Wireless Private Gateway Secure Name Discovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless private gateways are vulnerable to hacking, allowing unauthorized access and misuse as a relay for wireless communication coverage without proper authentication, especially in mesh networks where gateways communicate to extend coverage within buildings.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a secure name discovery process where gateways share partial identifiers instead of clear text names, using a trusted execution environment with public and private trust keys, and partitioning hardware and software resources into secure and normal partitions to enhance authentication and prevent unauthorized access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gateways share clear text names in mesh networks, then name discovery is simple and fast, but gateways become vulnerable to hacking and unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the gateway identifier into multiple partial identifiers that are distributed across different gateways in the mesh network. Instead of sharing a complete clear text name, each gateway stores and shares only a portion of the identifier. This segmentation prevents single-point compromise and requires multiple gateways to collaborate, thereby enhancing security while maintaining the functionality of name discovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a trusted execution environment as an intermediary layer between gateways and the network. This environment provides authenticated name discovery by verifying the authenticity of partial identifiers before assembling the complete identifier. The intermediary ensures that only authenticated gateways can participate in name discovery, preventing unauthorized access while simplifying the security burden on individual gateways.
2Reliability
If gateways use authentication mechanisms like trust keys, then unauthorized access is prevented, but the complexity of establishing trusted connections increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service authentication where gateways automatically perform mutual authentication using their private trust keys without requiring manual configuration or intervention. The authentication process is transparent to the gateway operators, who simply need to ensure their gateways are properly provisioned with trust keys. This eliminates the need for complex manual authentication setup while maintaining strong security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs authentication setup in advance by pre-provisioning gateways with private trust keys and configuring their trusted execution environments before deployment. This preliminary action eliminates the need for complex authentication procedures during runtime connection setup, as the authentication credentials and mechanisms are already in place and ready for use.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If partial identifiers are shared across multiple gateways, then hacking difficulty increases, but the time required for name discovery increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where gateways receive acknowledgment and validation responses during the partial identifier sharing process. The trusted execution environment provides feedback on the authenticity of received partial identifiers, allowing gateways to verify correctness and proceed efficiently. This feedback loop ensures that the increased complexity of partial identifier sharing does not result in excessive delays, as the system can quickly validate and assemble complete identifiers.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of a wireless private gateway securely obtaining a communication link to another wireless private gateway is provided. The method comprises transmitting a request for a first partial identifier of a relay wireless private gateway by an application executing on a first wireless private gateway to a second wireless private gateway, receiving the first partial identifier, transmitting a request for a second partial identifier of the relay wireless private gateway to a third wireless private gateway, receiving the second partial identifier, concatenating the first partial identifier and the second partial identifier to form a complete identifier of the relay wireless private gateway by the application, and transmitting a request to establish a communication link with the relay wireless private gateway by the application to the relay wireless private gateway, wherein the request to establish the communication link comprises the complete identifier of the relay wireless private gateway.