Method for secure authentication of mobile devices

1. A method for authenticating a mobile device, comprising:

receiving a communication request from the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is operable to exchange data over a primary channel;

receiving authentication data related to the communication request from the mobile device over a secondary channel, wherein the secondary channel is a short-range channel operable for exchanging data when the mobile device is within physical proximity; and

processing the authentication data to determine whether the mobile device is a trusted device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication request is received by a second mobile device, and the secondary channel is a mobile-to-mobile channel between the first and second mobile devices.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the authentication data is processed by the second mobile device to pair the first and second mobile devices.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the secondary channel is a radio frequency channel operable to exchange the authentication data between a distance of about 1 m or less.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the authentication data is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the authentication data is time-varied by the mobile device according to a predetermined time interval.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the secondary channel is an optical channel operable to exchange the authentication data between a distance of about 1 meter or less.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the authentication data includes data encoded on a bar code, and receiving the authentication data further comprises capturing an image of the bar code using a camera.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the bar code is electronically generated and presented on a display of the mobile device.

10. A method of authenticating a mobile device, comprising:

transmitting a communication request from the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is operable to exchange data over a primary channel;

transmitting authentication data related to the communication request from the mobile device over a secondary channel, wherein the secondary channel is a short-range channel operable for exchanging data with a receiving party when the mobile device and the receiving party are within physical proximity, and wherein the receiving party processes the authentication data to determine whether the mobile device is a trusted device.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the receiving party is a second mobile device, and the secondary channel is a mobile-to-mobile channel between the first and second mobile devices.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the secondary channel is a radio frequency channel operable to exchange the authentication data between a distance of about 1 m or less.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the authentication data is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the authentication data is time-varied according to a predetermined time interval.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the secondary channel is an optical channel operable to exchange the authentication data between a distance of about 1 meter or less.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the authentication data includes data encoded on a bar code, and the receiving party processes the authentication data by performing the steps comprising:

capturing an image of the bar code using a camera; and

decoding the bar code to recover the encoded authentication data.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the bar code is electronically generated and presented on a display of the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the bar code is varied according to a predetermined time interval.

19. A method for authenticating a mobile device, comprising:

receiving a communication request from the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is operable to exchange data over a primary channel;

receiving time-varying authentication data related to the communication request from the mobile device over a secondary channel, wherein the secondary channel is a short-range channel operable for exchanging data when the mobile device is within physical proximity, and the received authentication data is varied by the sender according to a predetermined time interval; and

processing the authentication data to determine whether the mobile device is a trusted device.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein receiving time-varying authentication data from the mobile device comprises synchronizing a receiver with the sending mobile device.