# US 2020/0396608 A1 · Flexible device onboarding via bootstrap keys > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0396608 A1 - Document ID: US20200396608A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/008,330 - Filed: 2020-08-31 - Published: 2020-12-17 - Earliest claimed: 2018-10-15 - Assignees: Cisco Technology, Inc. - Applicants: Cisco Technology, Inc. - Inventors: Eliot Lear; Owen Friel; Max Pritikin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200396608A1 ## CPC - H04W 12/0431: Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement - H04W 12/06: Authentication - H04W 12/04: Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA] - H04W 12/069: using certificates or pre-shared keys - H04W 12/084: using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol - H04W 48/18: Selecting a network or a communication service - H04W 60/00: Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration - H04W 76/11: Allocation or use of connection identifiers - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract This technology uses a bootstrap key (“BSK”) to securely onboard a computing device to a network. A unique BSK associated with an onboarding computing device is used to verify for various deployment models (1) that the computing device has proof the computing device is connecting to the correct wired or wireless network and (2) that the network has proof the computing device is trusted. The BSK may be an associated BSK or an embedded BSK. A computing device receives a signed voucher from the manufacturer authorized signing authority (“MASA”) before the computing device may onboard to a network. The MASA will issue a voucher to a Bootstrapping Remote Secure Key Infrastructure (“BRSKI”) registrar if the registrar proves knowledge of the computing device's BSK to the MASA or the registrar has an established trust relationship with the MASA. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-20. (canceled) ### Claim 21 A method, comprising: by a registrar computing device: communicating, to a candidate computing device, an authentication key; receiving, from the candidate computing device, a signed voucher request comprising: a request to authenticate a network to which the candidate computing device will be able to connect, and an indication that the authentication key communicated by the registrar computing device matches an authentication key embedded in the firmware of the candidate computing device; providing, to an authorizing computing device, the signed voucher request; and receiving, from the authorizing computing device, a signed voucher, wherein the signed voucher authenticates the network to which the candidate computing device will connect and is based on the indication that the authentication key communicated by the registrar computing device matches the authentication key embedded in the firmware of the candidate computing device. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, further comprising obtaining the authentication key, wherein the authentication key is obtained by the registrar computing device based on an input of the authentication key into the registrar computing device. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, further comprising matching, by the candidate computing device prior to sending the signed voucher request, the authentication key communicated by the registrar computing device to the authentication key embedded in the firmware of the candidate computing device. ### Claim 24 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, further comprising determining, by the authorizing computing device, that the signed voucher request includes the indication that the authentication key communicated by the registrar computing device matches the authentication key embedded in the firmware of the candidate computing device. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, comprising determining, by the authorizing computing device prior to determining that the signed voucher request includes the indication that the authentication key communicated by the registrar computing device matches the authentication key embedded in the firmware of the candidate computing device, that a trust relationship exists between the authorizing computing device and the registrar computing device. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The method of claim 25, wherein the trust relationship is based on a legal agreement, a short message service, an email, or a paid subscription service. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) The method of claim 25, further comprising providing, by the authorizing computing device to the candidate computing device via the registrar computing device, an error message that the trust relationship has not been established. ### Claim 28 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the registrar computing device is a network access server. ### Claim 29 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the registrar computing device is a mobile registrar application and the network is a wireless network. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The method of claim 29, further comprising: scanning, by the mobile registrar application, the wireless network for the candidate computing device; providing, by the mobile registrar application to the authorizing computing device, the signed voucher request and a request to authenticate the wireless network to which the candidate computing device will connect; providing, by the authorizing computing device to the mobile registrar application, the signed voucher, wherein the signed voucher instructs the candidate computing device to trust the mobile registrar application and allows connection to the wireless network; and providing, by the mobile registrar application to the candidate computing device, a communication comprising: the signed voucher instructing the candidate computing device to connect to the wireless network; and a service set identifier and a password to connect to the wireless network. ### Claim 31 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, further comprising obtaining, from the candidate computing device, a request to establish a connection with the registrar computing device prior to the registrar computing device receiving the signed voucher request from the candidate computing device, wherein establishing the connection requires that the registrar computing device share the authentication key with the candidate computing device. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The method of claim 31, wherein the connection is established using an extensible authentication protocol transport layer security protocol. ### Claim 33 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the signed voucher request is generated by the candidate computing device. ### Claim 34 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, further comprising providing, by the authorizing computing device to the candidate computing device via the registrar computing device, an error message that the signed voucher request does not include the indication that the authentication key communicated by the registrar computing device matches the authentication key embedded in the firmware of the candidate computing device. ### Claim 35 A computer program product, comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable program instructions embodied thereon, the computer-readable instructions comprising computer-readable instructions to: communicate, by a registrar computing device to a candidate computing device, an authentication key; receive, by the registrar computing device from the candidate computing device, a signed voucher request comprising: a request to authenticate a network to which the candidate computing device will be able to connect, and an indication that the authentication key communicated by the registrar computing device matches an authentication key embedded in the firmware of the candidate computing device; provide, by the registrar computing device to an authorizing computing device, the signed voucher request; and receive, by the registrar computing device from the authorizing computing device, a signed voucher, wherein the signed voucher authenticates the network to which the candidate computing device will connect and is based on the indication that the authentication key communicated by the registrar computing device matches the authentication key embedded in the firmware of the candidate computing device. ### Claim 36 (depends on 35) The computer program product of claim 35, further comprising computer-readable instructions to obtain, by the registrar computing device, the authentication key, wherein the authentication key is obtained by the registrar computing device based on an input of the authentication key into the registrar computing device. ### Claim 37 (depends on 35) The computer program product of claim 35, further comprising computer-readable instructions to determine, by the authorizing computing device, that the signed voucher request includes the indication that the authentication key communicated by the registrar computing device matches the authentication key embedded in the firmware of the candidate computing device. ### Claim 38 (depends on 37) The computer program product of claim 37, further comprising computer-readable instructions to determine, by the authorizing computing device prior to determining that the signed voucher request includes the indication that the authentication key communicated by the registrar computing device matches the authentication key embedded in the firmware of the candidate computing device, that a trust relationship exists between the authorizing computing device and the registrar computing device. ### Claim 39 (depends on 35) The computer program product of claim 35, comprising computer-readable instructions to obtain, by the registrar computing device from the candidate computing device, a request to establish a connection with the registrar computing device prior to the registrar computing device receiving the signed voucher request from the candidate computing device, wherein establishing the connection requires that the registrar computing device share the authentication key with the candidate computing device. ### Claim 40 A registrar computing system, comprising: a registrar computing system storage device; and a registrar computing system processor communicatively couple to the registrar computing system storage device, wherein the registrar computing system processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the registrar computing system storage device to cause the system to: communicate, to a candidate computing device, an authentication key; receive, from the candidate computing device, a signed voucher request comprising: a request to authenticate a network to which the candidate computing device will be able to connect, and an indication that the authentication key communicated by the registrar computing device matches an authentication key embedded in the firmware of the candidate computing device; provide, to an authorizing computing device, the signed voucher request; and receive, from the authorizing computing device, a signed voucher, wherein the signed voucher authenticates the network to which the candidate computing device will connect and is based on the indication that the authentication key communicated by the registrar computing device matches the authentication key embedded in the firmware of the candidate computing device.