Secure bootstrapping of cloud-managed ubiquitous displays

Abstract

Eventually, all printed signs and bulletins will be replaced by electronic displays, which are wirelessly connected to the Internet and cloud-based services. Deploying such ubiquitous displays can be cumbersome since they need to be correctly configured and authorized to access both the Internet and the necessary services, despite the fact that they have minimal input capabilities and may be in inaccessible locations. Our goal is to enable easy and secure configuration of ubiquitous displays such as digital signage and advertisements, which are managed by cloud services and show HTML5 content. In our solution, the display shows a QR code which, when scanned by the user with a camera phone, allows automatic configuration of the wireless network along with the content to be shown. This is accomplished by a long-term trust relation configured between the cloud service and the wireless access network. We build on existing technologies and standard protocols, including RADIUS and EAP, without requiring new software to be installed on the phone or changes to the network infrastructure.