Patent ID: 8499154

Claim:
A method for establishing a secure connection between a remote device and a vehicle communication system deployed onboard a vehicle, the vehicle communication system (VCS), the method comprising: receiving, at the VSC, a root certificate and a quasi-private key generated by a trusted entity, the quasi-private key mathematically corresponding to a quasi-public key; storing the root certificate and the quasi-private key on a memory of the vehicle communication system, the quasi-private key are also stored on a plurality of other vehicles in addition to the vehicle on which the vehicle communication system is deployed; generating, by the VSC, an asymmetric key pair including a vehicle public key and a vehicle private key mathematically corresponding to the vehicle public key; providing, by the VSC, the generated vehicle public key and descriptive data uniquely identifying the vehicle communication system to the trusted entity during production of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle public key and the descriptive data are associated and stored in a vehicle public key database accessible by other devices; generating, by the VSC, a vehicle public key certificate comprising the vehicle public key and a digital signature signed using the quasi-private key; performing a mutual authentication procedure by receiving a public key certificate, issued by the trusted entity, from the remote device; verifying, by the VSC, the received public key certificate using the public key of the trusted entity extracted from the root certificate; in response to the public key certificate is authenticated, transmitting, by the VSC, the vehicle public key certificate to the remote device allowing the remote device to verify the digital signature included in the vehicle public key certificate using the quasi-public key and allowing the remote device to further authenticate the VCS by ensuring that the vehicle public key corresponds to the descriptive data uniquely identifying the VCS; and generating, by the VSC, a digital signature by singing a predetermined message using the vehicle private key; and transmit the generated digital signature to the remote device allowing the remote device to verify the generated digital signature using the vehicle public key.