mmWave Device Authentication System

Technology Licensing Opportunity - This is not a procurement. Millimeter Wave Device Authentication System Based on Unique Physical Layer Characteristics Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize the mmWave Device Authentication System technology. Background: As technology continues to advance, wireless networks are becoming increasingly common in business, public, home, and other environments. Due to the sensitivity of the data transmitted via a wireless network, authentication of a wireless device attempting to access a wireless network is vital. The economic and social impact of attacks from unauthenticated users are significant. First responders’ response may be delayed, accidents could be caused by connected cars, patients may die from attacks on health systems, and critical infrastructure such as a smart grid or a nuclear plant may be damaged. These are just some examples of cyberattacks. Existing solutions, including cryptology-based solutions, are vulnerable to attacks with high computing power and sophisticated algorithms that can possibly break the security keys. Description: Researchers at INL have developed a solution based on the unique physical layer signatures built into a mmWave device. These unique characteristics or signatures of a device are much more effective than other methods because they are much more difficult to imitate. The manufacturing tolerances in the antenna arrays used in mmWave devices contribute to a beam pattern that is unique to each device. INL’s system is based on the unique beam pattern of different codebooks used by mmWave devices, with multiple access points to take advantage of the rich spatial-temporal information of the beam pattern. Applications: This technology will be of interest to any critical system based on wireless networks. One example is 5G smartphones in the mmWave band that are used by emergency responders. The base station can detect the unique signature of the emergency responder to authenticate them for secure communications. Another example is detecting unauthorized devices in a secure area. Industries that provide mmWave end user devices for mission critical communication should be interested in this technology. Advantages: INL’s system provides a more robust and secure solution to the growing cybersecurity problem. It provides an autonomous and non-intrusive authentication system using features that are physically embedded in the device. Impact: This system is able to achieve 99% identification accuracy for stationary scenarios and 96% for mobile scenarios. A more secure and robust solution results in better security for critical systems like those previously mentioned. Development: TRL 3. Lab experiments were conducted with characteristics proof-of-concept. IP Status: US Patent Application No. 62/868,062, “Systems, Devices, and Methods for Authenticating Millimeter Wave Devices,” BEA Docket No. BA-1098. INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Jon Cook at [email protected].