What is the meaning of OOB(Out Of Band)??

[JoonDong]

I don't understand OOB used in BLE security part.

Is this a communication out of 2.4 ~ 2.48 GHz frequency band?

Or is this one of method of pairing procedure(to generate TK)?

Please let me know about OOB Authentication Data and OOB Procedure.

[dingari]

From what I understand, yes. OOB pairing is a way of sharing the encryption keys by some other means than the 2.4GHz band.

With MITM, there is still 1 in a million chance that a hacker may get access to all the informaiton. To address such concerns, BLE protocl provides a feature called Out-of-Band (OOB) Pairing. In this mode of pairing, instead of sharing the secret keys over the 2.4 GHz band used by the BLE protocol, it makes use of other mediums such as the Near Field Communication (NFC). Once, the secret keys are exchanged it then encrypts the channel to ensure the highest level of security.

Taken from www.cypress.com/.../project-032-oob-pairing

[awneil]

The 2.4GHz is not relevant here.

"Out-of-Band" means "not in the main communication channel" - so, in the case of Bluetooth, that means "not using Bluetooth".

Therefore, you could use a different 2.4GHz protocol - such as WiFi or Zigbee or 6LoWPAN or IEEE 802.15.4. or ...

[JoonDong]

Thank you. It's very useful.