HSM Firmware Package Signing and Encryption for Secure Updates

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing HSM firmware update processes lack robust security measures to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and roll-back protection, making them vulnerable to security breaches and inefficiencies.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for generating and verifying a firmware package using a symmetric key for encryption and a public-private key pair for signing, ensuring confidentiality and integrity, with roll-back protection, and utilizing a secure computing platform to update HSM firmware without pre-programmed software.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If firmware is updated without robust security measures, then update process is simple and fast, but security is compromised and system becomes vulnerable to breaches

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefirmware securityVSAvoidupdate process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The firmware image is signed with a private key before encryption, and the signature is embedded in the firmware package. This preliminary signing action ensures that the firmware integrity is verified before the update process begins, preventing unauthorized or corrupted firmware from being installed, thus resolving the contradiction between security and process simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

A symmetric key is introduced as an intermediary between the firmware image and the verification process. The firmware image is encrypted with this symmetric key, and the key itself is signed with a private key. This intermediary mechanism allows secure verification without exposing the private key, balancing security requirements with process efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If firmware update process includes multiple verification and encryption steps, then security and integrity are ensured, but update time and processing duration increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefirmware integrityVSAvoidupdate processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces complex mechanical verification processes with cryptographic operations. Instead of physical inspection or manual verification, the system uses digital signatures and encryption, which can be verified automatically and rapidly by the HSM, significantly reducing verification time while maintaining high security standards.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If encrypted firmware images are stored in additional memory, then security is improved, but memory requirements and device size increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveconfidentialityVSAvoidmemory storage requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the encrypted firmware image from external storage and loads it directly into the HSM's internal memory for verification and execution. This eliminates the need for separate external storage of encrypted images, reducing overall memory requirements while maintaining security through the HSM's protected environment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The firmware image is nested within the HSM's secure memory environment. The HSM's internal memory structure contains the firmware image, which is itself protected by encryption and authentication mechanisms. This nested structure provides security without requiring additional external storage, as the HSM's own memory resources are utilized efficiently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentUS12474917B2Hardware security module firmware update

Publication Date: 2025.11.18 TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC

AI summary

A non-transitory machine-readable medium having machine-readable instructions including a firmware generator, the machine-readable instructions for the firmware generator being executable by a processor core to perform operations including signing a firmware image for a hardware security module (HSM) with a private key of a public private key pair to provide a first signature and augmenting the firmware image with a header that includes the first signature to provide an augmented firmware image. The operations further include encrypting the augmented firmware image with a symmetric key to provide an encrypted augmented firmware image. Furthermore, the operations include signing the encrypted augmented firmware image with the private key to provide a second signature and augmenting the encrypted augmented firmware image with the second signature to provide a firmware package for the HSM.