Method and system for vehicle authentication of a service technician

• US 20040003230A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Temic Automotive of North America, Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Dabbish, Ezzat A., Levenson, Samuel M., Fehr, Walton L., Puhl, Larry C., Reinold, Jurgen
• Application Number:
  US10/184,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20040003230A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/155
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

A vehicle accesses a secure device having limited accessibility but being accessible by a service technician. The secure device stores a first cryptographic key associated with the service technician. The vehicle also obtains from a certification authority a certification that an authentic technician is associated with a second cryptographic key corresponding to the first cryptographic key. The certification certifies that the second cryptographic key is bound to information identifying the authentic technician. The vehicle utilizes the second cryptographic key obtained from the certification authority in cryptographic communication with the secure device, and determines whether the service technician is the authentic technician based on whether the cryptographic key is successfully utilized in the cryptographic communication. Upon determining the service technician is the authentic technician, the vehicle may allow the prospective component to become operative within the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for authentication of a service technician for performing a service operation on a vehicle, the method performed by the vehicle and comprising the steps of:

accessing a secure device having limited accessibility but being accessible by the service technician and storing a first cryptographic key associated with the service technician;

obtaining from a certification authority a certification that an authentic technician is associated with a second cryptographic key corresponding to the first cryptographic key;

utilizing the cryptographic key in cryptographic communication with the secure device; and

determining whether the service technician is the authentic technician based on whether the cryptographic key is successfully utilized in the cryptographic communication.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second cryptographic key is unique to a service technician class including the authentic technician, and the step of determining whether the service technician is the authentic technician comprises determining whether the service technician is a member of the service technician class.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the certification comprises a digital certificate.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the certification comprises a digital signature of the certification authority.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the certification authority is authenticated by a second certification authority.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining that the certification authority is authorized to certify the authentic technician.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of obtaining the certification comprises obtaining a certification that a technician having an identified attribute is associated with the cryptographic key.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first cryptographic key is accessible only by the secure device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first cryptographic key is a private cryptographic key of the service technician and the second cryptographic key is a public cryptographic key of the authentic technician.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed by a vehicle system representing the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed by a component of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the certfication authority is a second service technician.

13. A system for authentication of a service technician for performing a service operation on a vehicle, the system comprising:

a configuration element obtaining from a certification authority a certification that an authentic technician is associated with a second cryptographic key, the vehicle system comprising

a cryptographic computing unit utilizing the cryptographic key in cryptographic communication with a secure device having limited accessibility but being accessible by the service technician and storing a first cryptographic key associated with the service technician; and

a computing unit determining whether the service technician is the authentic technician based on whether the cryptographic key is successfully utilized in the cryptographic communication.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the second cryptographic key is unique to a service technician class including the authentic technician, and the step of determining whether the service technician is the authentic technician comprises determining whether the service technician is a member of the service technician class.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the certification comprises a digital certificate.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the certification comprises a digital signature of the certification authority.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the certification authority is authenticated by a second certification authority.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing unit determines that the certification authority is authorized to certify the authentic technician.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the certification associates with the cryptographic key a technician having an identified attribute.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the first cryptographic key is accessible only by the secure device.

21. The system of claim 13 wherein the first cryptographic key is a private cryptographic key of the service technician and the second cryptographic key is a public cryptographic key of the authentic technician.

22. The system of claim 13 wherein the configuration element is a vehicle system representing the vehicle.

23. The system of claim 13 wherein the configuration element is a component of the vehicle.

24. The system of claim 13 wherein the certfication authority is a second service technician.