System and method for digital signature authentication of SMS messages
AssigneeInternational Business Machine Corporation
InventorsGerard Marmigere, Zsolt Szalai
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Abstract
The invention allows SMS messages authentication through the use of a digital signature computed with the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) as a key. Particularly, a text messaging system having the ability to send SMS messages to remotely managed wireless terminal equipment is disclosed and includes a system to generate such digital signature and to store it in available Information Element fields of the TP-User Data of the SMS message. Receiving wireless terminal equipment that are configured for IMEI-based signature security, still keep the option to process both SMS messages having the IMEI-based signature or not. Receiving wireless terminal equipment not enabled for IMEI-based signature security process the SMS normally.
Claims12
A text messaging system for sending at least one text message to a wireless terminal equipment, the text messaging system comprising:
- means for storing an equipment identification number assigned to said wireless terminal equipment, wherein the equipment identification number is an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number;
- means for generating a digital signature based on said assigned equipment identification number;
- and
- means for storing both the digital signature in an unallocated Information Element Data (IED) field and an indicator of a presence of the digital signature in a corresponding Information Element Identifier (IEI) field of an available Information Element (IE) group of a User Data Header (UDH) of the at least one text message, wherein the at least one text message is a Short Message Service (SMS) message comprising a SMS frame header and a SMS frame body, wherein the SMS frame body further comprises the UDH and a short message, further wherein the means for storing is independent of both a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card and a wireless network operator.
A method for authenticating a text message send by a text messaging system to a wireless terminal equipment, the text messaging system comprising means for storing an equipment identification number assigned to the wireless terminal equipment and the text message comprising at least one unassigned data field, the method comprising the steps of:
- at the text messaging system;
- generating a digital signature based on the assigned equipment identification number, wherein the equipment identification number is an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number;
- storing both the digital signature in an unallocated Information Element Data (IED) field and an indicator of a presence of the digital signature in a corresponding Information Element Identifier (IEI) field of an available Information Element (IE) group of the at least one unassigned data field of a User Data Header (UDH) of the text message, wherein the text message is a Short Message Service (SMS) message comprising a SMS frame header and a SMS frame body, wherein the SMS frame body further comprises the UDH and a short message;
- and
- sending the text message with the digital signature to the wireless terminal equipment;
- at the wireless terminal equipment;
- receiving the text message;
- generating a personal digital signature based on a personal equipment identification number stored within the wireless terminal equipment;
- and
- comparing the personal digital signature to the incoming digital signature carried within the received text message, further wherein the personal and incoming digital signatures are independent of both a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card and a wireless network operator.
In a digital communication network supporting Short Message Service (SMS) messages delivery to a plurality of mobile devices, each mobile device being identified by a unique International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI), a method for enhancing the delivered SMS messages comprising the steps of:
- for each SMS message, generating a digital signature based on the unique International Mobile Equipment Identifier of the corresponding receiving mobile device;
- storing both the digital signature in a non-allocated Information Element Data (IED) field and an indicator of a presence of the digital signature in a corresponding Information Element Identifier (IEI) field of an available Information Element (IE) group of the User Data Header (UDH) of the respective SMS message comprising a SMS frame header and a SMS frame body, wherein the SMS frame body further comprises the UDH and a short message;
- and
- sending the enhanced SMS message to the corresponding receiving mobile device, wherein the generating, storing and sending are independent of both a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card and a wireless network operator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.