Apple Inc.

Inside Secure

Matthias Lerch

Oren M Elrad

Florian Galdo

Onur E Tackin

Hervé Sibert

Ahmer Ali Khan

Najeeb M Abdulrahiman

Gordon Y Scott

Franck Farian Rakotomalala

Jerrold Von Hauck

Yannick L Sierra

Zachary A Rosen

Rahul Narayan Singh

Ashley Martin

Arun Godfrey Mathias

Peng Liu

Ivan Krstic

Kyle C Brogle

Christopher Aaron Volkert

Yogesh D Karandikar

Charles Walton

Herve Sibert

Marc Berges Garrido

Remy Ferroul

Stephanie R Martin

Alexander D Pelletier

Systems and methods for detecting and preventing a relay attack in a channel on which a near field communication (NFC) action between a key holder device and a reader is attempted are disclosed. A time limit is established for polling communications between the key holder device and the reader. Each of the reader and the key holder device generates a reader random value and a device random value respectively. The reader sends to the key holder device the reader random value, which includes the time limit for a response from the key holder device, the response including the device random value and the reader random value. The reader receives the response from the key holder device and can then determine whether the response from the key holder device is received within the time limit, to detect whether a relay attack can be made on the channel for the NFC action.

NFC anti-relay protection

A device implementing a digital credential revocation system includes at least one processor configured to maintain a valid digital credential list, a revocation list, and a synchronization counter value. The at least one processor is configured to transmit a request to synchronize the valid digital credential list with an electronic device, the request including the valid digital credential list and the revocation list. The at least one processor is further configured to, in response to receipt of an updated valid digital credential list from the electronic device: clear the revocation list, replace the valid digital credential list with the updated valid digital credential list, and increment the synchronization counter value, and fulfill a received credential maintenance request when the received credential maintenance request comprises an other synchronization counter value that is greater than or equal to the incremented synchronization counter value, otherwise deny the received credential maintenance request.

Digital credential revocation

An electronic device that at least semi-automatically performs car-key pairing is described. During operation, the electronic device may perform wireless pairing with a second electronic device (e.g., a vehicle), where the wireless pairing establishes a connection between the electronic device and the second electronic device. Moreover, during the wireless pairing, the electronic device may receive information associated with the car-key pairing of the electronic device and the second electronic device. Then, after the wireless pairing is completed, the electronic device may determine that the car-key pairing is supported or available based at least in part on the information. Next, the electronic device may selectively and at least semi-automatically perform the car-key pairing based at least in part on the information, where the car-key pairing enables the electronic device to function as a digital key for the second electronic device using wireless communication via the wireless pairing or another communication protocol.

Automatic car-key pairing based on wireless pairing

During operation, an electronic device may provide, to a second electronic device, an invitation to share a digital car key associated with a user of the electronic device and a vehicle, where the invitation includes information for creating another instance of the digital car key on the second electronic device. Then, the electronic device may receive, from the second electronic device, a message accepting the invitation, where the message includes a certificate associated with the other instance of the digital car key on the second electronic device. Moreover, the electronic device may provide, to the second electronic device, an approved version of the certificate with a digital signature of the user. Next, the electronic device may provide, to the computer, an instruction to share the digital car key with a set of electronic devices, which is associated with a second user of the second electronic device.

Group sharing of a secure digital car key

Techniques are disclosed relating to secure data storage. In various embodiments, a mobile device includes a wireless interface, a secure element, and a secure circuit. The secure element is configured to store confidential information associated with a plurality of users and to receive a request to communicate the confidential information associated with a particular one of the plurality of users. The secure element is further configured to communicate, via the wireless interface, the confidential information associated with the particular user in response to an authentication of the particular user. The secure circuit is configured to perform the authentication of the particular user. In some embodiments, the mobile device also includes a biosensor configured to collect biometric information from a user of the mobile device. In such an embodiment, the secure circuit is configured to store biometric information collected from the plurality of users by the biosensor.

Secure element having multiple users

Techniques are disclosed relating to sharing access to electronically-secured property. In some embodiments, a first computing device having a first secure element receives, from a second computing device associated with an owner of the electronically-secured property, an indication that the second computing device has transmitted a token to server computing system, the token permitting a user of the first computing device access to the electronically-secured property. Based on the received indication, the first computing device sends a request for the transmitted token to the server computing system and, in response to receiving the requested token, securely stores the received token in the first secure element of the first computing device. The first computing device subsequently transmits the stored token from the first secure element of the first device to the electronically-secured property to obtain access to the electronically-secured property based on the token.

