Method of operating an autonomous certificate management system and system for a vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of operating an autonomous certificate management system and a system for a vehicle. The method of operating an autonomous certificate management system comprises: providing an on-board certificate management system OCMS in a vehicle, which OCMS is designed to be coupled with at least one technical device to be arranged within the vehicle; providing the OCMS with a respective list of information from the respective technical device to be arranged in the vehicle; qualifying the respective technical device to be arranged within the vehicle using a certificate signing request method, which certificate signing request method is designed to determine at least one specific information about the respective technical device and to transmit a created certificate signing request CSR comprising the at least one specific information to the OCMS; creating a digital certificate by the OCMS and transmitting the digital certificate to the respective technical device in accordance with a comparison of stored and received information about the respective technical device in the OCMS performed by the OCMS. In addition, a system for a vehicle and an aircraft according to the invention are presented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for operating an autonomous certificate management system for technical equipment deployed in vehicles, particularly aircraft. Furthermore, this invention relates to systems for vehicles, particularly aircraft, and to aircraft including means for operating the method or system according to the invention. Background Technology

[0002] The airborne infrastructure on modern passenger aircraft and other modes of transportation is characterized by an increasing number of technological devices and similar components. These devices and components are typically networked and often integrated into a higher level of digital environment.

[0003] In this context, compliance with specific security standards is crucial, particularly regarding the control of relevant technical equipment and components to this higher-level digital environment, and most importantly, the security standards for the approval of access to this higher-level digital environment. Furthermore, the use of digital certificates, once issued and stored, makes the relevant equipment and components clearly identifiable and thus supports specific control functions. Therefore, the use of digital certificates within aircraft today is very similar to that in traditional IT systems. Technical equipment and components—also known as airborne equipment—each have their own digital certificate in this case, which is in most cases issued by a trusted external third party known as a Certificate Authority (CA).

[0004] Furthermore, these airborne devices rely on Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) and possess a digital copy of the certificate (i.e., the CA public key) of this trusted external third-party entity. The Certificate Authority (CA) is always intended to be located outside the aircraft, thus representing a trusted external third party under this security concept. To implement this previously planned security concept, with the CA located outside the aircraft, manual interaction from a so-called "device guarantor" is required, who performs the registration and approval of new airborne devices. The "device guarantor" is primarily an external IT expert located on the ground.

[0005] In this context, ground-based automated routines are considered to require considerable expenditure to achieve the desired high level of security and safety. Current technology is suitable for the current scenario of a maximum of dozens of devices mounted on an aircraft and relies on external aircraft connections via gatelink interfaces, despite the need for manual device configuration steps. From a digital certificate management perspective, existing technology will become a bottleneck in a future context where hundreds of devices are installed inside aircraft.

[0006] Additionally, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and digital certificates serve as fundamental elements of a so-called zero-trust architecture. However, the current reliance on certificates issued by Public Certificate Authorities (CAs) presents several challenges.

[0007] The anticipated surge in certificates, driven by the increasing number of devices and the need for frequent rotation and dynamic policy adjustments, exacerbates these problems. Particularly from the perspective of CA usage, the following key challenges can be considered particularly challenging. First, there is currently a lack of automation.

[0008] The manual processing involved in certificate management hinders scalability and efficiency, and can therefore be considered a significant cost driver. Secondly, the lack of short-lived certificates complicates the implementation of agile security practices. This is primarily due to the fact that using short-lived certificates would require costly ground operations, as equipment guarantors would also need to be present at various sites to ensure associated support.

[0009] Furthermore, there is insufficient support for custom metadata, such as extensions for micro-segmentation or fine-grained authorization. Finally, the current system used in the aforementioned processes lacks the necessary flexibility and programmability to adapt to evolving security requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0010] In light of this background, the object of the present invention is to provide methods, systems, and aircraft that at least partially overcome the aforementioned disadvantages.

[0011] This objective is achieved by a method having the features of the first aspect of the invention, a system having the features of the second aspect of the invention, and an aircraft having the features of the third aspect.

