Hardware Data Link Layer Packet Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional network security measures at the application or presentation layer are vulnerable to compromise by users or applications with access to the operating system, leaving systems susceptible to external threats.
Innovation Solution
Implementing network security at the data link layer using a hardware device that intercepts and authenticates data packets between the hardware network interface and the input/output port, ensuring that only authorized packets are forwarded, with the hardware device's memory being write-protected to prevent tampering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If network security is implemented at the application layer or presentation layer using software firewalls, then security protection is provided, but the system becomes vulnerable to compromise by users or applications with access to the operating system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the security implementation into distinct layers: a hardware-based security module operating at the data link layer and the host operating system at higher layers. This segmentation isolates the security functions from potential software-based attacks, as the hardware module's read-only memory cannot be modified by the host system or applications, thereby resolving the vulnerability to compromise while maintaining security protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hardware device as an intermediary between the network interface and the host system. This intermediary operates independently at the data link layer, authenticating data packets before they reach the host system. The hardware device acts as a mediator that prevents compromised applications or users from disabling security measures, as it operates outside the host operating system's control scope.
2Reliability
If security authentication is performed at the data link layer using a hardware device, then robust security is provided even if the operating system is compromised, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the security authentication function from the host operating system and places it in a separate hardware device operating at the data link layer. This extraction ensures that security authentication is performed independently of the host system's software state, providing robust security even when the operating system is compromised. The hardware device contains only essential authentication logic in read-only memory, minimizing its internal complexity while achieving the security goal.
3Reliability
If the hardware device's memory is write-protected to prevent tampering, then security is maintained against unauthorized modifications, but the adaptability to update security protocols is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-loading authentication protocols and security parameters into the hardware device's read-only memory during manufacturing or initial setup. This preliminary configuration ensures that the memory contents cannot be tampered with during operation, maintaining integrity protection. The read-only nature of the memory prevents unauthorized modifications while the device operates, resolving the contradiction between integrity protection and adaptability for protocol updates during runtime.
Data Source
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AI summary
The disclosed embodiments include a method for receiving data packets at a host system. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of: intercepting a data packet, at a data link layer, that is being sent to an input/output (I/O) port of the host system using a hardware device that is located between a hardware network interface and the input/output port of the host system; reading, using the hardware device, at least one parameter from the data packet; determining, by the hardware device using instructions written in memory of the hardware device, whether the at least one parameter meets an authentication criteria, wherein the host system is unable to write to the memory of the hardware device; and in response to determining that the at least one parameter meets an authentication criteria, forwarding, by the hardware device, the data packet to the input/output port of the host system.