Electronic devices and corresponding methods for verifying device security prior to use

1. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, at a user interface of the electronic device, a request to authenticate the electronic device as a secure electronic device;

transmitting, with a communication device, the request to authenticate the electronic device to a remote electronic device across a network;

receiving, with the communication device from the remote electronic device, a security challenge;

obtaining, with one or more processors, a response to the security challenge using a secret key stored in an encrypted memory of the electronic device; and

transmitting the response to the security challenge to the remote electronic device;

wherein the communication device receives the response to the security challenge from the remote electronic device and determines whether the response to the security challenge matches the expected response before any user identification credentials or other user personal information is entered to the remote electronic device and the one or more processors present a shared secret content marker on the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1 , the secret key comprising a manufacturer-programmed key programmed into the encrypted memory during the manufacture of the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising

receiving, with the communication device from the remote electronic device, the shared secret content marker.

4. The method of claim 3 , the shared secret content marker comprising one or more graphical images, the presenting comprising displaying the one or more graphical images on a display of the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 3 , the shared secret content marker comprising one or more audio signals, the presenting comprising emitting the one or more audio signals by one or more loudspeakers of the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein:

the request to authenticate the electronic device as the secure electronic device is received from a person attempting to authenticate the electronic device;

and

the shared secret content marker is known only to the person attempting to authenticate the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

requesting, by the one or more processors at the user interface, user identification credentials;

receiving, by the one or more processors at the user interface, the user identification credentials; and

transmitting, with the communication device to the remote electronic device, the user identification credentials.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a communication device in communication with a remote electronic device;

one or more processors operable with the communication device; and

an encrypted memory operable with the one or more processors;

the communication device receiving a request to authenticate the remote electronic device as a secure electronic device;

the one or more processors generating a security challenge in response to receiving the request;

the communication device transmitting the security challenge to the remote electronic device and receiving a response to the security challenge from the remote electronic device; and

the one or more processors determining whether the response to the security challenge from the remote electronic device matches an expected response to the security challenge that is a function of a secret key assigned to the remote electronic device;

wherein the communication device receives the response to the security challenge from the remote electronic device and determines whether the response to the security challenge matches the expected response before any user identification credentials or other user personal information is entered to the remote electronic device and the one or more processors present a shared secret content marker identifying the electronic device as the secure electronic device on a user interface.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , the communication device also receiving one of a companion electronic device identifier or one or more user identification credentials from the remote electronic device.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , the one or more processors determining whether the one of the companion electronic device identifier matches an expected companion device identifier or the one or more user identification credentials match one or more expected user identification credentials and, where the one of the companion electronic device identifier matches the expected companion device identifier or the one or more user identification credentials match the one or more expected user identification credentials, the one or more processors:

obtaining, from the encrypted memory, a shared secret; and

causing the communication device to transmit the shared secret to the remote electronic device.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the shared secret comprises a shared secret content marker known only to a user of the remote electronic device.

12. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the remote electronic device comprises a companion electronic device in communication with another electronic device.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , the one or more processors further obtaining, from the encrypted memory, a security message that is a function of another shared key stored in the encrypted memory, and causing the communication device to transmit the security message to the remote electronic device.

14. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, with a communication device of the electronic device from a companion electronic device in electronic communication with the communication device, a request for a remote electronic device to authenticate the electronic device as a secure electronic device;

transmitting, with the communication device of the electronic device to the remote electronic device across a network, the request for the remote electronic device to authenticate the electronic device as the secure electronic device;

receiving, with the communication device of the electronic device from the remote electronic device across the network, a security challenge;

obtaining, with one or more processors of the electronic device using a secret key stored in an encrypted memory of the electronic device, a response to the security challenge; and

transmitting, with the communication device to the remote electronic device across the network, the response to the security challenge before any user identification credentials are released by the companion electronic device; and

presenting a shared secret content marker identifying the electronic device as the secure electronic device on a user interface of the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14 , the receiving the request for the remote electronic device to authenticate the electronic device as the secure electronic device occurring at a physical connector of a communication interface of the electronic device.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

receiving, with the communication device of the electronic device from the companion electronic device, a companion electronic device identifier; and

transmitting, with the communication device of the electronic device to the remote electronic device across the network, the companion electronic device identifier.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

receiving, with the communication device of the electronic device from the remote electronic device across the network, a shared secret that is a function of another secret key stored within another memory of the remote electronic device; and

delivering, with the communication device of the electronic device to the companion electronic device, the shared secret.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising receiving, with the communication device of the electronic device from the companion electronic device, a determination of whether the shared secret matches an expected shared secret stored in an encrypted memory of the companion electronic device.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising, when the shared secret received from the remote electronic device matches the expected shared secret stored in the encrypted memory of the companion electronic device, receiving, with the communication device of the electronic device from the companion electronic device, one or more user identification credentials stored in the encrypted memory of the companion electronic device.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising receiving, with the communication device of the electronic device from the companion electronic device, a request for the electronic device to display a content marker at a user interface of the electronic device indicating that the electronic device is the secure electronic device.