Remote Attestation of App Stores for Secure Device Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing industrial devices face security challenges due to the presence of less trusted or malicious apps from different app stores, which can compromise device and network security, especially when strong isolation between applications is not enforced.
Innovation Solution
A method for remote attestation of device-supported data providers, such as app stores, to assess and verify their trustworthiness, allowing secure communication by validating against whitelists or blacklists, and enabling proactive or reactive security measures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple apps from different app stores are installed on the device, then the device's adaptability and functionality are improved, but the security risk increases due to potential malicious apps
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary security verification by requesting and validating an attestation of the set of device-supported data providers before allowing communication. This advance check ensures that only trusted apps from verified app stores can interact with the server, preventing malicious apps from compromising security while maintaining the ability to run multiple apps from different sources
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary attestation mechanism that mediates between the device's app ecosystem and the server. The attestation of device-supported data providers acts as a trusted intermediary that verifies the legitimacy of apps before communication, allowing the system to maintain both openness to multiple app stores and security against malicious applications
2Reliability
If strong isolation between applications is enforced, then security is improved, but device complexity and operational restrictions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the security verification function from the device's internal app isolation mechanisms and relocates it to a remote attestation process. Instead of implementing complex isolation between all apps on the device, the system only verifies the app stores themselves through attestation, simplifying the security model while maintaining protection against malicious apps
Solution Approach 2:
Security verification is performed in advance through attestation of device-supported data providers before any app communication occurs. This preliminary check eliminates the need for continuous complex isolation mechanisms, as the trustworthiness of apps is established upfront through the attestation process
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
In the method for communicating with a device (ATT) an attestation (A) of the set of device-supported data providers (AS1, AS2) is requested from the device (ATT) and the attestation (A) of the set of device-supported data providers (AS1, AS2) is received and validated (AV), and depending on the set of device-supported data providers (AS1, AS2), the communication with the device (ATT) is conducted. The Server (MS) is configured to carry out this method.