Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Business processing using cryptography – Secure transaction
Patent
1997-04-23
2000-04-11
Barron, Jr., Gilberto
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Business processing using cryptography
Secure transaction
713183, 341 22, 345173, 380 52, G06F 100, H03M 1100, H03K 1796
Patent
active
060497904
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to protected keypad apparatus for entering data into a machine.
More precisely, the invention relates to protected keypad apparatus for entering control data into a machine so as to control said machine, the apparatus making it possible to prevent attempts at fraud consisting in intercepting the data entered by means of the keypad.
In a very large number of systems, the data required for controlling machines is entered in particular via interface apparatus consisting of a keypad having mechanical keys or, more often, virtual keys, i.e. non-mechanical keys, the actuation of which is detected by a sensor, enabling the user to enter the control data.
When it is necessary to control access to operation of such machines, and in particular when access to such machines is controlled by inserting a data storage medium such as a card containing confidential data specific to the bearer, a user wishing to gain access to the machine must simultaneously enter the confidential data by means of the keypad. Clearly, to avoid fraud, it is necessary to incorporate means preventing a dishonest person from recording the type of the signals associated with the confidential data contained in the medium.
This situation occurs in particular in automatic teller machines or cash dispensers actuated by electronic smart cards or in electronic payment terminals enabling purchases to be made by means of an electronic smart card.
The simplest way of making fraudulent use of such a keypad is to connect the keypad matrix to an eavesdropping matrix enabling the signals to be tapped and recorded. Another way is to tap the keyboard decoding signals and to deduce the active key therefrom.
A solution has been proposed for solving this problem. It consists in preventing access to the any of the electronic circuits associated with the keypad. That "physical protection" technique consists in enclosing all of the electronic components and all of the mechanical components of the keypad in a tamperproof enclosure. Surveillance of access to this tamperproof enclosure is performed by numerous intrusion sensors.
When an intrusion is detected, a procedure is triggered for destroying at least that portion of the circuits which contains secret data.
It can be understood that such a solution, and in particular installing sensors enabling any attempted intrusion to be detected, is very expensive and it gives rise to additional costs incurred in bringing the system back into operation.
An object of the present invention is to provide protected keypad apparatus that is effective in preventing any of the above-mentioned attempts at fraud or break-in, while having implementation cost that is limited or at least compatible with the cost of the overall installation.
To achieve this object, the protected keypad apparatus for entering data into a machine, said keypad including n sensitive zones, a detection sensor associated with each sensitive zone for detecting actuation of the associated sensitive zone, and a keypad driver unit for driving said keypad, is characterized in that it further includes:
n individual processing circuits (14i), and n sensors (24), each circuit being associated with a sensor, each unit comprised by an individual processing circuit and its associated sensor having a physically monolithic structure forming a protected key, each circuit being associated with a respective sensitive zone and including encryption means (22, 26, 28, 30) for encrypting detection or non-detection of activation of the associated sensitive zone; and and each of said individual processing circuits; periodically causing encrypted data indicating activation or non-activation of each of said sensitive zones to be conveyed to the driver unit.
In other words, the protected keypad apparatus for entering data into a machine is composed of n protected keys. Each protected key, which is physically monolithic, is constituted by:
Each processing circuit makes it possible to encrypt the key activation or key non-activation data supplied by the sens
REFERENCES:
patent: 4333090 (1982-06-01), Hirsch
patent: 4593384 (1986-06-01), Kleijne
patent: 4926173 (1990-05-01), Frielink
patent: 4962530 (1990-10-01), Cairns
patent: 5025255 (1991-06-01), Mould
patent: 5406630 (1995-04-01), Piosenka et al.
Barron Jr. Gilberto
Schlumberger Industries
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