Device, system, method and computer readable medium for indentifying and authenticating a cellular device using a short-range radio address

• US 20050027982A1
• Filed: 08/01/2003
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IXI Mobile (R&D) Ltd. (IXI Mobile, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IXI Mobile (R&D) Ltd. (IXI Mobile, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shachak, Amit, Haparnas, Ziv
• Granted Patent: US 7,366,901 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A device, method, system and computer readable medium allows for using a short-range address, such as a Bluetooth™ address, to identify a cellular device and authenticate cellular messages to the cellular device. In an embodiment of the present invention, a first short-range radio address for a cellular device is stored in a processing device, such as a server coupled to a cellular network. An authentication message is obtained by the processing device. A second short-range radio address is stored in the cellular device. A first message digest is calculated responsive to the authentication message and first short-range radio address. A cellular message, including the authentication message and the first message digest, is transmitted to the cellular device. The cellular device receives the cellular message and calculates a second message digest responsive to the authentication message and the second short-range radio address stored in the cellular device. The cellular device authenticates the cellular message responsive to comparing the first message digest to a second message digest. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, a processing device compares a second digest message from a cellular device and a first digest message calculated by the processing device in order authenticate the cellular message. In still a further embodiment of the present invention, a short-range radio address is used to encrypt and decrypt cellular messages.

Claims

1. ) A method for authenticating, comprising the steps of:

storing a first short-range radio address for a cellular device in a processing device;

obtaining an authentication message in the processing device;

storing a second short-range radio address in the cellular device, wherein the first short-range radio address and the second short-range radio address are the same;

calculating a first message digest responsive to the authentication message and first short-range radio address;

transmitting, by a cellular network coupled to the processing device, a cellular message including the authentication message and the first message digest to the cellular device;

receiving the cellular message, by the cellular device;

calculating a second message digest responsive to the authentication message and the second short-range radio address; and

,

comparing, by the cellular device, the first message digest to a second message digest to authenticate the cellular message.

2. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication message is randomly calculated.

3. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the first message digest is a 128-bit value calculated by a one-way hash software component.

4. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the one-way hash software component is a MD5 software component.

5. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second short-range radio addresses are a Bluetooth™

address.

6. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular device includes a short-range radio transceiver.

7. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular device is in a short-distance wireless network

8. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the short-distance wireless network is a Bluetooth™

wireless network.

9. ) The method of claim 7, wherein the short-distance wireless network is an 802.11 wireless local area network.

10. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second short-range radio addresses are 48-bit values.

11. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular device is a cellular telephone.

12. ) The method of claim 1, wherein the processing device is a server.

13. ) A method for authenticating, comprising the steps of:

storing a first short-range radio address, for a cellular device, in a processing device;

obtaining an authentication message in the processing device;

storing a second short-range radio address in the cellular device, wherein the first short-range radio address and the second short-range radio address are the same;

calculating, by the processing device, a first message digest responsive to the authentication message and first short-range radio address;

transmitting, by a cellular network coupled to the processing device, a cellular message including the authentication message to the cellular device;

receiving the cellular message, by the cellular device;

calculating a second message digest responsive to the authentication message and the second short-range radio address;

transmitting, by the cellular device, the second message digest; and

,

comparing, by the processing device, the first message digest to a second message digest to authenticate the cellular message.

14. ) A method, comprising;

storing a first short-range radio in a cellular device;

storing a second short-range radio addresses in a processing device, wherein the first short-range radio address and the second short-range radio address are the same;

encrypting a cellular message, by the processing device, using the second short-range radio address;

transmitting the encrypted cellular message to the cellular device; and

decrypting the encrypted cellular message, by the cellular device, using the first short-range radio address.

15. ) A method, comprising;

storing a first short-range radio in a cellular device;

storing a second short-range radio addresses in a processing device, wherein the first short-range radio address and the second short-range radio address are the same;

encrypting a cellular message, by the cellular device, using the first short-range radio address;

transmitting the encrypted cellular message to the processing device; and

decrypting the encrypted cellular message, by the processing device, using the second short-range radio address.

16. ) A method for identifying a cellular device, comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the cellular device, a first cellular message requesting a cellular device identifier;

reading, by the cellular device, a first short-range radio address from the device;

transmitting, by the cellular device, a second cellular message including the first short-range radio address;

storing a second short-range radio address in a processing device; and

,

comparing the first short-range radio address to the second short-range radio address to identify the cellular device.

17. ) The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second short-range radio addresses are Bluetooth™

addresses.

18. ) The method of claim 16, wherein the cellular device includes a short-range radio transceiver.

19. ) The method of claim 16, wherein the cellular device is in a short-distance wireless network

20. ) The method of claim 19, wherein the short-distance wireless network is a Bluetooth™

wireless network.

21. ) The method of claim 16, wherein the short-distance wireless network is an 802.11 wireless local area network.

22. ) The method of claim 16, wherein the reading step includes executing a host controller command.

23. ) The method of claim 22, wherein the host controller command is HCI_Read_BD_ADDR and the short-range radio address is BD_ADDR.

24. ) The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second short-range radio addresses are 48-bit values.

25. ) The method of claim 16, wherein the cellular device is a cellular telephone.

26. ) The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of receiving a third cellular message responsive to the second cellular message.

27. ) The method of claim 26, wherein the first, second and third cellular messages are generated by a cellular network coupled to a processing device storing the second short-range radio address corresponding to the cellular device.

