Shake a Secure Bluetooth Connection

heilbron writes "The Austrian researcher Rene Mayrhofer of the British Lancaster university and his colleague Hans Gellersen developed a technology to simplify a secured wireless connection of mobile devices. With the so-called shake-to-connect technology an authenticated Bluetooth connection between two mobile phones is established by rhythmic shaking. Integrated oscillation sensors, contained in some mobile phone models, form the basis. The two researchers sketched out a prototype, which is intended for Nokia mobile phones. An example is documented in this YouTube video clip. If two mobile phones are shaken together, the software in both devices registers the same shaking frequency and authenticates the radio link. The principle is summed up in a four page PDF document."

Comments

Because entering a PIN is sooooo difficult

[Coward Anonymous]

This is a solution looking for a problem...

Shake to Authenticate is a bad idea

[nahdude812]

The idea of the authentication system being two devices being shaken together seems like a weak idea. There are plenty of times when multiple devices will undergo the same accelerations as each other, and the owners of the respective devices do not necessarily intend for them to be paired. For example, sit next to someone on a bus.

Re:Shake to Authenticate is a bad idea

[the_lesser_gatsby]

Why not just use the button to skip to the next song?

Re:Shake to Authenticate is a bad idea

[marcello_dl]

> The idea of the authentication system being two devices being shaken together seems like a weak idea.

Yep, why not provide a contact area for devices so you simply have to put them together? It could be used to exchange a key, or act with usb2 speed for data transfer with less effort than implementing accelerometers and software.

Re:Not just Cell phones use bluetooth

[Anonymous Coward]

You're absolutely right! I mean, since this idea can't be used for everything, then it's totally worthless!

Completely flipping pointless

[mlk]

Thinking about my use of Bluetooth:
a) Headset to phone auth - Done once when I bought the device, why would I want to make the headset heaver and more expenive.
b) Computer/phone auth - Done twice once with my home computer (a desktop-replacement laptop) and works desktop computer (not likely to pick that up and shake it)
c) Snyc with friends phone (share numbers) - I think I have done this once, normally I just send them a text message or quickly call them etc, but if I were to do it again I'd have to either let a friend shake my phone (top of the range smart phone) or a friend will let me shake his/hers (jokes abound). Mostly also top of the range smart phones. That is not likely to go down well.

Connection

[hey]

How about plugging them into each other with USB, etc.
They could exchange tokens.
Then future Bluetooth communication would be pretty secure.
Oh wait, that's too sane.

Re:Connection

[stormguard2099]

I thought one of the main points of bluetooth was not having to use a cable? Yes, I realize that you wouldn't have to use the cord all of the time but everytime I've used my bluetooth it has been on a whim and a place where I was not around cords or anything.

So not the point!

[pablo_max]

This is just one more example that the guys in the Bluetooth SIG do not understand the problems that are really there with Bluetooth. I mean honestly, how many times does anyone pair with a second phone? I would say almost never. 99% of Bluetooth users are using it for headset profile, or to sync their handset to the the computer. We will see much more phone book access profile stuff coming from car kits which enable you to control your phone in a better way, but not phone to phone. I work with Bluetooth for a living, and it can even take me more than an hour to get a Bluetooth stack working properly on a PC. I have heard so many stories that people can get their PC to pair with the headset the first time, but after a reboot, or standby, forget about it. These "interoperability" issues are what holds the tech back. This and the bonding procedure.

Re:Not just Cell phones use bluetooth

[dfghjk]

You don't have to shake the car, just shake the sensor that the car reads. Such a thing may be stupid but it would be trivially easy to implement. Glad to see you really thought about this before commmenting...

MOD PARENT UP

[fmobus]

seriously, why is this not in use? It would make harder to access a bluetooth device without authorization, as it would require physical access...

In my dream bluetooth world, devices would only "pair" when connected with some sort of hermaphrodite interface (and would work wirelessly thereafter). Much like my wifi router: its initial setup was only accessible by its ethernet interfaces. This is the only way to rule out spoofings, man-in-the-middle attacks.