote access device via the established secure link.

10. The vehicle system of claim 6 wherein the vehicle remote access device comprises a handheld vehicle remote access device and wherein the security module is an in-vehicle security module.