28. ) The method of claim 16, wherein the first, second and third cellular messages are in a Global System for Mobile communications (“

GSM”

) protocol.

29. ) A method for identifying a cellular device, comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the cellular device, a first cellular message having a first short-range radio address;

reading a second short-range radio address from the cellular device;

comparing, by the cellular device, the first short-range radio address with the second short-range radio address; and

,

transmitting a second cellular message responsive to the comparing step.

30. ) A device, comprising:

a cellular transceiver capable to receive a first cellular message;

a first processor coupled to the cellular transceiver;

a first memory, coupled to the first processor, capable to store a first software component for generating a command responsive to the first cellular message;

a second processor coupled to the first processor;

a short-range radio transceiver coupled to the second processor;

a second memory, coupled to the second processor, capable to store a second software component for retrieving a short-range radio address associated with the short-range radio transceiver responsive to the command, wherein the first software component authenticates the first cellular message using the short-range radio address.

31. ) The device of claim 30, wherein the first cellular message includes a message digest and the first software component includes a MD5 software component

32. ) The device of claim 30, wherein the first software component is a GSM baseband software component and the second software component is a Bluetooth™

baseband software component.

33. ) The device of claim 30, wherein the short-range radio address is a Bluetooth™

address.

34. ) The device of claim 30, wherein the device is in a short-distance wireless network

35. ) The device of claim 30, wherein the short-distance wireless network is a Bluetooth™

wireless network.

36. ) The device of claim 30, wherein the command is HCI_Read_BD_ADDR and the short-range radio address is BD_ADDR.

37. ) The device of claim 30, wherein the short-range radio address in a 48-bit value.

38. ) The device of claim 30, wherein the cellular device is a cellular telephone.

39. ) A device, comprising:

a cellular transceiver capable to receive a first cellular message;

a first processor coupled to the cellular transceiver;

a first memory, coupled to the first processor, capable to store a first software component for generating a command responsive to the first cellular message;

a second processor coupled to the first processor;

a short-range radio transceiver coupled to the second processor;

a second memory, coupled to the second processor, capable to store a second software component for retrieving a short-range radio address associated with the short-range radio transceiver responsive to the command, wherein the cellular transceiver generates a second cellular message including the short-range radio address to identify the device.

40. ) A device, comprising:

a cellular transceiver capable to receive a first cellular message;

a short-range radio transceiver;

a first processor, coupled to the cellular transceiver and the short range radio transceiver;

a first memory, coupled to the processor, the cellular transceiver and the short-range radio transceiver, capable to store;

a first software component for executing a command responsive to the first cellular message;

a second software component for providing a short-range radio address associated with the short-range transceiver responsive to the command, wherein the cellular transceiver generates a second cellular message including the short-range radio address identifying the device.

41. ) The device of claim 40, wherein the command includes a function call.

42. ) The device of claim 41, wherein the function call is void hciReadBDAddr(BD_ADDR*bd_addr).

43. ) The device of claim 40, wherein the first software component is a GSM baseband software component and the second software component is a Bluetooth™

baseband software component.

44. ) The device of claim 40, wherein the short-range radio address is a Bluetooth™

address.

45. ) The device of claim 40, wherein the cellular device is a cellular telephone.

46. ) A system, comprising:

a processing device;

a cellular network, coupled to the processing device, for transmitting a cellular message;

a hand-held wireless device, including;

a cellular transceiver to communicate with the cellular network, including to receive the first cellular message;

a short-range radio transceiver to communicate with the short-range radio network;

a processor coupled to the cellular transceiver and the short-range radio network;

a memory, coupled to the processor, to store;

a first software component for executing a software instruction responsive to the first cellular message;

a second software component for providing a short-range radio address associated with the short-range radio transceiver responsive to executing the software instruction, wherein the first software component authenticates the cellular message using the short-range radio address.

47. ) The hand-held wireless device of claim 46, wherein the first software component is a GSM baseband software component and the second software component is a Bluetooth™

baseband software component.

48. ) The hand-held wireless device of claim 46, wherein the short-range radio address is a Bluetooth™

address.

49. ) The hand-held wireless device of claim 46, wherein the device is in a short-distance wireless network

50. ) The hand-held wireless device of claim 46, wherein the cellular device is a cellular telephone.

51. ) A system, comprising:

a processing device;

a cellular network, coupled to the processing device, for transmitting a cellular message;

a hand-held wireless device, including;

a cellular transceiver to communicate with the cellular network, including to receive the first cellular message;

a short-range radio transceiver to communicate with the short-range radio network;

a processor coupled to the cellular transceiver and the short-range radio network;

a memory, coupled to the processor, to store;

a first software component for executing a software instruction responsive to the first cellular message;

a second software component for providing a short-range radio address associated with the short-range radio transceiver responsive to executing the software instruction, wherein the cellular transceiver generates a second cellular message including the short-range radio address identifying the hand-held wireless device.

52. ) An article of manufacture, including a computer readable medium, in a device, comprising:

a cellular software component for executing a first instruction responsive to a first cellular message from a cellular network; and

,

a short-range radio software component to provide a short-range radio address responsive to executing the first instruction, wherein the cellular software component authenticates the first cellular message using the short-range radio address.

53. ) The article of manufacture of claim 52, wherein the cellular software component generates a control signal to a cellular transceiver capable to generate a second cellular message containing the short-range radio address identifying the device.