Control Tower Side-Channel Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Control tower systems relying on digital twins face challenges in ensuring the reliability and trustworthiness of the information used to make decisions, as this information can be compromised by malicious actors or accidents.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a system that uses side-channel queries to combine random selections of information from local and remote verifier devices, applying consensus mechanisms to verify the integrity of the data exposed to control tower systems, thereby ensuring the trustworthiness of the information used in digital twins.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If control tower systems use digital twins to make decisions, then decision-making capability is improved, but information reliability deteriorates due to potential compromise by malicious actors or accidents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces side-channel queries as an intermediary verification mechanism. Instead of directly trusting data from sensing systems, the control tower device uses trusted verifier devices to query and verify the state information through alternative channels. This mediator layer ensures that digital twins are populated with verified trustworthy information, resolving the contradiction between automated decision-making and information reliability.
2Loss of information
If control tower systems obtain information from multiple sources, then information completeness is improved, but system complexity increases due to verification requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the verification process into distinct components: sensing systems collect data, trusted verifier devices independently verify specific state information through side channels, and the control tower device synthesizes results. This segmentation allows multiple information sources to be utilized while managing complexity through structured verification roles and procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements selective verification rather than verifying all information from all sources. Trusted verifier devices query specific state information that is critical for decision-making through side-channel queries. This partial verification approach ensures information completeness for critical parameters while avoiding the excessive complexity of verifying every data point from every source.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a control tower device obtains, first state information from sensing or reporting systems or devices at a particular location via a first communication channel. The control tower device makes, based on the first state information, an evaluation regarding the particular location using one or more digital twins representing one or more entities of the particular location. The control tower device obtains second state information from one or more trusted verifiers for the particular location via a second communication channel. The control tower device verifies, based on the second state information, the evaluation regarding the particular location.