Hardware-Rooted Feature Licensing for Industrial Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial automation environments face challenges in securely provisioning and enforcing feature licenses for devices, as existing licensing schemes are vulnerable to circumvention and reverse engineering, leading to unauthorized use and data extraction.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hardware-based root of trust within industrial devices to securely store private cryptographic keys and provision unique security certificates, which are used to encrypt and validate device information packages, ensuring that licenses are tied to specific devices and cannot be transferred or used without authorization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional software-based licensing schemes are used, then licensing flexibility and ease of distribution are improved, but security against circumvention and reverse engineering deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional software-based licensing mechanisms with a hardware-rooted cryptographic system. Private keys are securely stored in hardware modules (such as TPM or secure elements) within the industrial device, and licensing operations use cryptographic proofs based on these hardware-protected keys. This substitution of mechanical/software licensing with hardware-based cryptographic verification provides both security against reverse engineering and maintains licensing flexibility through digital certificate exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a certificate authority (CA) as an intermediary that issues digital certificates to industrial devices. The CA signs the device's public key with its own private key, creating a trusted certificate that proves the device's identity without exposing the device's private key. This intermediary enables secure licensing distribution by allowing the license server to verify device identity through the certificate while maintaining the security of hardware-stored private keys.
2Reliability
If hardware-based security modules are implemented, then security against unauthorized access is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages existing universal hardware security modules such as Trusted Platform Modules (TPM) or secure elements that are already widely integrated into industrial devices for other purposes (secure boot, authentication, etc.). By reusing these existing hardware modules for licensing key storage, the patent achieves enhanced security without significantly increasing device complexity, as the hardware infrastructure already exists for other security functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The hardware security module autonomously performs cryptographic operations (key generation, signing, verification) without requiring external intervention or exposing internal keys. The module self-manages the private key lifecycle, performing all cryptographic functions internally and only outputting verified results. This self-service capability simplifies the overall system architecture by eliminating the need for complex key management software and reducing the attack surface for potential compromises.
3Adaptability or versatility
If device-specific cryptographic keys are used, then license transferability control is improved, but key management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the public key and certificate information from the hardware security module and uses these extracted values for licensing operations. The private key remains securely stored in the hardware module and is never extracted or exposed. This extraction approach allows the system to manage device identity and licensing using the easily transferable public key and certificate, while the complex private key management remains confined to the secure hardware environment, thereby reducing overall key management complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates cryptographic copies in the form of digital certificates that replicate the device's identity proof without containing the actual private key. The certificate authority creates a signed copy of the device's public key that serves as a portable credential. This copying mechanism enables license transferability control through certificate validation while keeping the sensitive private key management simple and confined to hardware storage.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques to facilitate feature licensing of industrial devices employed in an industrial automation environment are disclosed herein. In at least one implementation, a security certificate for an industrial device is provisioned based on a first private key associated with the industrial device, wherein the first private key is securely stored in a hardware root of trust within the industrial device. A device information package for the industrial device is generated based on the security certificate, wherein the device information package is encrypted with a first public key paired with the first private key and signed by a certificate authority using a second private key. The device information package is provided to the industrial device, wherein the industrial device is configured to validate the device information package using a second public key paired with the second private key and decrypt the device information package with the first private key.