System and method for exchanging encryption keys between a mobile device and a peripheral device
View Patent ↗Embodiments of a system and method for providing additional security for data being transmitted across a wireless connection that has been established using a known wireless protocol (e.g. Bluetooth) are described. An encryption key is exchanged between a computing device (e.g. a mobile device) and a wireless peripheral device (e.g. a keyboard, a printer). In exemplary embodiments, the encryption key is generated at one of the two devices. Data associated with the encryption key is output at the one device, which can be input by the user at the other device. The encryption key is then recovered at the other device from the input, thereby completing the key exchange. The encryption key can then be used to encrypt and decrypt data transmitted over the established wireless connection, providing additional security.
1. A method of securely transmitting data between a computing device and a peripheral device using a recovered encryption key, the method comprising:
generating an encryption key at the computing device;
at the computing device, converting the encryption key into new data that is not generated at the peripheral device, and outputting the new data by writing the new data to a physical medium, providing the new data in an audio format, or presenting the new data on a touch-based device;
receiving the new data, input via a user interface provided at the peripheral device;
recovering the encryption key at the peripheral device from the new data after the new data is received as input via the user interface provided at the peripheral device; and
transmitting data encrypted with the encryption key over a wireless connection between the computing device and the peripheral device, the wireless connection established in accordance with a wireless protocol.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the new data comprises a string.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral device comprises a keyboard.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising placing the computing device and the peripheral device into an additional security operational mode.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing the wireless connection in accordance with the wireless protocol.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the generating, outputting, receiving and recovering is performed before the establishing.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless protocol is Bluetooth.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing device comprises a mobile device.
9. A system for securely transmitting data between a computing device and a peripheral device coupled thereto by a wireless connection established in accordance with a wireless protocol using a recovered encryption key, wherein the computing device is adapted to perform the generating, converting, outputting, and transmitting of the method of claim 1 , and wherein the peripheral device is adapted to perform the receiving, recovering, and transmitting of the method of claim 1 .
10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which a plurality of instructions executable by a computing device is stored, the instructions for performing the generating, converting, outputting, and transmitting of the method of claim 1 .
11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which a plurality of instructions executable by a peripheral device is stored, the instructions for performing the receiving, recovering, and outputting of the method of claim 1 .
12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the new data comprises a string.
13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the peripheral device comprises a keyboard.
14. The system of claim 9 , wherein both the computing device and the peripheral device are configured to operate in an additional security operational mode.
15. The system of claim 9 , wherein both the computing device and the peripheral device are configured to establish the wireless connection in accordance with the wireless protocol.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein at least one of the generating, outputting, receiving and recovering is performed before establishing the wireless connection.
17. The system of claim 9 , wherein the wireless protocol is Bluetooth.
18. The system of claim 9 , wherein the computing device comprises a mobile device.