RFID transponder information security methods systems and devices

• US 7,548,152 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2004
• Issued: 06/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entrust Corp.
• Original Assignee: Entrust Incorporated (Entrust Corp.)
• Inventors: Hillier, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin C
• Application Number:
  US10/960,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20060077034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.61, 340/5.26, 340/5.1, 340/825.69, 340/10.1, 340/10.5, 340/10.51, 235/382.5, 380/270, 713/168
• US Class Current: 340/5.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3823 combining multiple encryption tools for a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/062 applying encryption of the keys cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution using key encryption key H04L9/0822
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority

Abstract

Methods, systems and devices for providing RFID system security are provided that involve cryptographically encrypting data on a transponder and managing the release of the decryption information, decryption keys, or the data itself to a transceiver having a transaction with the transponder.

Claims

1. A method in a transceiver comprising:

reading an identifier of a transponder from the transponder;

transmitting to a datastore the identifier as a query to access data associated with the transponder;

receiving as a response to the query, the data;

reading encrypted information from the transponder;

transmitting to an authentication authority a request to access the encrypted information;

wherein the request comprises authentication credentials for authenticating the transceiver and wherein the request further comprises the data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request further comprises authorization data for authorizing the transceiver.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving as a response to the request, decryption information for use in decrypting the encrypted information to recover the information.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the decryption information is encrypted so as to be decryptable by the transceiver.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

decrypting the encrypted decryption information; and

decrypting the encrypted information with use of the decryption information, to recover the information.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the decryption information is a decryption key.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the decryption information is encrypted with a public key corresponding to a private key of the transceiver.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the decryption key is a symmetric key, and the encrypted information comprises the information encrypted with the symmetric key.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the decryption key is a private key corresponding to a public key of the transponder, and the encrypted information comprises the information encrypted with the symmetric key.

10. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

encrypting new information to generate encrypted new information; and

storing the encrypted new information on the transponder.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

storing new data in the datastore.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the new data comprises encrypted new decryption information for use in decryption of the encrypted new information.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

encrypting the new decryption information with a public key of the authenticating authority.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the new information is encrypted with a new key.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the new key is generated by the transceiver.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the new key is a new symmetric key.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the encrypted new information is stored in the datastore in association with the RFID of the transponder.

18. The method of claim 5 wherein the decryption information is information for generation of a decryption key, wherein the step of decrypting the encrypted information with use of the decryption information comprises:

generating the decryption key using the decryption information;

decrypting the encrypted information using the decryption key to recover the information.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the data associated with the transponder is for use in decrypting the encrypted information.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the data comprises encrypted decryption information, the decryption information for use in decrypting the encrypted information.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the data is encrypted using a public key corresponding to a private key of the authenticating authority.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the authenticating authority is a key release agent (KRA).

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the datastore is an RFID infrastructure database.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the datastore and the authenticating authority are part of an RFID infrastructure.

25. The method of claim 1,

wherein the data is encrypted decryption information, the decryption information for use in decrypting the encrypted information to recover the information;

and after transmitting the request;

receiving as a response to the request, the decryption information re-encrypted, wherein the decryption information is decryptable by the transceiver.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the decryption information is a symmetric key encrypted with a public key corresponding to a private key of the transceiver, the method further comprising after receiving the re-encrypted decryption information:

decrypting the re-encrypted decryption information to recover the symmetric key; and

decrypting the encrypted information with use of the symmetric key, to recover the information.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the query is transmitted to an RFID infrastructure database of an RFID infrastructure, and wherein the data received in response to the query is encrypted with a public key corresponding to a private key of a key release agent (KRA) of the RFID infrastructure, and wherein the request is transmitted to the KRA.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the request further comprises the encrypted information.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

receiving as a response to the request, the information re-encrypted in a manner decryptable by the transceiver.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the encrypted information is encrypted with a public key of an authenticating authority of an infrastructure, and wherein the request is transmitted to the authenticating authority.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the re-encrypted information is encrypted with a public key corresponding to a private key of the transceiver, the method further comprising after receiving the re-encrypted information:

decrypting the re-encrypted information to recover the information.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the information comprises data pertaining to the transponder.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the information is an identifier of the transponder.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein:

reading an identifier comprises reading an encrypted identifier of the transponder from the transponder; and

transmitting the identifier comprises transmitting the encrypted identifier as a query to access data associated with the transponder.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the data associated with the transponder comprises encrypted decryption information, the decryption information for use in decrypting the encrypted information and for use in decrypting the encrypted identifier.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the data is encrypted with a public key corresponding to a private key of an authenticating authority of an infrastructure, and wherein the request is transmitted to the authenticating authority.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the query is sent to a datastore of the infrastructure.