Friend key sharing

Techniques are disclosed relating to authenticate a user with a mobile device. In one embodiment, a computing device includes a short-range radio and a secure element. The computing device reads, via the short-range radio, a portion of credential information stored in a circuit embedded in an identification document issued by an authority to a user for establishing an identity of the user. The computing device issues, to the authority, a request to store the credential information, the request specifying the portion of the credential information. In response to an approval of the request, the computing device stores the credential information in the secure element, the credential information being usable to establish the identity of the user. In some embodiments, the identification document is a passport that includes a radio-frequency identification (RFID) circuit storing the credential information, and the request specifies a passport number read from the RFID circuit.

Document importation into secure element

Embodiments for providing a timely indication that a wireless transaction has been completed, using a command-based timer solution, are provided. These embodiments include receiving a first command, associated with the wireless transaction, from a reader; initiating, using an applet, a first command-based timer when the first command is received; issuing, using the applet, an activity timeout signal when the first command-based timer expires before a second command is received from the reader; and providing an indication that the wireless transaction has been completed in response to the activity timeout signal. In some embodiments, the command-based timer solution may also include canceling, using the applet, the first command-based timer when the second command is received before the first command-based timer expires; initiating a second command-based timer when the second command is received; and issuing the activity timeout signal when that the second command-based timer expires.

Command-based timer for wireless transactions

A device implementing a scalable wireless transaction system includes at least one processor configured to receive, from a wireless transaction system server, a list of wireless transaction group identifiers, and an indication of at least one applet associated with each of the wireless transaction group identifiers. The at least one processor is further configured to receive, from a wireless transaction device, a polling frame that includes one of the wireless transaction device group identifiers. The at least one processor is further configured to select an applet provisioned on a device secure element that is assigned to the wireless transaction group identifier, the assigning being based at least in part on the received list. The at least one processor is further configured to utilize the selected applet to perform a wireless transaction with the wireless transaction device.

Scalable wireless transaction system

A device implementing a trusted device establishment system includes at least one processor configured to receive, via a direct wireless connection and from an other device, a public key associated with the other device and an indication of a data item previously provided to the other device via an out-of-band channel. The at least one processor is further configured to verify that the indication of the data item corresponds to the data item previously provided to the other device, and store, in a secure memory region, the public key in association with an identifier corresponding to the other device when the indication of the data item is verified. The at least one processor is further configured to authorize the public key to access a secure device based at least in part on the public key being stored in the secure memory region.

Trusted device establishment

Techniques are disclosed relating to electronic security, e.g., for authenticating a mobile electronic device to allow access to system functionality (e.g., physical access to the system, starting an engine/motor, etc.). In some embodiments, a system and mobile device exchange public keys of public key pairs during a pairing process. In some embodiments, an asymmetric transaction process includes generating a shared secret using a key derivation function over a key established using a secure key exchange (e.g., elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman), and verifying a signature of the system before transmitting any information identifying the mobile device. In various embodiments, disclosed techniques may increase transaction security and privacy of identifying information.

System access using a mobile device

The present disclosure includes an electronic device for selecting a credential based at least in part on location information. The electronic device can include a secure transaction subsystem and a processor. The secure transaction subsystem can be configured to store a plurality of credentials. The processor can be communicatively coupled to the secure transaction subsystem and configured to receive the location information from one or more radios. Further, the processor can be configured to determine that a distance between the electronic device and a terminal is less than a predetermined distance based on the location information. In response to determining the distance between the electronic device and the terminal is less than the predetermined distance, the processor can be configured to select the credential from the plurality of credentials based at least in part on the type of terminal.

Location-based credential selection for wireless transactions

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for preserving trust data during operating system updates of a secure element of an electronic device are provide. An update package is received to update an existing secure element operating system to a new secure element operating system by exporting trust data from the existing secure element operating system, after the exporting, uninstalling the existing secure element operating system, migrating the exported trust data using a migration operating system when a data format version of the existing secure element operating system is different than a data format version of the new secure element operating system, installing the new secure element operating system, and importing the migrated trust data into the installed new secure element operating system.

Growing community of inventors

San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Matthias Lerch