Method and system for securing bank account access

1. A method for securing a bank account against an unauthorized access from a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device comprising means for accessing the Internet and wireless communication means using a short range wireless protocol, the securing being provided using an auxiliary security device, the auxiliary security device comprising wireless communication means using the short range wireless protocol, wherein the portable electronic device is adapted for controlling a bank account via the Internet, the method comprising:

i) assigning a serial number along with an address and a symmetrical key to an auxiliary security device, wherein said symmetrical key is derived from a public key of a banking institution and a private key of the auxiliary security device, wherein said address and said public key of the banking institution are stored in a data processing system of the banking institution;

ii) assigning the auxiliary security device to said portable electronic device;

iii) wherein the portable electronic device employs the short range wireless protocol to locate said assigned auxiliary security device in the vicinity; and

iv) wherein, when a corresponding short range wireless protocol signal being transmitted by said assigned auxiliary security device is detected by said portable electronic device and found as having at least a predetermined strength, performing a cryptographic algorithm required for accessing the bank account from the portable electronic device via the means for accessing the Internet thereof, wherein said performing the cryptographic algorithm includes the auxiliary security device interacting with the portable electronic device to perform the cryptographic algorithm on the basis of a combination of information that is indicative of a transport key stored in the portable electronic device and data that is indicative of the symmetrical key stored in the auxiliary security device assigned thereto.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising, when the short range wireless protocol signal being transmitted by said assigned auxiliary security device is not detected, enabling at least one of blocking and discontinuing the access to the banking account from said portable electronic device.

3. The method according to claim 1 , the process of locating the assigned auxiliary security device through the short range wireless technology during an attempt to access the bank account from said portable electronic device.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising repeating the attempts to locate the assigned auxiliary security device through the short range wireless protocol at regular intervals lasting at most 30 seconds at least during a time when the portable electronic device is logged in the bank account.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising automatically altering the key, which is stored in the assigned auxiliary security device, after the key has been used.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:

(i) writing said symmetrical key into the storage device of the auxiliary security and device;

(ii) wherein said assigning of the auxiliary security device to said portable electronic device comprises generating, in the portable electronic device, the transport key and sending the generated transport key along with information indicative of the public key of the banking institution through a short range wireless connection from the portable electronic device to the auxiliary security device.

7. An auxiliary security device comprising:

a storage device comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium;

a processing device; and

a wireless communication device using a short range wireless protocol,

wherein the storage device of the auxiliary security device contains instructions that, when executed by the processing device, configure the auxiliary security device to:

transmit information that is indicative of at least a first portion of a security key from the auxiliary security device to the portable electronic device for use in combination with information that is indicative of at least a second portion of the security key that is stored in said portable electronic device to enable the portable electronic device to securely access a bank account provided by a banking institution via the Internet,

assign a serial number along with an address to the auxiliary security device, wherein said address and said public key of the banking institution are stored in a data processing system of the banking institution;

assign the auxiliary security device to the portable electronic device;

wherein the portable electronic device employs the short-range protocol to locate said assigned auxiliary security device in the vicinity; and

wherein, when a corresponding short range signal being transmitted by said assigned auxiliary security device is detected by said portable electronic device and found as having at least a predetermined strength, performing a cryptographic algorithm required for accessing the bank account from the portable electronic device via the Internet, wherein said performing the cryptographic algorithm includes the auxiliary security device interacting with the portable electronic device to perform the cryptographic algorithm on the basis of a combination of information that is indicative of a transport key stored in the portable electronic device and data that is indicative of the symmetrical key stored in the auxiliary security device assigned thereto; and

wherein the auxiliary security device has a symmetrical key assigned thereto, wherein said symmetrical key is derived from a public key of the banking institution and a private key of the auxiliary security device.

8. A portable electronic device comprising:

a storage device comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium; a processing device;

an Internet communication device for accessing the Internet interconnected with said processing device; and

a wireless communication device using a short range wireless protocol, wherein the storage device of the portable electronic device contains instructions that, when executed by the processing device, configure the portable electronic device to:

use information that is indicative of at least a first portion of a security key that is wirelessly received, in a signal using said short range wireless protocol, from an auxiliary security device in combination with information that is indicative of at least a second portion of the security key that is stored in said portable electronic device to enable the portable electronic device to securely access a bank account provided by a banking institution via the Internet communication device and the Internet,

assign a serial number along with an address to the auxiliary security device, wherein said address and said public key of the banking institution are stored in a data processing system of the banking institution;

assign the auxiliary security device to the portable electronic device;

wherein the portable electronic device employs the short-range protocol to locate said assigned auxiliary security device in the vicinity; and

wherein, when a corresponding short range signal being transmitted by said assigned auxiliary security device is detected by said portable electronic device and found as having at least a predetermined strength, performing a cryptographic algorithm required for accessing the bank account from the portable electronic device via the Internet, wherein said performing the cryptographic algorithm includes the auxiliary security device interacting with the portable electronic device to perform the cryptographic algorithm on the basis of a combination of information that is indicative of a transport key stored in the portable electronic device and data that is indicative of the symmetrical key stored in the auxiliary security device assigned thereto; and

wherein the auxiliary security device has a symmetrical key assigned thereto, wherein said symmetrical key is derived from a public key of the banking institution and a private key of the auxiliary security device.

9. A system comprising: a portable electronic device comprising:

a storage device comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium; a processing device;

an Internet communication device for accessing the Internet interconnected with said processing device; and

a wireless communication device using a short range wireless protocol; and an auxiliary security device comprising:

a storage device comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium; a processing device; and

a wireless communication device using the short range wireless protocol, wherein the storage device of the auxiliary security device contains instructions that,

when executed by the processing device of the auxiliary security device configures the auxiliary security device to:

transmit information that is indicative of at least a first portion of a security key from the auxiliary device to the portable electronic device, in a signal using said short range wireless protocol, and

wherein the storage device of the portable electronic device contains instructions that, when executed by the processing device of the portable electronic device configures the portable electronic device to:

use information that is indicative of at least the first portion of the security key that is wirelessly received in the portable electronic device, in the signal using said short range wireless protocol, from the auxiliary security device in combination with information that is indicative of at least a second portion of the security key that is stored in the portable electronic device to enable the portable electronic device to securely access a bank account provided by a banking institution via the Internet communication device and the Internet,

assign a serial number along with an address to the auxiliary security device, wherein said address and said public key of the banking institution are stored in a data processing system of the banking institution;

assign the auxiliary security device to the portable electronic device;

wherein the portable electronic device employs the short-range protocol to locate said assigned auxiliary security device in the vicinity; and

wherein, when a corresponding short range signal being transmitted by said assigned auxiliary security device is detected by said portable electronic device and found as having at least a predetermined strength, performing a cryptographic algorithm required for accessing the bank account from the portable electronic device via the Internet, wherein said performing the cryptographic algorithm includes the auxiliary security device interacting with the portable electronic device to perform the cryptographic algorithm on the basis of a combination of information that is indicative of a transport key stored in the portable electronic device and data that is indicative of the symmetrical key stored in the auxiliary security device assigned thereto; and

wherein the auxiliary security device has a symmetrical key assigned thereto, wherein said symmetrical key is derived from a public key of the banking institution and a private key of the auxiliary security device.