[0012] According to a first aspect of the invention, a method for operating an autonomous certificate management system for technical equipment deployed in a vehicle, particularly an aircraft, includes: providing an onboard certificate management system (OCMS) in the vehicle, the OCMS being designed to be coupled to at least one technical equipment to be deployed in the vehicle; providing the OCMS with a list of relevant information from the relevant technical equipment to be deployed in the vehicle; certifying the relevant technical equipment to be deployed in the vehicle using a certificate signing request method designed to determine at least one specific piece of information about the relevant technical equipment and transmitting a created certificate signing request (CSR) including at least one specific piece of information to the OCMS; and creating a digital certificate by the OCMS based on a comparison performed by the OCMS of the information stored and received in the OCMS about the relevant technical equipment and transmitting the digital certificate to the relevant technical equipment.

[0013] Furthermore, according to a second aspect of the invention, a system for vehicles, particularly aircraft, is proposed. Such a system includes an onboard certificate management system (OCMS) designed to be coupled to at least one technical device to be deployed within the vehicle and including a corresponding information list from the respective technical device to be deployed within the vehicle. The OCMS is also designed to create a digital certificate based on a comparison performed by the OCMS of information stored and received in the OCMS regarding the respective technical device, and to transmit the digital certificate to the respective technical device.

[0014] Furthermore, according to a third aspect of the invention, an aircraft is disclosed, which includes means for operating the method according to the invention or a system according to the invention.

[0015] Therefore, the present invention is to propose a mechanism for retrieving a specific identifier from a device, such as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, binding the specific identifier to the specific device via a digital certificate having a key generated on-board by each device, and ensuring that the specific identifier matches the controlled configuration of the intended vehicle (e.g., an aircraft) during the certificate issuance process (determination).

[0016] This mechanism can be automatically anticipated. To achieve all this automation, the present invention includes, for example, a system that acts as a custom Certificate Authority (CA), which needs to process all identity attributes and handle these custom extensions according to the intended vehicle configuration (e.g., aircraft). In contrast to existing solutions, the present invention aims to support the increasing number of certificate-dependent IoT devices, etc., within aircraft.

[0017] Furthermore, this invention brings flexibility and programmability to digital certificate management within vehicles such as aircraft. Additionally, it enables IoT devices to eliminate the need to retain copies of Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs), thereby freeing up storage requirements for these devices, as CRL sizes often increase with the number of devices and over time. This invention can act as an onboard CA and manage the certificates of these onboard devices with minimal manual interaction, and can be customized for the specific requirements of non-critical security applications.

[0018] The methods or systems described in this invention make digital certificate management easier, less prone to manual errors, and more flexible. A particular advantage is that the methods or systems described in this invention can enable the automatic registration of IoT devices inside vehicles (e.g., aircraft), thereby eliminating the need for manual steps (certificate registration, issuance, validity checks, etc.) for device management.

[0019] Furthermore, the methods or systems described in this invention can reduce reliance on external connections for digital certificate management. The methods or systems described in this invention can also be customized with advantages (programmability, flexibility) through custom digital certificate extensions, and can reduce storage from IoT devices, etc., by relying on internal systems to check certificate status (rather than carrying CRL copies). This invention can also reduce the manual workload for digital certificate management tasks related to vehicles (e.g., aircraft).

[0020] This invention functions like a Certificate Authority (CA) within a vehicle (e.g., inside an aircraft). In contrast to traditional public CA methods located outside the vehicle (e.g., outside an aircraft), this CA, located on the server side, can also be referred to as an "onboard CA." Additionally, on each connected device, a software agent (client-side), such as a sub-method, can be responsible for identity attribute retrieval and all interfaces with the onboard CA (server-side).

[0021] The advantages mentioned above also apply, within their transferable scope, to the systems and aircraft according to the invention.

[0022] According to another embodiment of the invention, the aforementioned creation and transmission routines are automatically initiated once the corresponding technical device is coupled to the OCMS. In this way, a particularly user-friendly method can be provided that allows operation with less effort and therefore at a lower cost during operation.

[0023] According to another embodiment of the invention, a corresponding information list from the corresponding technical device is provided, including at least one specific piece of information about the corresponding technical device. Therefore, a particularly personalized comparison based on said at least one specific piece of information about the corresponding technical device can be performed, thereby enabling more secure certificate allocation.

