Display Preparation Unit Bypassing CPU for Secure Transaction Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional computer systems are vulnerable to attacks that manipulate user inputs during security-critical transactions, as the CPU controls data exchange between the input unit and screen, making it difficult to ensure that displayed information corresponds to the user's intended inputs.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize a display preparation unit integrated into the personal computer, which establishes a direct interface between the user input unit and the security hardware, bypassing the CPU, to confirm that the displayed transaction data corresponds to the user's inputs, ensuring that only confirmed data is part of a transaction, and using a separate interface or random numbers for verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an additional device is connected between CPU, input unit, and screen to establish a direct connection for secure transactions, then security reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the security hardware functionality with the existing graphics card, merging the display preparation unit and security functions into a single integrated component. This eliminates the need for separate additional devices while maintaining the secure direct connection between input unit and screen, thus improving security reliability without increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The graphics card is enhanced to perform multiple functions: standard graphics display and secure transaction processing. By making the graphics card universal, it can handle both routine display tasks and security-critical operations with a direct bypass path for user input, eliminating the need for dedicated separate security devices
2Reliability
If a monitor switch is used to establish direct connection between input unit and screen, then security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to set-up and removal times
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between normal display mode and secure transaction mode automatically based on the application context. When a security-critical application is detected, the graphics card automatically establishes the direct connection path without requiring manual monitor switching, thus maintaining security while improving ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The security system operates autonomously by automatically detecting when secure transactions are needed and activating the appropriate direct connection path without user intervention. The system self-manages the switching between normal and secure modes, eliminating the need for manual operation while maintaining security
3Reliability
If a filter is used to ensure displayed content corresponds to actual user input, then security is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to the complexity of providing an efficient filter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the filtering and verification function from the CPU-based software layer and implements it directly in the graphics card hardware. By taking out these critical security functions to the graphics card, the system achieves efficient filtering without the manufacturing complexity associated with complex software filters, as the hardware implementation is more straightforward and deterministic
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a display preparation unit are proposed for the execution of a transaction during which transaction data are processed which have to be confirmed by a user. The display preparation unit has a converter unit which converts transaction data to be interpreted into pixel values and displays them on a monitor, an interface of its own for directly attaching an input unit via which a user confirms displayed transaction data, as well as a crypto unit for generating a signature for a record of confirmed transaction data. In a variant the confirmation can be effected by the crypto unit generating and displaying a random number which has to be inputted by the user via a conventionally attached input unit.