Systems and methods for signaling an attack on contactless cards

• US 10,542,036 B1
• Filed: 03/12/2019
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Inventors: Duane, William, Chigurupati, Srinivasa, Osborn, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Korsak, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US16/351,379
• Time in Patent Office: 315 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0838 using one-time-passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0846 using time-dependent-passwords, e.g. periodically changing passwords
• 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 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002

Abstract

Example embodiments of systems and methods for data transmission system between transmitting and receiving devices are provided. In an embodiment, each of the transmitting and receiving devices can contain a master key. The transmitting device can generate a diversified key using the master key, protect a counter value and encrypt data prior to transmitting to the receiving device, which can generate the diversified key based on the master key and can decrypt the data and validate the protected counter value using the diversified key. In an embodiment, the transmitting device can signal an attack or potential attack through the counter value. The attack signaling can further include information relating to the attack or potential attack.

Claims

1. An attack signaling system comprising:

a contactless card including a substrate, one or more processors, and a memory; and

one or more servers in data communication with the contactless card,

wherein the contactless card is configured to, upon detection of a potential attack, create a one-time password (OTP) value that is transmitted to the one or more servers, the OTP value indicative of the potential attack; and

wherein the one or more servers, upon receipt of the OTP value, are configured to perform one or more protective actions.

2. The attack signaling system of claim 1, wherein the OTP value is created by one or more OTP generation algorithms.

3. The attack signaling system of claim 2, wherein the OTP value is based upon at least one selected from the group of a counter, time, and a challenge-response scheme.

4. The attack signaling system of claim 3, wherein:

the OTP value is counter-based, and

the contactless card is configured to set one or more keys of the contactless card to a zero value.

5. The attack signaling system of claim 3, wherein the counter is limited to a maximum value in the absence of a potential attack.

6. The attack signaling system of claim 3, wherein:

the OTP value is time-based, and

the OTP value comprises at least one selected from the group of;

a time value of zero, a time value prior to activation of the contactless card, and a time value exceeding a maximum possible lifetime of the contactless card.

7. The attack signaling system of claim 3, wherein:

the OTP value is challenge-response scheme-based, and

the OTP value comprises a value that is configured to exceed a value for a response associated with at least one of the OTP generation algorithms.

8. The attack signaling system of claim 1, wherein the one or more protective actions includes at least one selected from the group of generating a plurality of event logs associated with the attack of the contactless card;

transmitting a notification to threat response personnel;

rendering the contactless card mute;

initiating a replacement request of the contactless card;

initiating a communication session with a user indicative of compromise of the contactless card; and

establishing data communication with a risk based analytics engine to adjust a risk level of the user based on the detection of the attack.

9. The attack signaling system of claim 1, wherein the one or more servers are configured to detect whether a plurality of contactless cards have been subject to the potential attack during a predetermined time.

10. A method for signaling a potential attack by a contactless card in data communication with a server, comprising:

receiving, by the server, one or more codes from the contactless card;

determining, by the server that the one or more codes are indicative of the detection of a potential attack on the contactless card; and

performing, by the server, one or more protective actions in response to the one or more codes.

11. The method for signaling a potential attack of claim 10, wherein the one or more codes are based on a challenge-response scheme.

12. The method for signaling a potential attack of claim 10, wherein the one or more protective actions includes at least one selected from the group of generating a plurality of event logs associated with the attack of the contactless card;

transmitting a notification to threat response personnel;

rendering the contactless card mute;

initiating a replacement request of the contactless card;

initiating a communication session with a user indicative of compromise of the contactless card; and

establishing data communication with a risk based analytics engine to adjust a risk level of the user based on the detection of the attack.

13. The method for signaling a potential attack of claim 11, wherein the one or more codes are based on at least one selected from the group of time, a counter, and at least one OTP generation algorithm.

14. The method for signaling a potential attack of claim 13, further comprising setting, by the contactless card, one or more keys of the contactless card to a zero value when the one or more codes are counter-based.

15. The method for signaling a potential attack of claim 14, wherein:

the counter is set to a value indicative of a specific attack, and

the specific attack is at least one selected from the group of a code-modification attack, a fuzzing attack, and a clock jitter attack.

16. The method for signaling a potential attack of claim 15, further comprising:

determining, by the server, that the contactless card has set the one or more keys to the zero value; and

determining, by the server, that the contactless card has set the counter to the maximum value prior to performing the one or more protective actions.

17. The method for signaling a potential attack of claim 13, wherein:

the one or more codes are time-based, and

the one or more codes include at least one selected from the group of a time value of zero, a time value prior to existence of the contactless card, and a time value exceeding the maximum possible lifetime of the contactless card.

18. The method for signaling a potential attack of claim 13, wherein:

the one or more codes are challenge-response scheme-based, and

the one or more codes include a value that is configured to exceed a value for a response associated with at least one of the OTP generation algorithms.

19. A contactless card comprising:

a substrate, one or more processors, and a memory, wherein the memory contains at least one key,

wherein the contactless card is configured to, upon detection of a potential attack;

generate a one-time password;

transmit the one-time password;

receive one or more protective action requests based on the one-time password; and

destroy, responsive to one or more protective action requests, one or more, of the at least one key.

20. The contactless card of claim 19, wherein the potential attack comprises at least one selected from the group of tampering with the contactless card;

interference with data communications associated with the contactless card;

physical intrusion into the contactless card;

a code-modification attack;

a fuzzing attack; and

any combination thereof.