[0024] According to another embodiment of the invention, at least one specific piece of information is provided, selected from: part number, serial number, and network interface MAC address. Therefore, the previously mentioned advantages can be better realized.

[0025] According to another embodiment of the invention, a certificate signing request method is provided that further includes adding at least one additional vehicle information to corresponding specific information about the corresponding technical device, wherein the at least one additional vehicle information is stored in an OCMS such that comparisons are additionally based on the at least one additional vehicle information. This extension of the method according to the invention provides an additional advantage: more secure allocation routines can be provided and applied within the vehicle.

[0026] According to another embodiment of the invention, an OCMS is provided that is at least partially a virtual machine capable of being implemented in a higher-level server architecture, or wherein the OCMS is at least partially virtualized, enabling its implementation in a higher-level server architecture. An OCMS implemented in this way can be integrated into existing infrastructure with superior flexibility. The need for additional hardware components can be minimized or even eliminated entirely, ultimately resulting in a particularly cost-effective approach. The term "virtualization" encompasses all possible technical solutions that provide a corresponding OCMS in the form of a virtual configuration. This can be expressed in the form of at least partially containerized solutions, etc.

[0027] According to another embodiment of the invention, OCMS is designed to proactively execute at least one monitoring task routine to control the monitoring of technical devices with respect to their respective digital certificates. Therefore, the method according to the invention in this embodiment provides users with a particularly simple and efficient way to understand and view current and past activities related to certificate issuance processing at any time, as needed.

[0028] According to another embodiment of the invention, a monitoring task routine is provided, selected from: checking for the existence of multiple certificate signing requests from the same technical device; and checking for the existence of certificate signing requests from an unknown technical device regarding information stored in the OCMS. Therefore, this method can provide high-quality results because it implements a self-regulating and error-detection approach.

[0029] According to another embodiment of the invention, OCMS is provided to perform at least one additional Certificate Authority (CA) task, selected from: managing the revocation of a corresponding digital certificate; checking the current state of a corresponding digital certificate; and distributing public certificates to corresponding technical devices. Therefore, the method according to the invention can advantageously be used to achieve self-regulating processing for issuing and controlling certificates in a manageable environment.

[0030] According to another embodiment of the invention, an OCMS is provided that includes a digital certificate revocation list, wherein the OCMS is designed to maintain the digital certificate revocation list while creating and transmitting digital certificates to the corresponding technical devices. With the aid of such a list, transparent certificate issuance processing can be easily and user-friendly tracked, enabling controllable intervention at any time based on the provided information, despite all levels of automation within the method according to the invention.

[0031] According to another embodiment of the invention, communication between the OCMS and the corresponding technical device is provided to be at least partially based on radio transmission technology, particularly on wireless access point technology, or wherein communication between the OCMS and the corresponding technical device is at least partially based on a connecting cable device, or wherein communication between the OCMS and the corresponding technical device is at least partially based on radio transmission technology, particularly on wireless access point technology and / or at least partially based on a connecting cable device. In this way, different spatial concepts can be flexibly implemented without major additional expenditures regarding the components used in the method. The connecting cable device can be provided, for example, as a standard cable, etc. Depending on the location of use, the best possible combination can be provided, making reliable operation advantageously possible using the method according to the invention.

[0032] According to another embodiment of the invention, an OCMS is provided to be at least partially a virtual machine capable of being implemented in a higher-level server architecture, or wherein the OCMS is at least partially virtualized, enabling its implementation in a higher-level server architecture. Systems implemented in this manner can be integrated into existing infrastructure with superior flexibility. The need for additional hardware components can be minimized or even eliminated entirely, ultimately resulting in particularly cost-effective systems. The term "virtualization" encompasses all possible technical solutions that provide a corresponding OCMS in the form of a virtual configuration. This can be expressed in the form of at least partially containerized solutions, etc.

[0033] According to another embodiment of the invention, an OCMS is provided that includes a digital certificate revocation list, wherein the OCMS is designed to maintain the digital certificate revocation list while creating and transmitting digital certificates to the corresponding technical device, and / or wherein the OCMS is designed such that communication between the OCMS and the corresponding technical device is at least partially based on radio transmission technology, particularly wireless access point technology, or wherein the OCMS is designed such that communication between the OCMS and the corresponding technical device is at least partially based on a wired device, or wherein the OCMS is designed such that communication between the OCMS and the corresponding technical device is at least partially based on radio transmission technology, particularly wireless access point technology and / or at least partially based on a wired device.

