DEVICE, SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF ESTABLISHING SECURE WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

• US 20100278342A1
• Filed: 03/17/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Pering, Trevor A., Want, Roy
• Granted Patent: US 8,170,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0827 involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3297 involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent

Abstract

Device, system, and method of establishing secure wireless communication. A system includes at least one wireless communication device having a sensor to measure one or more parameters of a physical event shared between that device and another wireless communication device, and a processor to translate the one or more measured parameters into a secret data sequence known only to the devices sharing the event. A first of the wireless communication devices sharing the event is to combine a communication key with the secret data sequence, thereby to generate an encoded message for distribution over a wireless link accessible by the devices, and a second of the wireless communication devices sharing the event is to decode said encoded message using the secret data sequence, thereby to obtain the communication key. The wireless communication devices may then connect using the secret communication key as a basis for secure communication.

Claims

1. A method for establishing secure wireless communication, the method comprising:

translating one or more measured parameters of a shared physical event between two or more wireless communication devices into a secret data sequence known only to the devices sharing said event;

combining a communication key with the secret data sequence to generate an encoded message for distribution over a wireless link accessible by said devices;

decoding said encoded message using the secret data sequence to obtain said communication key; and

connecting said two or more wireless communication devices using the communication key as a basis for secure communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein to verify if said communication key is correctly obtained from the encoded message, the method comprises:

distributing a secure hash of the obtained communication key; and

checking if the distributed hash matches an independently calculated hash of the applied communication key.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication key is broadcast over a wireless network to one or more other communication devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a connection between the wireless communication devices is automatically created upon receiving an appropriate communication key.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising connecting said devices only if user confirmation is received.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising using the communication key as an encryption key for said secure communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein to compensate for possible rounding errors in said translating of the one or more measured parameters, the method comprises:

generating at least two encoded messages for distribution by combining the communication key with two or more versions of said secret data sequence, respectively;

decoding said encoded messages using the secret data sequence to obtain two or more decoded keys;

verifying that at least one of said decoded keys matches the communication key; and

connecting said devices using the matching communication key as a basis for secure communication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said shared physical event comprises an impact between said wireless communication devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more measured parameters include a timestamp of said event.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising translating the one or more measured parameters of the shared physical event into the secret data sequence only if said parameters are above a threshold value.

11. A system for establishing secure wireless communication, the system comprising:

at least one wireless communication device having a sensor to measure one or more parameters of a physical event shared between said device and another wireless communication device and a processor to translate said one or more measured parameters into a secret data sequence known only to the devices sharing said event;

wherein a first device of said devices sharing said event is to combine a communication key with the secret data sequence to generate an encoded message for distribution over a wireless link accessible by said devices,

wherein a second device of said devices sharing said event is to decode said encoded message using the secret data sequence to obtain said communication key,

and wherein said first and second devices are adapted to connect using said communication key as a basis for secure communication.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein to verify if said communication key is correctly obtained from the encoded message, said second wireless communication device distributes a secure hash of the obtained communication key, and said first wireless communication device checks if the distributed hash matches an independently calculated hash of the applied communication key.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein to compensate for possible rounding errors in said translating of the one or more measured parameters,

said first wireless communication device generates at least two encoded messages for distribution by combining the communication key with two or more versions of said secret data sequence, respectively;

said second wireless communication device decodes said encoded messages using the secret data sequence to obtain two or more decoded keys;

said first wireless communication device verifies that at least one of said decoded keys matches the communication key; and

said first and second wireless communication devices connect using the matching communication key as a basis for secure communication.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein a connection between said first and second wireless communication devices is automatically created upon receiving an appropriate communication key.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said first and second devices use the communication key as an encryption key for said secure communication.