Cryptographic Compliance Containers for Hardware and Software Security

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Solution Overview

Problem

There is a lack of consensus on how to ensure that hardware and software products comply with the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) cybersecurity requirements, which are essential for protecting against vulnerabilities and ensuring secure data handling.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus and method involving a processor that determines the compliance of hardware and software components with cybersecurity requirements by using cryptographically bound containers to verify their adherence to the CRA, ensuring secure interactions and updates.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manufacturers implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures to ensure compliance with CRA, then security and reliability of digital entities are improved, but device complexity and implementation difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecybersecurity complianceVSAvoidcompliance verification system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the compliance verification process into distinct functional modules: a verification module that checks cybersecurity requirements, a container management module that handles digital entities, and a communication module that interfaces with other systems. Each module operates independently with defined interfaces, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive security verification capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces cryptographic containers as intermediary objects that bind cybersecurity compliance information to digital entities. These containers act as mediators between the verification system and the digital entities, encapsulating compliance data and verification logic in a standardized format that simplifies integration and reduces direct system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If cryptographic containers are used to bind compliance information to digital entities, then compliance verification accuracy is improved, but information processing overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompliance verification accuracyVSAvoidprocessing overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary cryptographic binding of compliance information to digital entities during the manufacturing or deployment phase. The verification module pre-loads and caches compliance verification rules and cryptographic keys before runtime verification is needed. This preliminary preparation reduces real-time processing overhead while maintaining high verification accuracy through pre-computed cryptographic validations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4579505A1Devices and methods for compliance of cybersecurity requirements of hardware and software components
Publication Date: 2025.07.02 INTEL CORP
  • EP4579505A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4579505A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4579505A1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

An apparatus may include a processor, the processor configured to: access a container cryptographically bound to a component of a digital entity, wherein the container comprises information representative of a compliance of the digital entity to cybersecurity requirements, wherein the component of the digital entity comprises a hardware component or a software component; determine, based on the information, a result representing whether the digital entity is compliant with the cybersecurity requirements; determine, based on the result, a verification state of the digital entity.