[0034] With the aid of such a list, transparent certificate issuance processing can be easily and user-friendly tracked, enabling control intervention at any time based on the provided information, despite all levels of automation within the system according to the invention. In this way, different spatial concepts can be flexibly implemented without significant additional expenditures regarding the components used within the system. Attached Figure Description

[0035] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the schematic diagrams:

[0036] Figure 1 A schematic flowchart is shown for a method of operating an autonomous certificate management system for technical equipment deployed in vehicles, particularly aircraft;

[0037] Figure 2 A schematic diagram is shown of the system used in a vehicle during its use inside the vehicle;

[0038] Figure 3 Another schematic diagram is shown showing the system for use in a vehicle during its use inside the vehicle;

[0039] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart illustrating the OCMS registration process is shown.

[0040] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an aircraft according to the present invention is shown.

[0041] In the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise specified, the same elements, features and components that are identical in function and action are provided with the same reference numerals. Detailed Implementation

[0042] Figure 1 A schematic flowchart is shown for a method of operating an autonomous certificate management system for technical equipment deployed in a vehicle, particularly an aircraft. In a first method step M1, an onboard certificate management system (OCMS) (1) is provided in the vehicle, the OCMS (1) being designed to be coupled to at least one technical device to be deployed in the vehicle.

[0043] In the second method step M2, the OCMS (1) is provided with a list of relevant information from the relevant technical equipment to be deployed in the vehicle.

[0044] In the third method step M3, the corresponding technical equipment to be deployed in the vehicle is qualified using a certificate signing request method, which is designed to determine at least one specific piece of information about the corresponding technical equipment and transmit a created certificate signing request (CSR) including the at least one specific piece of information to OCMS (1).

[0045] In the fourth method step M4, based on the comparison of the information about the corresponding technical device stored and received in OCMS (1) performed by OCMS (1), a digital certificate is created by OCMS (1) and transmitted to the corresponding technical device.

[0046] It is conceivable that the certificate signing request method is designed such that, in the event of a missing public key for the corresponding technical device, the certificate signing request method accordingly supplements the public key, if this is deemed reasonable and necessary. The certificate signing request method can also be described as a kind of device agent that authorizes the corresponding technical device to initiate the desired processing. More specifically, and in a particularly likely embodiment within the scope of the invention, the following can be considered a possible routine: for the registration of a new device, the device agent retrieves a specific identifier from its own database to bind that specific identifier to the specific device via a new digital certificate.

[0047] In addition to a specific identifier, the agent is also responsible for generating the cryptographic key. Once the device agent generates both the identity attributes and the key, it generates a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) based on this and forwards it to OCMS as part of a traditional PKI certificate request (PKI = Public Key Infrastructure). On the OCMS side, in addition to cryptographic checks, OCMS also performs checks on the provided identity attributes to ensure that the specific device matches the expected vehicle configuration (e.g., aircraft configuration) (i.e., authentication). If the device matches the expected configuration, a digital certificate is provided to the device.

[0048] Figure 2 A schematic diagram is shown illustrating the use of System 2 for a vehicle within the vehicle's interior 3. The vehicle may be, for example, a train or an aircraft. System 2 is shown as having an Onboard Certificate Management System (OCMS) 1, which is designed to be coupled to at least one of the four technical devices 4 shown to be arranged within the vehicle's interior 3 and includes a corresponding list of information from the respective technical device 4. OCMS 1 is also designed to create digital certificates and transmit them to the respective technical devices 4 based on a comparison performed by OCMS 1 of the information stored and received in OCMS 1 regarding the respective technical devices.

[0049] In this particular embodiment, the four corresponding technical devices 4 are shown as having corresponding certificate signing request methods 5, each functionally integrated into one of the technical devices 4. Each certificate signing request method 5 is designed to determine at least one specific piece of information about the corresponding technical device 4 and transmit a created certificate signing request (CSR) including said at least one specific piece of information to OCMS 1. Each of the four technical devices 4 is shown as having a CA public key 6. These corresponding CA public keys 6 can be provided in the form of pre-configured processing. Alternatively, this information can be provided directly from OCMS 1 to the corresponding technical device 4.

