US 2011/0217950 A1Published application

Apparatus & method to improve pairing security in Bluetooth™ headsets & earbuds

OwnerAlan Kozlayinventor

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Abstract

The invention disclosed provides an improved Bluetooth™ system with increased security and privacy for “device association” (“pairing”) of two Bluetooth™ devices where one device has no display. Heretofore, only Secure Simple Pairing (SSP) Association Model “Just Works” is used if one device is display-less. Unfortunately, Just Works is vulnerable to exploits known as “Man-In-The-Middle” (MITM) attacks. By contrast, my invention implements uses Numeric Comparison (heretofore, unusable when one of the pairing devices are display-less). Numeric Comparison is more secure than Just Works, because both agree to a randomly-generated 6-digit number. My innovation allows display-less Bluetooth™ devices (headsets or ear buds) to pair with display-bearing devices, because the matching 6-digit number on the displaying device is “spoken” or sounded (voice recordings, beeps, tones) into a displayless device user's ear. This allows displayless device users to hear sounds (spoken or beeped) equivalent to displayed 6-digit numbers to facilitate comparison, matching, and secure Bluetooth pairing. This reduces or eliminates risk of MITM exploits.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A method of wirelessly pairing two electronic devices, wherein a first device has a display and wherein a second device has no display, comprising the steps of:

a user actuating a button on at least one of said devices to initiate pairing—or in the alternate, if at least one of said devices includes means for automatic pairing, said at least one device automatically actuates and initiates pairing;
after at least one of button-actuated initiating of pairing and automatic-actuated initiating of pairing occurs, pairing is completed in steps further comprising:
the two said electronic devices execute the first seven (7) steps of the Simple Pairing Message Sequence published in Bluetooth Specification Version 2.1+EDR [volume 2, page 700] up to the point at which the Device Authentication options are executed at step 7a, and
said first device enters the Numeric Comparison mode and generates and displays a 6-digit number on its display, and
said second device also enters said Numeric Comparison mode and generates, then “speaks” the first-device-displayed 6-digit number via its audio speaker into the ear of a user the audio indicia equivalent to said displayed random 6-digit number, and
when said user recognizes that said first-device-displayed 6-digit number and said audio indicia spoken into the ear of said user equivalent to said displayed 6-digit number match, then said user again actuates a button on each device to cause Bluetooth to complete pairing of said first and said second device.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.