PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Turning smartphones into secure and versatile keys

Turning smartphones into secure and versatile keys
2013-01-04
(Press-News.org) Smartphones and tablets have become an integral part of our daily lives. The capabilities of these handily sized mini-computers seem almost boundless as we phone friends, shoot holiday snaps, lose ourselves in a new music download or access the internet to obtain the boarding card for our next fl ight in comfort. Does it not seem logical, then, that we should make use of these constant companions as the key to our cars, front doors or lockers as well? A few such solutions are already available, but what's still missing is widespread market acceptance. At this year's CeBIT trade fair in Hannover (March 5-9, 2013), researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT in Darmstadt will be demonstrating their ShareKey software, a solution which will make the key app concept even more versatile and secure.

"In essence, ShareKey offers two new functions: users can issue digital keys remotely and assign these keys certain user permissions. For instance, I can grant the building superintendent access to my apartment for a short period so that he can open the door for the gas meter to be read while I'm at work," explains Alexandra Dmitrienko from the SIT. "The solution is built around modern security technologies and can be easily integrated into existing access control systems." ShareKey sends electronic keys directly to the user's mobile phone, in the form of a QR code attached to an e-mail or MMS.

Protecting parcel stations from phishing

One thing that Dmitrienko and her team will also be demonstrating at CeBIT (Hall 9, Booth E08) is a parcel station where access rights to individual compartments are issued using ShareKey. "Recently, users of parcel stations have fallen victim to phishing attacks. Equally, hackers continue to target their efforts on smartphones. In light of this, the big challenge was to protect the electronic keys without compromising the intuitive operation of such devices," explains Dmitrienko.

ShareKey works using the Near Field Communication (NFC) transmission standard, which allows data to be exchanged wirelessly over short ranges of up to a few centimeters."To open a door, all you need to do is hold your mobile phone close to the lock," says Dmitrienko. NFC interface and door locks only operate within a narrow bandwidth and have limited computing power. Consequently, scientists at the SIT have equipped ShareKey with particularly resource-efficient communication protocols. Further, electronic keys are reliably protected on the smartphone from malware and unauthorized access. This is achieved by leveraging advanced technologies which keep sensitive data on the smartphone separate from other data and apps (e.g. Fraunhofer's BizzTrust).

Communication between the mobile phone and a central server is protected by established security protocols. "And even if this communication is hacked into, it's impossible for unauthorized people to gain access to the digital key. This is because opening the door requires information contained both in the encrypted token sent to the user and in the app installed on their smartphone," clarifies Dmitrienko. Alongside front doors and parcel or locker compartments, the research scientist also suggests that the technology could potentially be applied to help administer keys in hotels or as part of car-sharing schemes. "The trend towards a 'shareconomy' will benefit the further development of this technology," concludes Dmitrienko. So the era of mobile phones as keys is one step closer.



INFORMATION:


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Turning smartphones into secure and versatile keys

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Scientists discover how deadly skin cancer spreads into other parts of the body

Scientists discover how deadly skin cancer spreads into other parts of the body
2013-01-04
After recently announcing success in eliminating melanoma metastasis in laboratory experiments, scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have made another important discovery in understanding the process by which the gene mda-9/syntenin contributes to metastasis in melanoma (the spread of skin cancer) and possibly a variety of other cancers. Published in the journal Cancer Research, the study demonstrated that mda-9/syntenin is a key regulator of angiogenesis, the process responsible for the formation of new blood vessels in tumors. Mda-9/syntenin ...

Liquid jets and bouncing balls combine for surprising results

2013-01-04
A new study published in the American Institute of Physics' (AIP) journal Physics of Fluids reveals that the normal rebounding of a ball changes when it is partially filled with a liquid. Unlike an empty sphere or a solid rubber ball, which both rebound in a classical and well-understood fashion, a fluid-filled ball has its second bounce remarkably cut short. A team of researchers from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, uncovered this phenomenon when they investigated what would happen if a sphere were partially filled with a liquid and how that would affect the way ...

Power spintronics: Producing AC voltages by manipulating magnetic fields

2013-01-04
Scientists are putting a new spin on their approach to generating electrical current by harnessing a recently identified electromotive force known as spinmotive force, which is related to the field of spintronics that addresses such challenges as improving data storage in computers. Now, a novel application of spintronics is the highly efficient and direct conversion of magnetic energy to electric voltage by using magnetic nanostructures and manipulating the dynamics of magnetization. According to a report published in the American Institute of Physics' (AIP) journal Applied ...

