Fault-Tolerant ECDSA Engine With Built-In Self-Test
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ECDSA digital signature systems are prone to computational errors due to factors like temperature changes, electromagnetic interference, and hardware failures, leading to erroneous signature verification and potential safety risks in critical systems such as autonomous vehicles and nuclear power generation.
Innovation Solution
A fault-tolerant ECDSA engine with dual modular redundancy and built-in self-test units for detecting and tolerating faults, utilizing multiple verification state machines and known-answer tests to ensure accurate signature generation and verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ECDSA digital signature operations are performed using standard hardware, then computational speed and energy efficiency are improved, but reliability deteriorates due to computational errors from temperature changes, electromagnetic interference, and hardware failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary fault detection by periodically testing the ECDSA engine with known inputs and expected outputs before actual signature operations. This preliminary action identifies potential computational errors early, preventing unreliable operations and maintaining high reliability without requiring complete system redesign
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the ECDSA engine into separate functional modules including signature generation, signature verification, and fault detection components. This segmentation allows independent testing and isolation of faulty modules, enabling targeted repairs while maintaining overall system reliability without excessive complexity
2Reliability
If fault detection and tolerance mechanisms are added to ECDSA operations, then reliability is improved, but computational time increases due to additional verification steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial fault detection by selectively applying fault detection tests based on operational context and risk assessment. Not every ECDSA operation requires full fault detection, allowing the system to maintain high reliability for critical operations while reducing computational overhead for less critical ones, thus balancing reliability with computational time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs fault detection periodically rather than continuously, testing the ECDSA engine at regular intervals and after specific trigger events. This periodic approach maintains reliability by catching faults when they occur while minimizing the time penalty compared to continuous verification of every operation
3Measurement precision
If redundant verification mechanisms are implemented, then accuracy of signature verification is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple verification state machines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates simplified copies of the verification logic that can be executed independently to cross-check results. These copies use the same verification algorithm but operate in parallel or sequentially to confirm accuracy, maintaining high measurement precision while using straightforward copying techniques rather than complex redundant architectures
Data Source
AI summary
A data processing system includes technology for detecting and tolerating faults. The data processing system comprises an electronic control unit (ECU) with a processing core and a fault-tolerant elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA) engine. The fault-tolerant ECDSA engine comprises multiple verification state machines (VSMs). The data processing system also comprises nonvolatile storage in communication with the processing core and ECU software in the nonvolatile storage. The ECU software, when executed, enables the data processing system to operate as a node in a distributed data processing system, including receiving digitally signed messages from other nodes in the distributed data processing system. The ECU further comprises a known-answer built-in self-test unit (KA-BISTU). Also, the ECU software comprises fault-tolerant ECDSA engine (FTEE) management software which, when executed by the processing core, utilizes the KA-BISTU to periodically test the fault-tolerant ECDSA engine for faults. Other embodiments are described and claimed.