Capability Token Authorization for Intermittent Industrial IoT Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial settings with intermittent, low-bandwidth, and high-latency connections pose challenges for traditional authentication and authorization schemes, which are often unsuitable due to limited computing resources and increased vulnerability to adversarial manipulation, especially in IoT device deployments.
Innovation Solution
A capability-based security scheme that utilizes cryptographically protected capability tokens issued by a central IT system, allowing edge devices to authorize actions dynamically and efficiently, reducing the burden on edge devices and enhancing security through decentralized authorization and strong cryptography.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional authentication and authorization schemes are implemented in industrial settings, then security protection is provided, but the system becomes unsuitable for intermittent, low-bandwidth, and high-latency connections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the authentication and authorization processes into separate phases: initial authentication during connectivity windows, and subsequent authorization using cached credentials. This allows the system to handle intermittent connections by performing heavy authentication operations only when connected, then using stored credentials during disconnection periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs authentication and credential caching in advance during connectivity windows before disconnection occurs. This preliminary action ensures that when connections become intermittent or unavailable, the edge devices already possess valid credentials and authorization tokens, eliminating the need for real-time authentication during operational phases.
2Reliability
If traditional authentication schemes with high bandwidth and high reliability connectivity assumptions are used, then comprehensive security checks can be performed, but the scheme becomes untenable for industrial IoT devices with limited resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the computationally intensive authentication and credential management operations from the resource-constrained edge devices and relocates them to a centralized server or cloud service. Edge devices only need to store and present credentials, while the server performs comprehensive security checks, certificate validation, and authorization decisions, significantly reducing on-device computational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a centralized authentication server as an intermediary between edge devices and the control system. This mediator handles all complex authentication, authorization, and credential verification operations, allowing edge devices with limited resources to participate in secure communications without needing to implement complex security protocols locally.
3Reliability
If industrial controllers protect authentication credentials securely with limited resources, then security is maintained, but the system becomes vulnerable to adversarial manipulation in deployment environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical/password-based authentication systems with public key infrastructure (PKI) and cryptographic certificate-based authentication. Instead of storing sensitive passwords or credentials that can be extracted or manipulated, the system uses cryptographic key pairs where the private key remains on the device in a secure element and the public key/certificates are used for verification, making the system resistant to adversarial manipulation and credential theft.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements pre-provisioning of cryptographic credentials and certificates during device manufacturing or initial setup, before deployment to potentially adversarial environments. This beforehand cushioning ensures that devices arrive with already-validated security credentials that cannot be easily compromised, and the use of secure elements provides hardware-level protection against credential extraction attempts.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides methods and systems for securing internet of thing systems. One method includes receiving, at a computing device, a token, wherein the token comprises a cryptographically signed list of rights that the computing device is authorized to request. The method also includes requesting, using the computing device, an action of a receiving device in an industrial location, wherein requesting the action comprises sending the token with the request to cause the receiving device to authenticate the user of the computing device and confirm the user is authorized to perform the action.