Detection and protection against jam intercept and replay attacks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10043329-B2
Application number	US-201615278971-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2016
Priority date	Sep 28, 2016
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed for detection and protection against jam intercept and replay attacks. An example disclosed key fob includes a first wireless transceiver tuned to communicate via a first frequency band, second wireless transceiver tuned to communicate via a second frequency band, and a communicator. The first frequency band is different than the second frequency band. The example communicator sends a first message via the first wireless transceiver in response to activation of a first button. Additionally, the example communicator, in response to not receiving a second message via the second wireless transceiver, provides an alert.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A key fob comprising:
first and second transceivers that respectively communicate via differing first and second frequency bands; and
a communicator to:
responsive to activation of a first button, send a first message to a vehicle via the first transceiver; and
responsive to not receiving a second message from the vehicle via the second transceiver:
provide an alert; and
send a third message to the vehicle including a resynchronization request via the first transceiver.

2. The key fob of claim 1 , wherein the first frequency band includes at least one of 315 MHz or 433.92 MHz, and wherein the second frequency band includes 2.4 GHz.

3. The key fob of claim 1 , wherein the first message includes a button command, a discrimination value, a first range value, an overflow value, and a counter value.

4. The key fob of claim 3 , wherein the discrimination value, the first range value, the overflow value, and the counter value are encrypted by the communicator using an encryption key.

5. The key fob of claim 3 , wherein:
the communicator is to generate the resynchronization request by modifying the overflow value; and
responsive to the resynchronization request, a remote keyless entry module of the vehicle is to resynchronize the first range value and the counter value.

6. The key fob of claim 1 , including a light emitting diode, and wherein to provide the alert, the communicator is to illuminate the light emitting diode.

7. The key fob of claim 6 , wherein the communicator is to stop illuminating the light emitting diode after a period of time.

8. The key fob of claim 6 , wherein the communicator is to stop illuminating the light emitting diode in response to receiving input from a combination of the first button and a second button.

9. The key fob of claim 6 , wherein the communicator is to stop illuminating the light emitting diode in response to receiving a new range value and a new counter value from a remote keyless entry module of the vehicle.

10. A method for a key fob comprising:
establishing a connection to a vehicle, via a short-range wireless module, using a first frequency band;
sending a first message to the vehicle, via a remote keyless entry node tuned to communicate via a second frequency band, in response to activation of a first button, the first and second frequency bands being different; and
in response to not receiving, from the vehicle, a second message responding to the first message via the short-range wireless module:
providing, via a processor, an alert; and
sending a third message to the vehicle including a resynchronization request via the remote keyless entry node.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first frequency band includes at least one of 315 MHz or 433.92 MHz, and wherein the second frequency band includes 2.4 GHz.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein sending the first message includes generating the first message to include a button command, a discrimination value, a first range value, an overflow value, and a counter value.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein
generating the first message includes encrypting, using an encryption key, the discrimination value, the first range value, the overflow value, and the counter value.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein sending the third message includes generating the resynchronization request by modifying the overflow value and including resynchronizing, via a remote keyless entry module of the vehicle, the first range value and the counter value.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the key fob includes a light emitting diode, and wherein providing the alert includes illuminating the light emitting diode.

16. The method of claim 15 , including turning off the light emitting diode after a period of time.

17. The method of claim 15 , including turning off the light emitting diode in response to receiving input from a combination of the first button and a second button.

18. The method of claim 15 , including turning off the light emitting diode in response to receiving a new range value and a new counter value from a remote keyless entry module of the vehicle.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a key fob to:
establish a connection to a vehicle, via a first transceiver, using a first frequency band;
send a first message to the vehicle, via a second transceiver tuned to communicate via a second frequency band, in response to activation of a first button, the first and second frequency bands being different; and
in response to not receiving, from the vehicle via the first transceiver after a threshold period of time, a second message that includes a value in an encrypted portion of the first message:
provide an alert; and
send a third message to the vehicle including a resynchronization request via the second transceiver.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 , wherein:
the resynchronization request is a first resynchronization request; and
the instructions, when executed, further cause the key fob to receive a fourth message including a second resynchronization request from the vehicle via the second transceiver.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the key fob to resynchronize with a remote keyless entry module of the vehicle.

22. The key fob of claim 1 , wherein:
the resynchronization request is a first resynchronization request; and
the communicator is to, responsive to receiving a fourth message including a second resynchronization request from the vehicle via the second transceiver, resynchronize with the vehicle.

23. The method of claim 10 , wherein the resynchronization request is a first resynchronization request and further comprising, in response to receiving a fourth message including a second resynchronization request from the vehicle via the remote keyless entry node, resynchronizing with the vehicle.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Murray Allen R
• Lei Oliver

Classifications

• G07C2009/00793

  by Hertzian waves · CPC title

• G07C2209/61

  Signal comprising different frequencies, e.g. frequency hopping · CPC title

• G07C9/20

  involving the use of a pass · CPC title

• G07C9/00309 Primary

  operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks · CPC title

• B60R25/1025

  preventing jamming or interference of said signal · CPC title