Authenticating a user on behalf of another user based upon a unique body signature determined through bone conduction signals

• US 9,972,145 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2017
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2013
• 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): Yacob, Sisay
• Application Number:
  US15/657,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20170323500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 295 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00809 with data transmission through the human body
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/25 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for spoofing bone conduction signals. According to one aspect, a device can compare a first unique body signature associated with a first user to a second unique body signature associated with a second user to determine a first unique effect of a first body of the first user on a signal and a second unique effect of a second body of the second user on the signal. The device can generate an authentication signal based upon the first unique effect and the second unique effect to include signal characteristics that, after propagating through the first body of the first user, are representative of the second unique body signature. The device can transmit the authentication signal through the first body of the first user to an authentication device that authenticates the first user on behalf of the second user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a conversion device, an authentication signal generated by a user device;

modifying, by the conversion device, the authentication signal to create a modified authentication signal, the modified authentication signal taking into account a difference between how a first body of a first user and a second body of a second user would affect a reference bone conduction signal so that the modified authentication signal, if propagated through the first body of the first user, would appear to an authentication device as the authentication signal propagated through only the second body of the second user; and

transmitting, by the conversion device, the modified authentication signal through the first body of the first user to the authentication device that, in turn, authenticates the first user based upon the modified authentication signal, and thereby the first user spoofs an identity of the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the conversion device, a first body signature of the first user, wherein the first body signature of the first user comprises a first unique effect of the first body of the first user on the reference bone conduction signal; and

storing, by the conversion device, a second body signature of the second user, wherein the second body signature of the second user comprises a second unique effect of the of the second body of the second user on the reference bone conduction signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first unique effect and the second unique effect comprise a modification to an amplitude, a frequency, or a phase characteristic of the reference bone conduction signal.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating, by the conversion device, the reference bone conduction signal;

sending, by the conversion device, the reference bone conduction signal to the first body of the first user and to the second body of the second user;

receiving, by the conversion device, a first modified version of the reference bone conduction signal from the first body of the first user;

receiving, by the conversion device, a second modified version of the reference bone conduction signal from the second body of the second user;

generating, by the conversion device, the first body signature of the first user based upon a first comparison of the reference bone conduction signal to the first modified version of the reference bone conduction signal; and

generating, by the conversion device, the second body signature of the second user based upon a second comparison of the reference bone conduction signal to the second modified version of the reference bone conduction signal.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, by the conversion device, the first body signature from an external source; and

receiving, by the conversion device, the second body signature from the external source.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the external source comprises a server.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the external source comprises another device.

8. A conversion device comprising:

a processor; and

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

receiving an authentication signal generated by a user device,

modifying the authentication signal to create a modified authentication signal, the modified authentication signal taking into account a difference between how a first body of a first user and a second body of a second user would affect a reference bone conduction signal so that the modified authentication signal, if propagated through the first body of the first user, would appear to an authentication device as the authentication signal propagated through only the second body of the second user, and

transmitting the modified authentication signal through the first body of the first user to the authentication device that, in turn, authenticates the first user based upon the modified authentication signal.

9. The conversion device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing a first body signature of the first user, wherein the first body signature of the first user comprises a first unique effect of the first body of the first user on the reference bone conduction signal; and

storing a second body signature of the second user, wherein the second body signature of the second user comprises a second unique effect of the of the second body of the second user on the reference bone conduction signal.

10. The conversion device of claim 9, wherein the first unique effect and the second unique effect comprise a modification to an amplitude, a frequency, or a phase characteristic of the reference bone conduction signal.

11. The conversion device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating the reference bone conduction signal;

sending the reference bone conduction signal to the first body of the first user and to the second body of the second user;

receiving a first modified version of the reference bone conduction signal from the first body of the first user;

receiving a second modified version of the reference bone conduction signal from the second body of the second user;

generating the first body signature of the first user based upon a first comparison of the reference bone conduction signal to the first modified version of the reference bone conduction signal; and

generating the second body signature of the second user based upon a second comparison of the reference bone conduction signal to the second modified version of the reference bone conduction signal.

12. The conversion device of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the first body signature from an external source; and

receiving the second body signature from the external source.

13. The conversion device of claim 12, wherein the external source comprises a server.

14. The conversion device of claim 12, wherein the external source comprises another device.

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

receiving an authentication signal generated by a user device;

modifying the authentication signal to create a modified authentication signal, the modified authentication signal taking into account a difference between how a first body of a first user and a second body of a second user would affect a reference bone conduction signal so that the modified authentication signal, if propagated through the first body of the first user, would appear to an authentication device as the authentication signal propagated through only the second body of the second user; and

transmitting the modified authentication signal through the first body of the first user to the authentication device that, in turn, authenticates the first user based upon the modified authentication signal.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing a first body signature of the first user, wherein the first body signature of the first user comprises a first unique effect of the first body of the first user on the reference bone conduction signal; and

storing a second body signature of the second user, wherein the second body signature of the second user comprises a second unique effect of the of the second body of the second user on the reference bone conduction signal.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the first unique effect and the second unique effect comprise a modification to an amplitude, a frequency, or a phase characteristic of the reference bone conduction signal.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating the reference bone conduction signal;

sending the reference bone conduction signal to the first body of the first user and to the second body of the second user;

receiving a first modified version of the reference bone conduction signal from the first body of the first user;

receiving a second modified version of the reference bone conduction signal from the second body of the second user;

generating the first body signature of the first user based upon a first comparison of the reference bone conduction signal to the first modified version of the reference bone conduction signal; and

generating the second body signature of the second user based upon a second comparison of the reference bone conduction signal to the second modified version of the reference bone conduction signal.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving the first body signature from an external source; and

receiving the second body signature from the external source.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the external source comprises a server or another device.