Security hardening for a Wi-Fi router
AssigneeT-Mobile USA, Inc.
InventorSamir Hodroj
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system of securing the firmware of a router. Upon determining that a received digital message does not have integrity or the digital signature of the received digital message is not correct, the digital message is ignored or discarded. Otherwise the digital message is decrypted and a new firmware extracted therefrom. The existing firmware is then flashed with the new extracted firmware.
Claims20
A router comprising:
- one or more processors;
- memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory including a program that is executable by the one or more processors to:
- receive a provisioning digital message from a firmware server, the provisioning digital message including a digital certificate and an initial encrypted firmware that, when unencrypted and installed on the router, prevents unauthorized access to an existing firmware of the router;
- receive a decryption key operative to decrypt the provisioning digital message;
- decrypt, using the decryption key, the initial encrypted firmware to create an unencrypted firmware;
- and
- install the unencrypted firmware.
A computer-implemented method, comprising:
- under control of one or more processors:
- receiving, at a router, a provisioning digital message from a firmware server, the provisioning digital message including a digital certificate and an initial encrypted firmware that, when unencrypted and installed on the router, prevents unauthorized access to an existing firmware of the router;
- receiving, at the router, a decryption key operative to decrypt the provisioning digital message;
- decrypting, using the decryption key, the initial encrypted firmware to create an unencrypted firmware;
- and
- installing, at the router, the unencrypted firmware.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
- receiving, at a router, a digital message;
- transmitting, via the router, the digital message to a remote authentication server;
- receiving, from the remote authentication server at the router, a confirmation that the digital message has integrity and a digital signature of the digital message is correct;
- and
- decrypting the digital message, based at least in part on the digital message having integrity and the digital signature being correct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.