[0050] Additionally, OCMS 1 is shown in this particular embodiment as having a digital certificate revocation list 7. OCMS 1 can be designed to maintain this digital certificate revocation list 7 while creating digital certificates and transmitting them to the corresponding technical device 4.

[0051] When the means of transportation is an aircraft, the four technical devices 4 can be typical interior equipment. These interior equipment can be, for example, galley-integrated equipment, seats, cabin crew equipment, aircraft subsystems, lavatories, and IFE (IFE = in-flight entertainment system).

[0052] In embodiments not shown in greater detail, OCMS 1 may be at least partially a virtual machine capable of being implemented in a higher-level server architecture. Alternatively, OCMS 1 may be at least partially virtualized, enabling it to be implemented in a higher-level server architecture. Such a higher-level server architecture may be, for example, a typical device implemented within the interior 3 of a vehicle. In the case that the vehicle is an aircraft, such a higher-level server architecture may be, for example, a typical aircraft server.

[0053] exist Figure 2 In addition, OCMS 1 is designed such that communication between OCMS 1 and the corresponding technical device 4 is at least partially based on radio transmission technology, and in particular on wireless access point technology.

[0054] OCMS 1 connects to wireless access point 8. This wireless access point 8 ensures secure data transmission or similar operations can be performed between the OCMS and the technical device. As indicated by the dashed arrow, data transmission can be bidirectional. In embodiments not shown in detail, it is conceivable that communication between OCMS 1 and the corresponding technical device 4 is at least partially based on a connection cable device, or wherein communication between OCMS 1 and the corresponding technical device 4 is at least partially based on radio transmission technology, particularly on wireless access point technology and / or at least partially based on a connection cable device. The connection cable device can be provided, for example, in the form of a conventional electrical connection cable. In particular, such an electrical connection cable can be designed in the same manner as commonly used for general connection tasks in the automotive industry. It is also conceivable that these electrical connection cables can be highly specialized and designed using special materials or material alloys. Instead of wireless access point 8, any alternative transmission method can be provided, for example, in the form of an independent transmission method that does not necessarily use WiFi technology.

[0055] Figure 3Another schematic diagram is shown of the system 2 for use within the vehicle 3. In this embodiment, the system 2 is shown having an OCMS 1, which includes a digital certificate revocation list 7. The OCMS 1 may be designed to maintain the digital certificate revocation list 7 while creating digital certificates and transmitting them to the corresponding technical devices 4. The corresponding technical devices 4 are shown below the OCMS 1 relative to the image plane, and these technical devices 4 may be, for example, galley-embedded equipment, seats, cabin crew equipment, aircraft subsystems, lavatories, and IFE (IFE = In-flight Entertainment System).

[0056] The corresponding technical device 4 may be provided in other embodiments, not shown in detail, by means of additional devices to be arranged inside the vehicle interior 3. Dashed lines indicate the corresponding connections between the corresponding technical device 4 and OCMS 1. These connections are important, enabling digital certificate management (e.g., registration, renewal, status checks, etc.) to be performed in the context of this invention.

[0057] These connections can be radio-based or physical connections such as data cables. In the illustrated embodiment, both System 2 and OCMS 1 are integrated into the illustrated vehicle server 9. If the vehicle is an aircraft, the vehicle server 9 can be an aircraft server.

[0058] Below the corresponding technical device 4, network infrastructure 10 (e.g., in the form of a data link layer, etc.) is shown relative to the image plane. The corresponding technical device 4 is designed to connect to this network infrastructure 10, where authentication and / or authorization of the network infrastructure 10 can be provided based on received digital certificates (e.g., EAP-TLS, WPA Enterprise). The corresponding technical device 4 may include device security components (not shown in more detail) that store digital certificates and / or additional key components, etc. Instead of network infrastructure 10, a public data backbone (network layer / transport layer / session layer / application layer, etc.) relying on digital certificates can be provided (e.g., IPSec, MOTTS, HTTPS).

