US 5,402,490 A · Process for improving public key authentication

Abstract

An environment which includes a communications network, user terminals, and an authentication center provides communication services only to legitimate subscribers. The authentication center receives an equipment ID for each terminal, generates a series of sequence numbers and uses a secret key to encrypt the sequence numbers and the equipment ID with a user ID and an error detection code to form an encrypted block. This block is programmed into an authentication module and sent to the subscriber for installation in the subscriber's terminal. The authentication center sends a public key to network authentication nodes. When the subscriber operates the terminal to gain access to the network, a log-on message, which includes the encrypted block and an unencrypted version of the equipment ID, is sent to an authentication node. The node decrypts the encrypted block and evaluates the IDs and sequence number to determine whether to grant access to services.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A method for authenticating, by an authentication center having a first processor contained therein, user terminals used by users of a communication service offered by a communication service provider, said communication service being accessible through at least one user terminal of said user terminals, said one user terminal including a second processor contained therein, said user terminal having equipment identification data (ID) associated therewith and having pre-encrypted messages including sequence numbers stored therein, said method comprising steps of:

(a) obtaining by said first processor, said equipment ID for said one user terminal;
(b) obtaining by said first processor, said sequence numbers for said one user terminal;
(c) forming at said authentication center by said first processor, an encrypted block, said encrypted block including said equipment ID and said sequence numbers;
(d) storing said encrypted block in said one user terminal, said pre-encrypted messages comprising said encrypted block;
and
(e) receiving a log-on message from said one user terminal to said communication service provider at least at initiation of a communication session, said log-on message including one of said pre-encrypted messages and said equipment ID.

3 more elements

A method for authenticating user terminals used by users of a communication service accessible through said user terminals, wherein said user terminals-have pre-encrypted messages stored therein, said pre-encrypted messages including sequence numbers and equipment identification data (ID) associated with said user terminals, said method comprising steps of:

(a) receiving from one of said user terminals, a log-on message at initiation of each calling session, said log-on message including an encrypted block and an identifying block, said encrypted block being one of said pre-encrypted messages and including a first equipment ID in an encrypted form and one of said Sequence numbers in an encrypted form, said identifying block including a second equipment ID in a non-encrypted form;
(b) decrypting at a communication service provider, said encrypted block by a first processor to obtain said first equipment ID and said sequence number;
(c) evaluating by said first processor, said first and second equipment IDs to detect correspondence therebetween;
(d) evaluating by said first processor, said sequence number with a previously used sequence number to detect a correspondence therebetween;
and
(e) denying access to said communication service when said step (c) fails to detect said correspondence or said step (d) detects said correspondence.

3 more elements

A system for providing communication services only to authenticated user terminals for use by users through a communication network having a plurality of nodes, said communication services being provided through said user terminals having pre-encrypted messages stored therein, said pre-encrypted messages including sequence numbers and equipment identification data (ID) associated with said user terminals, said system comprising:

one or more authentication modules, each authentication module for combining with a corresponding one of said user terminals;
and
means, responsive to said equipment IDs, for producing said authentication modules, each of said authentication modules for storing an encrypted block of data therein, said encrypted block of data including said equipment ID in an encrypted form and a series of said sequence numbers in an encrypted form, said sequence numbers comprising a list of numbers in a particular order.

A method for authenticating user terminals for use by users using a communication service provided by a communication network in communication with an authentication center, said communication network accessible through said user terminals having pre-encrypted messages stored therein, said pre-encrypted messages including sequence numbers and equipment identification data (ID) associated therewith, said sequence numbers comprising a list of numbers in a particular order, said method comprising steps of:

(a) obtaining said equipment ID and said sequence numbers for one of said user terminals by a first processor;
(b) forming an encrypted block, said encrypted block including said equipment ID and said sequence numbers;
(c) storing said encrypted block in a memory in said one user terminal;
(d) sending a log-on message from said one user terminal to said communication network at initiation of each calling session, said log-on message including said encrypted block and said equipment ID;
(e) decrypting said encrypted block portion of said log-on message by said first processor to obtain an authentication equipment ID;
(f) evaluating said authentication equipment ID by said first processor to detect correspondence between said authentication equipment ID and said equipment ID;
(g) evaluating said sequence number by said first processor to determine if said sequence number is subsequent to previous sequence numbers used;
and
(h) denying said communication services to said one user terminal when said step (f) fails to detect said correspondence or said step (g) determines said sequence number is not subsequent to previous sequence numbers used.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Process for improving public key authentication

Life of this patent

Process for improving public key authentication

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims32