Hardware Analysis Module Secure Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing security measures for mobile communication devices, such as ARM's public key authentication, provide limited access to secure hardware analysis features, posing a significant security risk and necessitating enhanced protection mechanisms to enable secure unlocking for hardware testing while preventing unauthorized access.
Innovation Solution
A Hardware Analysis Module (HAM) embedded in the integrated circuit implements a dedicated hardware-controlled access control procedure using public/private key authentication and additional security parameters, ensuring secure unlocking of CPU debug, internal memory, and boot features only after successful authentication, with the option to permanently disable compromised key units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If secure hardware analysis features are disabled in production devices, then security is improved, but the ability to perform hardware testing and analysis is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary authentication actions before enabling secure hardware analysis features. The authentication module verifies credentials in advance, and only after successful authentication are the disabled test features temporarily enabled. This resolves the contradiction by performing security verification beforehand, allowing full testing access only to authorized users while maintaining security for unauthorized access attempts.
2Measurement precision
If public key authentication is used for access control, then authentication capability is improved, but access to secure hardware analysis features remains limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal access control system that works across multiple authentication methods and scenarios. The authentication module can handle public key authentication, password-based authentication, and other credential types, all leading to the same outcome of temporarily enabling secure hardware analysis features. This multi-functional approach resolves the contradiction by making the authentication system adaptable to different access needs while maintaining strong security verification.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If secure hardware analysis features are permanently disabled, then security protection is improved, but the ability to unlock for authorized testing is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic access control where the state of secure hardware analysis features changes based on authentication events. The features are permanently disabled by default for security, but temporarily enabled dynamically when authorized users provide valid credentials. After authentication, the system dynamically transitions the features from disabled to enabled state, allowing testing, then returns to disabled state after testing completes. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction by making the system adaptable to authorized access needs while maintaining permanent security protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A Hardware Analysis Module (“HAM”) embedded in an integrated circuit (IC) implements a dedicated hardware-controlled access control procedure. The secure hardware analysis features are unlocked by a key unit subject to successful completion of an access control procedure. The access control procedure prevents unlocking of the secure hardware analysis features by an unauthorized or compromised key unit by including an embedded control command in an authentication challenge sent by the HAM to the key unit during the access control procedure.