[0059] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of the registration process for OCMS 1 is shown. OCMS 1 and technical device 4 are shown, which have a corresponding certificate signing request method 5 functionally integrated into technical device 4. OCMS 1 is also shown to have a digital certificate revocation list 7. OCMS 1 can be designed to maintain the digital certificate revocation list 7 while creating digital certificates and transmitting them to the corresponding technical device 4.

[0060] The illustrated technical device 4 can be, for example, a galley-embedded device, a seat, cabin crew equipment, an aircraft subsystem, a lavatory, and an IFE (IFE = In-flight Entertainment System). The illustrated certificate signing request method 5 is designed to determine at least one specific piece of information about the corresponding technical device 4 and transmit a created certificate signing request (CSR) including at least one specific piece of information to the illustrated OCMS 1. Additionally, the technical device 4 is shown to have a CA public key 6. These corresponding CA public keys 6 can be provided in the form of pre-configured processing. Alternatively, this information can be provided directly from OCMS 1 to the corresponding technical device 4.

[0061] The registration process begins at technical device 4. It is conceivable that certificate signing request method 5 will be transmitted to technical device 4 before this process begins. It is also conceivable that certificate signing request method 5 has already been implemented to technical device 4 before this process begins.

[0062] In this flowchart, the first virtual data processing symbol 11 represents retrieving a specific identifier and generating a CSR. The CSR is then transmitted to OCMS 1. The second virtual data processing symbol 12 represents checking configuration controls and extensions so that OCMS 1 can perform the following: based on a comparison of the information stored and received in OCMS 1 regarding the corresponding technical device 4, OCMS 1 creates a digital certificate and transmits it to the technical device 4.

[0063] In contrast to existing technologies, this method requires fewer processing steps and eliminates manual steps due to its extensive automation capabilities. Furthermore, no external connection is required. The process is also cryptographically agile. Simultaneously, it implements short-lived certificates (a zero-trust concept). The process also integrates identity verification as part of the processing (registration, renewal).

[0064] For digital certificate renewal processing, OCMS 1 may include a custom application programming interface (API) or may be designed to run digital certificate renewal processing on behalf of a basic version of OCMS 1. This also applies to registration processing or revocation processing related to the corresponding technical device 4. In some implementations, OCMS 1 may be an onboard sub-CA. During revocation processing, OCMS 1 can manage CRLs and status checks at a single point without pushing them to technical device 4. Alternatively, a similar OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) may be provided to support or only supervise the aforementioned processes.

[0065] Figure 5 An aircraft 100 having the system 2 of the present invention is shown. In an alternative embodiment, the aircraft 100 may include means for operating the method M of the present invention.

[0066] List of reference numerals

[0067] 1OCMS

[0068] 2 systems

[0069] 3. Interior of the vehicle

[0070] 4. Technical Equipment

[0071] 5. Certificate Signing Request Method

[0072] 6CA Public Key

[0073] 7 Digital Certificate Revocation List

[0074] 8 wireless access points

[0075] 9. Vehicle Servers

[0076] 10 Network Infrastructure

[0077] 11 First Virtual Data Processing Symbol

[0078] 12 Second Virtual Data Processing Symbol

[0079] M is used to operate an autonomous certificate management system for technical equipment deployed in vehicles.

[0080] Law

[0081] M1 First Method Steps

[0082] M2 Second Method Steps

[0083] M3 Third Method Steps

[0084] M4 Fourth Method Steps

[0085] 100 aircraft

Claims

1. A method (M) for operating an autonomous certificate management system for technical equipment deployed in vehicles, particularly aircraft, comprising: An onboard certificate management system (OCMS) (1) is provided in the vehicle, the OCMS (1) being designed to be coupled to at least one technical device (4) to be placed in the vehicle; Provide the OCMS (1) with (M2) a list of relevant information from the corresponding technical equipment (4) to be arranged in the vehicle; The certificate signing request method (5) is used to authenticate (M3) the corresponding technical equipment to be deployed in the vehicle. The certificate signing request method (5) is designed to determine at least one specific piece of information about the corresponding technical equipment (4) and transmit a created certificate signing request (CSR) including the at least one specific piece of information to the OCMS (1). Based on the comparison of information about the corresponding technical device (4) stored and received in the OCMS (1) performed by the OCMS (1), the OCMS (1) creates a digital certificate and transmits (M4) the digital certificate to the corresponding technical device (4).