UC Davis study links low wages with hypertension, especially for women and younger workers

2013-01-04
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Workers earning the lowest wages have a higher risk of hypertension than workers with the highest wages, according to new research from UC Davis. The correlation between wages and hypertension was especially strong among women and persons between the ages of 25 to 44. "We were surprised that low wages were such a strong risk factor for two populations not typically associated with hypertension, which is more often linked with being older and male," said J. Paul Leigh, senior author of the study and professor of public health sciences at UC Davis. ...

Sorting stem cells

2013-01-04
When an embryonic stem cell is in the first stage of its development it has the potential to grow into any type of cell in the body, a state scientists call undifferentiated. A team of researchers from Scotland has now demonstrated a way to easily distinguish undifferentiated embryonic stem cells from later-stage stem cells whose fate is sealed. The results are published in the American Institute of Physics' (AIP) journal Biomicrofluidics. The researchers used an electric field to pull stem cells through a fluid in a process called dielectrophoresis. They varied the frequency ...

New understanding of nerve damage caused by spinal cord injury could improve treatment design

New understanding of nerve damage caused by spinal cord injury could improve treatment design
2013-01-04
New Rochelle, NY, January 3, 2013—More than half of traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) in humans are cervical lesions, resulting in chronic loss of limb function. A better understanding of the link between the neurologic damage caused by SCI, spontaneous motor function recovery, and long-term motor deficits would lead to better therapeutic approaches, as discussed in an article in Journal of Neurotrauma, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Neurotrauma website at http://www.liebertpub.com/neu. About ...

Carbon in Vesta's craters

Carbon in Vestas craters
2013-01-04
The protoplanet Vesta has been witness to an eventful past: images taken by the framing camera onboard NASA's space probe Dawn show two enormous craters in the southern hemisphere. The images were obtained during Dawn's year-long visit to Vesta that ended in September 2012. These huge impacts not only altered Vesta's shape, but also its surface composition. Scientists under the lead of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Katlenburg-Lindau in Germany have shown that impacting small asteroids delivered dark, carbonaceous material to the protoplanet. In the ...

Planets abound

Planets abound
2013-01-04
PASADENA, Calif.—Look up at the night sky and you'll see stars, sure. But you're also seeing planets—billions and billions of them. At least. That's the conclusion of a new study by astronomers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) that provides yet more evidence that planetary systems are the cosmic norm. The team made their estimate while analyzing planets orbiting a star called Kepler-32—planets that are representative, they say, of the vast majority in the galaxy and thus serve as a perfect case study for understanding how most planets form. "There's ...

Improving DNA amplification from problematic plants

2013-01-04
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a common technique used to amplify, or copy, pieces of DNA. Amplified DNA is then used in genetic analyses for everything from medicine to forensics. In plant research, PCR is a vital step in detecting and sequencing genes, and its applications are endless. However, compounds found in plants often inhibit PCR. Researchers at the University of Southern Mississippi discovered that the use of an additive allows PCR to successfully amplify DNA from once problematic plants. PCR is widely used in plant sciences but is not 100 percent ...

Plvap/PV1 critical to formation of the diaphragms in endothelial cells

2013-01-04
PV1 expression in vascular endothelium is required for survival PV1 is required for the formation of stomatal and fenestral diaphragms Lack of diaphragms in fenestrated endothelia causes vascular leak of plasma proteins Vascular leak results in severe hypoproteinemia and hypertriglyceridemia Dartmouth scientists have demonstrated the importance of the gene Plvap and the structures it forms in mammalian physiology in a study published in December by the journal Developmental Cell. "The knowledge generated and the animal models created will allow a better understanding ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?

1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5

In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day

Warming of 2°C intensifies Arctic carbon sink but weakens Alpine sink, study finds

Bronze and Iron Age cultures in the Middle East were committed to wine production

Indian adolescents are mostly starting their periods at an earlier age than 25 years ago

Temporary medical centers in Gaza known as "Medical Points" (MPs) treat an average of 117 people daily with only about 7 staff per MP

Rates of alcohol-induced deaths among the general population nearly doubled from 1999 to 2024

PLOS One study: In adolescent lab animals exposed to cocaine, High-Intensity Interval Training boosts aversion to the drug

Scientists identify four ways our bodies respond to COVID-19 vaccines

Stronger together: A new fusion protein boosts cancer immunotherapy

Hidden brain waves as triggers for post-seizure wandering

Music training can help the brain focus

Researcher develop the first hydride ion prototype battery

[Press-News.org] Turning smartphones into secure and versatile keys