# US 2025/0168630 A1 · Apparatus and method for drone control data security > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0168630 A1 - Document ID: US20250168630A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/769,784 - Filed: 2024-07-11 - Published: 2025-05-22 - Earliest claimed: 2023-11-20 - Assignees: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute - Applicants: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute - Inventors: Joung-Il YUN; Byoung-Koo Kim; Seung-Yong Yoon - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250168630A1 ## CPC - H04W 12/0431: Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement - H04L 9/0825: {using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates} - H04L 2209/84: Vehicles - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Disclosed herein is an apparatus and method for drone control data security. The apparatus includes memory in which at least one program is recorded and a processor for executing the program. The program may encrypt control data in a unit of a block based on a counter block configured using a nonce value and transmit the encrypted control data to a drone along with a nonce change reference counter value, the nonce value initialized to an initial nonce value may change sequentially according to a predetermined sequence each time the control data in a unit of a block is encrypted, and the nonce change reference counter value may increase each time the nonce value changes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for drone control data security, comprising: memory in which at least one program is recorded; and a processor for executing the program, wherein: the program encrypts control data in a unit of a block based on a counter block configured using a nonce value and transmits the encrypted control data to a drone along with a nonce change reference counter value, the nonce value initialized to an initial nonce value changes sequentially according to a predetermined sequence each time the control data is encrypted, and the nonce change reference counter value increases each time the nonce value changes. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program transmits a symmetric key and the initial nonce value that are encrypted with a public key received from the drone to the drone. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the program receives the public key from the drone through a near-field wireless communication module and transmits the encrypted symmetric key and initial nonce value to the drone. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when encrypting the control data, the program encrypts the counter block with a symmetric key and generates an encrypted block by performing an exclusive OR (XOR) operation on the encrypted counter block and a plaintext block, which is the control data in a unit of a block. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein: when encrypting the control data, the program generates an authentication value using the encrypted block and additional authentication data, and the authentication value is transmitted to the drone along with the control data and the nonce change reference counter value. ### Claim 6 An apparatus for drone control data security, comprising: memory in which at least one program is recorded; and a processor for executing the program, wherein: the program decrypts control data encrypted in a unit of a block based on a counter block configured using a nonce value corresponding to a nonce change reference counter value received along with the encrypted control data when receiving the encrypted control data, the nonce value initialized to an initial nonce value changes sequentially according to a predetermined sequence each time control data is encrypted, and the nonce change reference counter value increases each time the nonce value changes. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the program transmits a public key to a drone control device, and when receiving a symmetric key and the initial nonce value that are encrypted with the public key from the drone control device, the program acquires the symmetric key and the initial nonce value by decrypting the encrypted symmetric key and initial nonce value with a private key. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the program transmits a public key to a drone control device through a near-field wireless communication module and receives a symmetric key and the initial nonce value that are encrypted from the drone control device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, when decrypting the control data, the program encrypts the counter block with a symmetric key and generates a plaintext block by performing an exclusive OR (XOR) operation on the encrypted counter block and an encrypted block, which is the control data in an encrypted block unit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, before decrypting the control data, the program determines validity of the received control data based on a difference between a first nonce change reference counter value that is currently received and a second nonce change reference counter value that is received immediately before the first nonce change reference counter value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, when the difference is 0 and nonce change reference counter state information is an initialization completion state, the program determines that the received control data is first control data received normally, changes the nonce change reference counter state information to a normal reception state, substitutes the first nonce change reference counter value for the second nonce change reference counter value, and sets the nonce value to a next nonce value in the predetermined sequence. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, when the difference is 1 and nonce change reference counter state information is a normal reception state, the program determines that the received control data is consecutive control data received normally, sets the nonce change reference counter state information to a normal reception state, substitutes the first nonce change reference counter value for the second nonce change reference counter value, and sets the nonce value to a next nonce value in the predetermined sequence. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, when the difference is greater than 1 and is equal to or less than a predetermined boundary value, the program determines that the received control data is control data received after occurrence of a reception error, sets nonce change reference counter state information to a normal reception state, substitutes the first nonce change reference counter value for the second nonce change reference counter value, and sets the nonce value to a nonce value that is distant therefrom by the difference in the predetermined sequence. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, when the difference is 0 but nonce change reference counter state information is not an initialization completion state or when the difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined boundary value, the program discards the received control data. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, before decrypting the control data, the program generates an authentication value using the encrypted block and additional authentication data and compares the generated authentication value with an authentication value received from a drone control device along with the encrypted control data and the nonce change reference counter value, thereby performing authentication. ### Claim 16 A method for drone control data security, comprising: when receiving encrypted control data, a nonce change reference counter, and an authentication value, determining validity of the received control data based on a difference between a first nonce change reference counter value that is currently received and a second nonce change reference counter value that is received immediately before the first nonce change reference counter value; when the control data is determined to be valid, performing authentication by comparing the received authentication value with an authentication value generated using the control data in an encrypted block unit and additional authentication data; and when the authentication succeeds, decrypting the control data in an encrypted block unit based on a counter block configured using a nonce value corresponding to the first nonce change reference counter value, wherein: the nonce value initialized to an initial nonce value changes sequentially according to a predetermined sequence each time control data is encrypted, and the nonce change reference counter value increases each time the nonce value changes. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising: generating a public key and a private key; transmitting the public key to a drone control device; receiving a symmetric key and the initial nonce value that are encrypted with the public key from the drone control device; and decrypting the encrypted symmetric key and initial nonce value with the private key, thereby acquiring the symmetric key and the initial nonce value. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein determining the validity comprises determining that the received control data is first control data received normally when the difference is 0 and nonce change reference counter state information is an initialization completion state, determining that the received control data is consecutive control data received normally when the difference is 1 and the nonce change reference counter state information is a normal reception state, and determining that the received control data is control data received after occurrence of a reception error when the difference is greater than 1 and is equal to or less than a predetermined boundary value. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein determining the validity includes setting the nonce change reference counter state information to a normal reception state, substituting the first nonce change reference counter value for the second nonce change reference counter value, and setting the nonce value to a next nonce value in the predetermined sequence. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein determining the validity comprises, when the difference is 0 but nonce change reference counter state information is not an initialization completion state or when the difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined boundary value, discarding the received control data.