2. The method (M) according to claim 1, wherein, Once the corresponding technical device (4) is coupled to the OCMS (1), the above-mentioned creation and transmission routines are started automatically.

3. The method (M) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The corresponding information list from the corresponding technical device (4) includes at least one specific piece of information about the corresponding technical device (4).

4. The method (M) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, At least one specific piece of information is selected from: part number, serial number, or network interface MAC address.

5. The method (M) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The certificate signing request method (5) further includes: adding at least one additional vehicle information about the vehicle to corresponding specific information about the corresponding technical device (4), wherein the at least one additional vehicle information is stored in the OCMS (1) such that the comparison will be additionally based on the at least one additional vehicle information.

6. The method (M) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The OCMS (1) is at least partially a virtual machine that can be implemented in a higher-level server architecture, or the OCMS (1) is at least partially virtualized such that the OCMS (1) can be implemented in a higher-level server architecture.

7. The method (M) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The OCMS (1) is designed to proactively execute at least one monitoring task routine to control the monitoring of the technical device (4) with respect to its corresponding digital certificate.

8. The method (M) according to claim 7, wherein, The monitoring task routine is selected from: checking whether there are multiple certificate signing requests from the same technical device; checking whether there are certificate signing requests from an unknown technical device regarding the information stored in the OCMS (1).

9. The method (M) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The OCMS (1) is designed to perform at least one additional certificate authority task, which is selected from: managing the revocation of the corresponding digital certificate; checking the current status of the corresponding digital certificate; and distributing public certificates to the corresponding technical device (4).

10. The method (M) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The OCMS (1) includes a digital certificate revocation list (7), and the OCMS (1) is designed to maintain the digital certificate revocation list (7) while creating a digital certificate and transmitting the digital certificate to the corresponding technical device (4).

11. The method (M) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The communication between the OCMS (1) and the corresponding technical device (4) is at least partially based on radio transmission technology, particularly on wireless access point technology, or wherein the communication between the OCMS (1) and the corresponding technical device (4) is at least partially based on a connection line device, or wherein the communication between the OCMS (1) and the corresponding technical device (4) is at least partially based on radio transmission technology, particularly on wireless access point technology and / or at least partially based on a connection line device.

12. A system (2) for a vehicle, particularly an aircraft, said system (2) comprising an onboard certificate management system (OCMS) (1), said OCMS (1) being designed to be coupled to at least one technical device (4) to be arranged within said vehicle and including a corresponding information list from the corresponding technical device (4) to be arranged within said vehicle, wherein, The OCMS (1) is also designed to create a digital certificate and transmit the digital certificate to the corresponding technical device (4) based on a comparison of information stored and received in the OCMS (1) about the corresponding technical device (4) performed by the OCMS (1).

13. The system (2) according to claim 12, wherein, The OCMS (1) is at least partially a virtual machine that can be implemented in a higher-level server architecture, or the OCMS (1) is at least partially virtualized such that the OCMS (1) can be implemented in a higher-level server architecture.

14. The system (2) according to any one of claim 12 or 13, wherein, The OCMS (1) includes a digital certificate revocation list (7), and wherein the OCMS (1) is designed to maintain the digital certificate revocation list (7) while creating a digital certificate and transmitting the digital certificate to the corresponding technical device (4), and / or wherein the OCMS (1) is designed such that communication between the OCMS (1) and the corresponding technical device (4) is at least partially based on radio transmission technology, particularly on wireless access point technology, or wherein the OCMS (1) is designed such that communication between the OCMS (1) and the corresponding technical device (4) is at least partially based on a connection device, or wherein the OCMS (1) is designed such that communication between the OCMS (1) and the corresponding technical device (4) is at least partially based on radio transmission technology, particularly on wireless access point technology and / or at least partially based on a connection device.

15. An aircraft (100) comprising means for operating the method (M) according to any one of claims 1 to 11 or a system (2) according to any one of claims 12 to 14.

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