Adaptive Integrity Protection Profiles for Hardware Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hardware devices lack a flexible and adaptive integrity protection mechanism that can dynamically adjust security measures based on the function being performed, leading to potential vulnerabilities in environments with varying security requirements.
Innovation Solution
A method and hardware device that store multiple integrity protection profiles, allowing selection of the appropriate security measures based on the function being performed, including secure boot, data integrity checks, mandatory access control, virtualization, and tamper sensing, with the option to authenticate and change profiles as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple integrity protection profiles are stored and selected based on function, then adaptability to different security requirements is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The integrity protection mechanism is segmented into multiple distinct profiles, each containing a specific set of security measures tailored to particular functions or operational contexts. This segmentation allows the system to select and activate only the relevant profile for the current operation, providing adaptability without requiring all security measures to be active simultaneously, thus managing complexity through modular organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically selects and switches between different integrity protection profiles based on the current function or operational context of the hardware device. This dynamic adaptation allows the security configuration to change in response to different operational requirements, improving versatility while maintaining manageable complexity through automated selection rather than manual reconfiguration.
2Reliability
If security measures are executed for all functions, then reliability is improved, but resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying all security measures uniformly across all functions, the system applies only the necessary subset of security measures corresponding to the current function through profile selection. This partial action approach ensures adequate integrity protection for each specific operation without the overhead of executing unnecessary security checks, thereby reducing resource consumption while maintaining reliability where needed.
3Reliability
If integrity protection is configured on hardware itself, then protection against tampering is improved, but flexibility to change security measures is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of security configuration by storing multiple integrity protection profiles in hardware storage, each representing a different set of security measures. The selected profile can be changed based on operational context, allowing the hardware to maintain strong tamper protection while adapting its security posture. This is achieved by selecting different pre-configured profiles rather than modifying the underlying hardware protection mechanisms themselves.
Data Source
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AI summary
Hardware device (1, 10) suitable for performing several different functions, comprising: a storage device (2) for storing several integrity protection profiles (P1 - P4) for the hardware device (1, 10), wherein each integrity protection profile (P1 - P4) is assignable to one of the several different functions and wherein each integrity protection profile (P1 - P4) defines security measures for protecting hardware and software of the hardware device (1, 10) against tampering; a selection device (3) for determining a selected integrity protection profile chosen from the several integrity protection profiles (P1 - P4) taking into account a function to be performed by the hardware device (1, 10) from the several different functions; and a security device (4) for implementing the security measures of the selected integrity protection profile.By selecting a suitable integrity protection profile, a high level of protection for the integrity of the hardware installation can be ensured.