Blockchain Verification for Building IoT File Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building IoT devices are vulnerable to compromise due to remote access, and existing validation techniques relying on certificates are susceptible to attacks like certificate forging and brute force key attacks, lacking effective runtime integrity checks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a blockchain-based verification mechanism within building devices, where a processing circuit stores files with a ledger, retrieves a root ledger, reassembles and verifies the blockchain, and checks files against it for integrity before execution, eliminating the need for third-party certificate authorities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If certificate-based validation is used to verify binary files, then file authenticity can be confirmed, but the system becomes vulnerable to certificate forging, hash collision attacks, and brute force key attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces blockchain technology as an intermediary verification mechanism. Instead of relying solely on certificate-based authentication, the system uses blockchain's distributed ledger to store and verify file hashes. This intermediary layer provides an additional security checkpoint that is resistant to traditional attacks like certificate forging and brute force key attacks, as the blockchain's cryptographic chaining and distributed consensus make it computationally infeasible to compromise.
2Reliability
If certificates are used for file validation, then trust is established through a centralized authority, but the system creates a single-point of failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized trust model into a distributed trust model using blockchain. Instead of relying on a single certificate authority, the verification process is divided across multiple nodes in the blockchain network. Each node maintains a copy of the ledger and can independently verify file hashes, eliminating the single-point of failure inherent in centralized certificate authorities while maintaining trust establishment through cryptographic proof.
3Reliability
If runtime verification of binary files is implemented, then compromised files can be detected early, but the verification process adds execution time overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-computing and storing the expected hash values of binary files in the blockchain ledger before the files are executed. At runtime, the system only needs to compute the hash of the loaded file and compare it against the pre-stored blockchain hash, rather than performing complex verification routines. This preliminary preparation significantly reduces the time overhead during actual file execution while maintaining reliable compromise detection.
Data Source
AI summary
A building device of a building includes or is in communication with a processing circuit configured to store one or more files, each of the one or more files comprising instructions and a ledger, the ledger comprising information describing at least one of the one or more files. The processing circuit is configured to verify the one or more files by retrieving a root ledger from storage of the processing circuit, wherein the root ledger comprises information based on one or more characteristics of a blockchain, reassembling the blockchain based on the ledger of each of the one or more files, verifying the blockchain with the root ledger, and verifying the one or more files with the verified blockchain. The processing circuit is configured to execute the instructions of the one or more files in response to a determination that the one or more files are verified.