Authentication mechanisms for wireless networks

Abstract

Security techniques and security mechanisms for wireless networks that transmit content such as advertisements. According to exemplary techniques, control messages comprising unrequested content (e.g., advertisement data) may be transmitted in response to a request from a client device, while in other exemplary techniques the control messages may be transmitted without any request from a client device. In some exemplary implementations, security mechanisms such as public key cryptography algorithms may be used to secure transmissions, in some of these techniques which implement public key cryptography, a user may he required to retrieve a public key from to a source other than the wireless access point transmitting encrypted advertisements (e.g., a sign or terminal in a commercial entity transmitting such advertisements, or from a web service), such that the user may confirm that the encrypted content is from a source matching the retrieved public key and thus confirm the authenticity of a wireless access point.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method performed on a computing device that includes at east one hardware processor and hardware memory, the method comprising:
 obtaining, by computing client device, trust information;   detecting, by the computing device, a wireless access point to which the obtained trust information applies;   sending, by the computing device to the wireless access point, a message encrypted based on at least a portion of the trust information;   receiving, by the computing device from the wireless access point in response to the sending, a response message; and   confirming, by the computing device based on the received response message, an identity of the wireless access point.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  where the obtained trust information comprises a public key. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  where the obtained trust information comprises a certificate. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  where the detecting is based on comparing an identifier of the wireless access point to an identifier for the obtained trust information. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  where the obtaining is from a source other than the wireless access point. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  where the determining is based on the received response message including a correct decryption of the message. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising accepting, in response to the determining, transmissions from the wireless access point. 
     
     
         8 . A system comprising:
 a client computing device configured for obtaining trust information;   a processor configured for detecting a wireless access point to which the obtained trust information applies;   a network adapter configured for sending, to the wireless access point, a message encrypted based on at least a portion of the trust information;   the network adapter further configured for receiving, from the wireless access point in response to the sending, a response message; and   the client computing device further configured for confirming, based on the received response message, an identity of the wireless access point.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8  where the obtained trust information comprises a public key. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8  where the obtained trust information comprises a certificate. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8  where the detecting is based on comparing an identifier of the wireless access point to an identifier for the obtained trust information. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8  where the obtaining is from a source other than the wireless access point. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8  where the determining is based on the received response message including a correct decryption of the message. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8 , the client computing device further configured for accepting, in response to the determining, transmissions from the wireless access point. 
     
     
         15 . At least one computer-readable medium comprising hardware memory that comprises computer-executable instructions that, based on execution by a client computing device, configure the client computing device to perform actions comprising:
 obtaining trust information;   detecting a wireless access point to which the obtained trust information applies;   sending, to the wireless access point, a message encrypted using at least a portion of the trust information;   receiving, from the wireless access point in response to the sending, a response message; and   confirming, based on the received responsive message, an identity of the wireless access point.   
     
     
         16 . The at least one computer-readable medium of  claim 15  where the obtained trust information comprises a public key or a certificate, or where the obtaining is from a source other than the wireless access point. 
     
     
         17 . The at least one computer-readable medium of  claim 15  where the detecting is based on comparing an identifier of the wireless access point to an identifier for the obtained trust information. 
     
     
         18 . The at least one computer-readable medium of  claim 15  where the obtaining is from a source other than the wireless access point. 
     
     
         19 . The at least one computer-readable medium of  claim 15  where the determining is based on the received response message including a correct decryption of the message. 
     
     
         20 . The at least one computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , the actions further comprising accepting, in response to the determining, transmissions from the wireless access point.