SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SECURE SHORT MESSAGING SERVICE AND MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING SERVICE

• US 20110145564A1
• Filed: 02/21/2011
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CellTrust Corporation
• Original Assignee: CellTrust Corporation
• Inventors: Shafiezadeh, Houman, Moshir, Kevin K., Moshir, Sean S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,680,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/154
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing (for example, creating, transmitting, delivering, encrypting, storing, and the like) secure SMS (short message service) and secure MMS (multimedia messaging service) communications are disclosed.

Claims

1. A short messaging service (SMS) system configured for secure communications, the SMS system comprising:

a software module configured for use on a mobile device, wherein the software module is configured to encrypt an SMS message via a first encryption; and

a gateway configured to communicate with the mobile device, wherein the gateway is configured to receive the encrypted SMS message from the mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the gateway is configured to decrypt the encrypted SMS message received from the mobile device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the gateway is configured to re-encrypt the decrypted SMS message via a second encryption.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first encryption and the second encryption are different.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the gateway is configured to transmit the re-encrypted SMS message to a mobile device.

6. A method of securing short messaging service (SMS) communications, the method comprising:

encrypting, at a mobile device, an SMS message;

transmitting the encrypted SMS message to a gateway;

decrypting, at the gateway, the encrypted SMS message;

re-encrypting, at the gateway, the decrypted SMS message; and

transmitting the re-encrypted SMS message to a recipient.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the message is encrypted at a mobile device via a first encryption, and wherein the decrypted message is re-encrypted at the gateway via a second encryption different from the first encryption.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting, to a mobile device, a delivery confirmation responsive to delivery of the re-encrypted SMS message to a recipient.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting, to a mobile device, an open confirmation responsive to the re-encrypted SMS message being accessed by a recipient.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein, at the mobile device, information identifying the recipient of the message is encrypted with the message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the decrypting, at the gateway, further comprises determining a recipient of the encrypted message.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising dividing, at the mobile device, the encrypted message into at least two encrypted sub-messages, wherein the at least two encrypted sub-messages are configured according to an SMS protocol for transmittal to the gateway.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising assembling, at the gateway, the at least two encrypted sub-messages to reconstitute the encrypted message.

14. The method of claim 6, further comprising updating, at the mobile device, an encryption key associated with the mobile device, wherein the updating is responsive to a key update command transmitted by the gateway.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising queuing, at the gateway, at least one message associated with the mobile device, wherein the queuing is responsive to a key update command transmitted by the gateway.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising processing, at the gateway, the at least one queued message, wherein the processing is responsive to a key change acknowledgement message transmitted from the mobile device to the gateway.

18. A communication system for securely delivering a message to a mobile device, the system comprising:

a first software module configured as a gateway, wherein the first software module is configured to encrypt at least one of a short messaging service (SMS) message or a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message for delivery to the mobile device; and

a second software module configured for use on the mobile device, wherein the second software module is further configured to decrypt at least one of the encrypted SMS message or the encrypted MMS message received from the first software module, and wherein the information in at least one of the encrypted SMS message or the encrypted MMS message was received at the first software module from a third party.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second software module comprises an encrypted address book.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the second software module is configured to be locked after a period of inactivity.