Autonomous Vehicle BIOS Kernel Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles lack secure methods to verify and boot their computing systems, potentially leading to unauthorized or malicious software execution, which can compromise safety and security.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that initializes the BIOS of an autonomous vehicle's computing system, verifies the kernel and RAM drive using cryptographic key pairs, and ensures the operating system and application code are authorized and verified before booting, ensuring only authorized software is executed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional boot processes are used without verification, then the boot process is simple and fast, but the system security is compromised allowing unauthorized software execution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by verifying the kernel and RAM drive signatures against stored public keys before the boot process proceeds. This verification happens in advance during the boot sequence, ensuring that only authorized software is loaded onto the RAM drive before the operating system executes, thus preventing unauthorized code execution while maintaining a structured boot process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary approach by introducing a verification mechanism that acts as a mediator between the storage device and the RAM drive. The BIOS verifies cryptographic signatures of the kernel and RAM drive using public keys stored in the BIOS, creating a trusted intermediary layer that ensures only authenticated software is transferred to the volatile RAM drive for execution, without requiring complex changes to the overall boot architecture.
2Reliability
If cryptographic verification is implemented during boot, then software authorization is ensured, but the boot process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-storing public keys in the BIOS during manufacturing or system initialization. These public keys are used for rapid verification of kernel and RAM drive signatures during the boot process. By having the verification credentials ready in advance in the BIOS, the system minimizes the time required for cryptographic verification during boot, as no key exchange or complex authentication protocols are needed at runtime.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides systems and methods to boot a computing system of an autonomous vehicle. In particular, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can initialize a basic input output system (BIOS) of a computing system comprising one or more computing devices of an autonomous vehicle. The computing system can utilize data stored in the BIOS and data stored in one or more files comprising a kernel of an operating system of the autonomous vehicle and a random access memory (RAM) drive to verify the kernel and the RAM drive. Responsive to verifying the kernel and the RAM drive, the operating system of the autonomous vehicle can be booted.