Secure Pairing of "Interface-Constrained" Devices Resistant against Rushing User Behavior

Abstract. “Secure Device Pairing” is the process of bootstrapping secure communication between two devices over a short- or medium-range wireless channel (such as Bluetooth, WiFi). The devices in such a scenario can neither be assumed to have a prior context with each other nor do they share a common trusted authority. Fortunately, the devices can generally be connected using auxiliary physical channel(s) (such as audio, visual, tactile) that can be authenticated by the device user(s), thus forming the basis for pairing. However, lack of good quality output interfaces (e.g, a speaker, display) and/or receivers (e.g., microphone, camera) on certain devices makes pairing a very challenging problem in practice. We consider the problem of “rushing user” behavior in device pairing. A rushing user is defined as a user who in a rush to connect her devices, would skip through the pairing process, if possible. Most prior pairing methods, in which the user decides the final outcome of ...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: ACNS
• Authors: Nitesh Saxena, Md. Borhan Uddin
• Keywords: ACNS 2009, Cryptography, Device Pairing, Pairing, Secure Device Pairing