A Secure E-coupon System for Mobile Users

Since nowadays mobile phone messages are flourishing, the application of electronic coupon (e-coupon) will become a trend for mobile users. E-coupon for mobile commerce can provide mobility for users and distribution flexibility for issuers. However, most of the existed e-coupon schemes usually apply public-key cryptosystem to achieve the security, which will not be implemented in mobile devices due to the complex computations. In this paper, we propose a novel mobile e-coupon system that just applies some simple cryptographic techniques, such as one-way hash function and message authentication code. In our system, the issuer can control the number of issued e-coupons and prevent them from double-redeeming. The merchant can verify the validity of the e-coupon and the customers can securely transfer the e-coupon to others. The customer does not need to perform any exponential computation in redeeming and transferring the coupons.