Preventing spoofing attacks for bone conduction applications

• US 9,736,180 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baldwin, Christopher, Amento, Brian S.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEDIN, SHANTO
• Application Number:
  US15/224,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20160344767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 726 7, 726 23, 713168, 713182, 713186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/15 Biometric patterns based on physiological signals, e.g. heartbeat, blood flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/40 Spoof detection, e.g. liveness detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/121 Timestamp cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements involving time stamps H04L9/3297
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1466 Active attacks involving interception, injection, modification, spoofing of data unit addresses, e.g. hijacking, packet injection or TCP sequence number attacks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/79 Radio fingerprint

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for preventing spoofing attacks for bone conduction applications. According to one aspect, a device can receive an authentication signal that has propagated through a body. The device can prevent an adversary from using the authentication signal to spoof a user to be authenticated by the device. The device can also authenticate the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an authentication device, a modified authentication signal that has propagated through a body of a user, wherein the modified authentication signal comprises an authentication signal generated by a user device and transmitted by the user device through the body of the user to the authentication device;

preventing an adversary from using the modified authentication signal to spoof the user to be authenticated by the authentication device, at least in part, by

generating, by the authentication device, a random noise,

convolving, by the authentication device, the random noise with the modified authentication signal to yield a convolved authentication signal,

sending, by the authentication device, the convolved authentication signal to a backend authentication system,

sending, by the authentication device, the random noise to the backend authentication system, and

authenticating, by the authentication device, the user based upon a notification received from the backend authentication system, wherein the notification indicates that the user is authenticated to access the authentication device based upon the backend authentication system being able to deconvolve the convolved authentication signal, using the random noise, to isolate the modified authentication signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the backend authentication system, the random noise from the authentication device;

receiving, by the backend authentication system, the convolved authentication signal from the authentication device; and

deconvolving, by the backend authentication system, the convolved authentication signal using the random noise to isolate the modified authentication signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the random noise is sent separate from the convolved authentication signal to the backend authentication system.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving, by the backend authentication system, the convolved authentication signal from the authentication device comprises receiving, by the backend authentication system, the convolved authentication signal from a surface of the authentication device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein preventing the adversary from using the authentication signal to spoof the user to be authenticated by the authentication device comprises preventing a bone conduction spoofing attack.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, by the authentication device, the random noise comprises executing, by the authentication device, a noise generator module to generate the random noise.

7. An authentication device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a modified authentication signal that has propagated through a body of a user, wherein the modified authentication signal comprises an authentication signal generated by a user device and transmitted by the user device through the body of the user to the authentication device;

preventing an adversary from using the modified authentication signal to spoof the user to be authenticated by the authentication device, at least in part, by

generating a random noise,

convolving the random noise with the modified authentication signal to yield a convolved authentication signal,

sending the convolved authentication signal to a backend authentication system,

sending the random noise to the backend authentication system, and

authenticating the user based upon a notification received from the backend authentication system, wherein the notification indicates that the user is authenticated to access the authentication device based upon the backend authentication system being able to deconvolve the convolved authentication signal, using the random noise, to isolate the modified authentication signal.

8. The authentication device of claim 7, wherein the random noise is sent separate from the convolved authentication signal to the backend authentication system.

9. The authentication device of claim 7, further comprising a surface;

and wherein sending the random noise to the backend authentication system comprises sending the random noise to the backend authentication system by way of the surface.

10. The authentication device of claim 7, wherein generating the random noise comprises executing a noise generator module to generate the random noise.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor of an authentication device, cause the authentication device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a modified authentication signal that has propagated through a body of a user, wherein the modified authentication signal comprises an authentication signal generated by a user device and transmitted by the user device through the body of the user to the authentication device; and

preventing an adversary from using the modified authentication signal to spoof the user to be authenticated by the authentication device, at least in part, by

generating a random noise,

convolving the random noise with the modified authentication signal to yield a convolved authentication signal,

sending the convolved authentication signal to a backend authentication system,

sending the random noise to the backend authentication system, and

authenticating the user based upon a notification received from the backend authentication system, wherein the notification indicates that the user is authenticated to access the authentication device based upon the backend authentication system being to deconvolve the convolved authentication signal, using the random noise, to isolate the modified authentication signal.

12. The computer-readable storage medium claim 11, wherein the random noise is sent separate from the convolved authentication signal to the backend authentication system.

13. The computer-readable storage medium claim 11, wherein sending the random noise to the backend authentication system comprises sending the random noise to the backend authentication system by way of a surface of the authentication device.

14. The computer-readable storage medium claim 11, wherein generating the random noise comprises executing a noise generator module to generate the random noise.