Systems and methods for fuel dispenser security
View Patent ↗Systems and methods for fuel dispenser security are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a user seeking access to a protected function of the fuel dispenser is presented with a challenge that is encrypted using a secret key that is unique to the fuel dispenser. To access the secured function, the user must obtain a session password from a server which authenticates the user, decrypts the challenge using a counterpart of the secret key, determines whether the user is authorized to access the secured function, and returns the session password extracted from the challenge only when the user is authorized. The server can thus control access to certain fuel dispenser functions according to a set of user access privileges. The challenge can also include additional information which can be used by the fuel dispenser and/or by the server to store a log of access activity.
1. A system, comprising:
a fuel dispenser memory that stores a secret key that is unique to the system;
a fuel dispenser processor coupled to the memory and being programmed to:
receive a request to access a function of the system on behalf of a user;
generate a challenge that includes a session password and a function code corresponding to the requested function;
encrypt the challenge using the secret key stored in the memory;
output the encrypted challenge;
prompt for the session password; and
allow access to the requested function only when a password matching the session password is received.
2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a server having a server processor programmed to:
receive the encrypted challenge;
decrypt the encrypted challenge using a counterpart of the secret key;
query a database to determine whether the user is authorized to access the function corresponding to the function code of the challenge; and
provide a password matching the session password only when the user is authorized to access said function.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is a fuel dispenser.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein a password matching the session password only accesses a secured function corresponding to the function code of the challenge.
5. The system of claim 2 , wherein a password matching the session password is only outputted when the server determines from the database that the user is authorized to obtain access to systems in the geographical region in which the system is physically located.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel dispenser processor is programmed to require receipt of a user identification that uniquely identifies the user before communicating the challenge to the user and wherein the fuel dispenser processor is programmed to maintain a log of access attempts based on the user identification.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the challenge includes the user identification.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel dispenser processor receives the request for access from a user device through a communications channel and wherein the fuel dispenser processor communicates the challenge to the user device through the communications channel.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fuel dispenser processor receives the request for access through an input device coupled to the fuel dispenser processor and wherein the fuel dispenser processor communicates the challenge to the user by displaying the challenge on an electronic display coupled to the fuel dispenser processor.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the challenge includes a unique identifier that uniquely identifies the system.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the challenge includes a status indicator that indicates whether the system has detected a security breach or encountered a critical error.
12. A security server, comprising:
a network interface configured to communicate with a user device;
a fuel dispenser database that includes, for each of a plurality of fuel dispensers, a unique identifier that identifies the fuel dispenser and a counterpart of a secret key stored in the fuel dispenser and that is unique to the fuel dispenser;
a user access database that includes, for each of a plurality of users, a unique user identification that identifies the user, authentication information associated with the user, and one or more access privileges defined for the user;
a processor coupled to the network interface, the fuel dispenser database, and the user access database, the processor being programmed to:
receive from the user device, via the network interface, a unique identifier of a fuel dispenser for which a user of the user device seeks access and an encrypted challenge generated by said fuel dispenser;
query the user access database to determine, based on user identification and authentication information provided by the user device, whether the user is an authorized user of the server;
when the user is an authorized user of the server, query the fuel dispenser database to obtain the counterpart secret key associated in the fuel dispenser database with the unique identifier received from the user device;
decrypt the encrypted challenge using the secret key obtained from the fuel dispenser database;
extract a function code and a session password from the decrypted challenge;
query the user access database to determine whether the user is authorized to access a function represented by the function code; and
when the user is authorized to access said function, send the session password to the user device via the network interface.
13. The server of claim 12 , wherein the processor is programmed to query the user access database to determine whether the user is authorized to access fueling stations in the geographical region in which the fueling station that generated the challenge is physically located and send the session password to the user device only when the user is so authorized.
14. The server of claim 12 , wherein the processor is programmed to maintain a log of access attempts based on the user identification and the unique identifier of the fuel dispenser.
15. The server of claim 12 , wherein the challenge includes a status indicator that indicates whether the system has detected a security breach or encountered a critical error, and wherein the processor is programmed to not send the session password when the status indicator indicates that the system has detected a security breach or encountered a critical error.
16. The server of claim 12 , wherein the one or more access privileges defined in the user access database for a particular user indicate at least one of: which fuel dispensers a user is authorized to access, which fuel dispenser functions the user is authorized to access, which dates and times the user is authorized to access fuel dispensers, and in which geographic regions the user is authorized to access fuel dispensers.
17. A method for accessing a secured function of a system on behalf of a user seeking access to the secured function using a client computer processor coupled to a security server by a network interface, the method comprising:
requesting access to the secured function through a user interface of the system;
obtaining from the system a unique identifier associated with the system;
obtaining from the system an encrypted challenge that includes a function code corresponding to the secured function and a session password, the encrypted challenge being encrypted using a secret key that is unique to the system and that is stored in a memory of the system;
sending user authentication information of the user to the security server using the client computer processor and the network interface, the security server being in communications coupling with a user access database and a system database in which a counterpart of the secret key is stored in association with the unique identifier of the system;
sending the unique identifier and the encrypted challenge to the security server using the client computer processor and the network interface;
when the user is authorized in the user access database to access the secured function, receiving the session password from the security server using the client computer processor and the network interface after the security server decrypts the encrypted challenge using the counterpart of the secret key and extracts the session password; and
providing the session password to the system through the user interface to obtain access to the secured function.
18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising providing the system with a user identification through the user interface, the user identification being uniquely associated with the user.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the session password is not sufficient to access secured functions other than the secured function corresponding to the function code of the challenge.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the user interface comprises a communications channel between the client computer processor and the system.