38. The method of claim 1 wherein the transceiver is of a specific domain of a multi-domain system, the method further comprising:

receiving as a response to the request, decryption information for use in decrypting a portion of the encrypted information corresponding to the domain of the transceiver, to recover a portion of the information corresponding to the domain.

39. The method of claim 1 wherein the authentication credentials for authenticating the transceiver are further for authorizing a data security level of data the transceiver is allowed access, the method further comprising:

receiving in response to the request, decryption information for use in decrypting a portion of the encrypted information having the data security level the transceiver is authorized to access.

40. A method in a transceiver comprising:

reading encrypted information from a transponder;

transmitting a request to access the encrypted information;

wherein the request comprises authentication credentials for authenticating the transceiver;

wherein the transceiver is of a specific domain of a multi-domain system, and wherein the authentication credentials for authenticating the transceiver are further for authorizing the transceiver to access data of a domain other than the specific domain, the method further comprising;

receiving as a response to the request, decryption information for use in decrypting a portion of the encrypted information corresponding to the domain of the transceiver, to recover a portion of the information corresponding to the domain, and policy rule information specifying which if any domain the transceiver is authorized access to other than the specific domain.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the request is transmitted to an authenticating authority of the specific domain, the method further comprising:

transmitting a request to access a portion of the encrypted information corresponding to a domain other than the specific domain, wherein the request comprises the authentication credentials of the transponder.

42. A method in a transceiver comprising:

reading encrypted information from a transponder;

transmitting a request to access the encrypted information;

wherein the request comprises authentication credentials for authenticating the transceiver;

further comprising;

to access a particular capability/function, the transceiver employing a passcode needed to unlock this capability/function;

wherein to obtain the passcode to unlock a capability/function, the transceiver requests the passcode from an RFID infrastructure, and the transceiver receives the passcode from the RFID infrastructure if a set of one or more defined rules are satisfied.

43. A method in an authenticating authority comprising:

receiving a request from a transceiver for access to encrypted information of a transponder, the request comprising authentication credentials;

authenticating the transceiver with use of the authentication credentials;

wherein the authenticating authority is of a specific domain of a multi-domain system, and wherein the authentication credentials for authenticating the transceiver are further for authorizing the transceiver to access data of the specific domain, the method further comprising;

transmitting to the transceiver as a response to the request, decryption information for use in decrypting a portion of the encrypted information corresponding to the specific domain, to recover a portion of the information corresponding to the specific domain

the method further comprising;

if the transceiver is of the same domain as the authenticating authority;

transmitting to the transceiver further in response to the request, policy rule information specifying which if any domain the transceiver is authorized access to other than the specific domain.

44. A transceiver configured to:

read an identifier of a transponder from the transponder;

transmit to a datastore the identifier as a query to access data associated with the transponder;

receive as a response to the query, the data;

read encrypted information from the transponder;

transmit to an authentication authority a request to access the encrypted information;

wherein the request comprises authentication credentials for authenticating the transceiver and wherein the request further comprises the data.

45. A computer readable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon for execution by one or more computers for reading and accessing encrypted information from a transponder, said computer readable instructions comprising:

computer readable instructions for reading an identifier of a transponder from the transponder;

computer readable instructions for transmitting to a datastore the identifier as a query to access data associated with the transponder;

computer readable instructions for receiving as a response to the query, the data;

computer readable instructions for reading encrypted information from the transponder;

computer readable instructions for transmitting to an authentication authority a request to access the encrypted information;

wherein the request comprises authentication credentials for authenticating the transceiver and wherein the request further comprises the data.