Certificate assignment strategies for efficient operation of the PKI-based security architecture in a vehicular network

• US 8,090,949 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2008
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Shorey, Rajeev, Bellur, Bhargav Ramchandra, Varghese, Anitha, Rajavelu, Srinivasan, Karnik, Aditya R.
• Primary Examiner(s): REVAK, CHRISTOPHER A
• Application Number:
  US12/047,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20090235071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/175
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/84 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation

Abstract

A system and method for assigning certificates and reducing the size of the certificate revocation lists in a PKI based architecture for a vehicle wireless communications system that includes separating a country, or other area, into geographic regions and assigning region-specific certificates to the vehicles. Therefore, a vehicle need only process certificates and certificate revocation lists for the particular region that it is traveling in. Vehicles can be assigned multiple certificates corresponding to more than one region in the vehicles vicinity as advance preparation for possible travel or transmission into nearby regions. Further, the expiration time of certificates assigned to vehicles corresponding to a given geographic region can be tailored to be inversely proportional to the distance from a registered home region of the vehicle. A scalable design for a back-end certifying authority with region-based certificates can also be provided.

Claims

1. A method for assigning certificates in a public key based security architecture for a vehicle wireless communications network, said method comprising:

separating an area into a plurality of geographic regions;

assigning certificates to vehicles that are selected based on what region the vehicle is in, said certificates identifying a binding relationship between a vehicle and a public key;

providing a certified revocation list to the vehicles in each region where the vehicles in a particular region receive information pertaining to revoked certificates for the region that they are in; and

disregarding messages received by a vehicle in a specific region that include a certificate for another region.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein messages transmitted by a vehicle include signature based on a private key and the vehicle'"'"'s certificate based on its public key.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein assigning certificates and providing a certified revocation list are performed by a certifying authority.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising assigning multiple certificates to a vehicle for different regions if the vehicle is in one region and is in the vicinity of one or more other regions.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein messages sent by a vehicle using multiple certificates include the same public key and private key identifying the vehicle for all of the certificates.

6. The method according to claim 4 wherein messages sent by a vehicle using multiple certificates include a different public key and private key for each certificate identifying a particular region.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising assigning multiple certificates to a vehicle for different regions if the vehicle is transmitting messages into more than one region.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising setting the expiration time of a certificate corresponding to a particular geographic region to be inversely proportional to the distance a vehicle to which the certificate is assigned is from its registered home geographic region.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising providing a scalable design for a back-end certifying authority with region-based certificates.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the back-end certifying authority employs a central verifying process.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the area is a country.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of geographic regions are about 100 square miles.

13. A method for controlling messages sent within a vehicle wireless communications system, said method comprising:

identifying a certifying authority that assigns certificates to vehicles and generates certified revocation lists that identify certificates of users who have been revoked;

separating an area into a plurality of geographic regions;

assigning certificates to vehicles that are selected based on what region the vehicle is in, said certificates identifying a binding relationship between a vehicle and a public key, wherein assigning certificates includes assigning multiple certificates to a vehicle for different regions if the vehicle is in one region and is in the vicinity of one or more other regions;

providing a certified revocation list to the vehicles in each region where the vehicles in a particular region receive information pertaining to revoked certificates for the region that they are in; and

disregarding messages received by a vehicle in a specific region that include a certificate for another region, wherein messages transmitted by a vehicle include a signature based on a private key and the vehicle'"'"'s certificate.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein messages sent by a vehicle using multiple certificates include the same public key and private key identifying the vehicle for all of the certificates.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein messages sent by a vehicle using multiple certificates include a different public key and private key for each certificate identifying a particular region.

16. The method according to claim 13 further comprising setting the expiration time of a certificate corresponding to a particular geographic region to be inversely proportional to the distance a vehicle to which the certificate is assigned is from its registered home geographic region.

17. The method according to claim 13 further comprising providing a scalable design for a back-end certifying authority with region-based certificates.

18. The method according to claim 13 further comprising assigning multiple certificates to a vehicle for different regions if the vehicle is transmitting messages into more than one region.

19. The method according to claim 13 wherein the area is a country.

20. A method for controlling messages sent within a vehicle wireless communications network, said method comprising:

separating an area into a plurality of geographic regions;

assigning certificates to vehicles that are selected based on what region the vehicle is in, said certificates identifying a binding relationship between a vehicle and a public key; and

assigning multiple certificates to a vehicle for different regions if the vehicle is in one region and is in the vicinity of one or more other regions.