Hypervisor Sandbox for Controllable Device Command Validation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing capability of devices to receive and act on network commands, while facilitating remote control, also opens up the possibility of malicious remote control, as malicious individuals can exploit these features to manipulate devices undesirably.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hypervisor that manages a controller task within a virtual machine (VM) or sandbox, which only allows access to controllable devices through emulation, maintaining an authorized device command list to ensure only approved commands are executed, thereby preventing unauthorized access and malicious control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If devices are made capable of receiving and acting on network commands for remote control, then control flexibility and convenience are improved, but security vulnerability and risk of malicious control increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a hypervisor as an intermediary layer between the VM and the controllable device. The hypervisor intercepts and validates all device commands before they reach the device, acting as a security mediator that enables remote control while blocking malicious commands through its authorized command list verification mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the computing environment into distinct layers: the hypervisor layer that handles security and command validation, and the VM layer that provides control functionality. This segmentation isolates the security-critical command validation from the application layer, allowing remote control capabilities while preventing direct access to the device from untrusted sources
2Adaptability or versatility
If a VM is given direct access to controllable devices, then control functionality is improved, but security protection and prevention of unauthorized access deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The hypervisor serves as a mandatory intermediary between the VM and the controllable device interface. All control commands must pass through the hypervisor's validation layer, which checks against the authorized command list. This intermediary approach maintains full device control capability while ensuring that only authorized commands can reach the device
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the security validation functionality from the VM and places it in the hypervisor layer. The hypervisor maintains an authorized device command list that is separate from the VM's control logic, effectively removing the security decision-making capability from the potentially compromised VM environment while preserving control functionality
3Object-affected harmful factors
If an authorized device command list is implemented and validated by the hypervisor, then security against malicious commands is improved, but system complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The authorized device command list is pre-populated with valid commands before runtime operation. The hypervisor performs preliminary validation by checking incoming commands against this pre-established list, rather than performing complex real-time analysis. This preliminary preparation of the authorized command list simplifies the runtime validation process while maintaining strong security
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a simple, lightweight validation mechanism that checks commands against a static authorized list rather than implementing complex dynamic analysis. The validation logic is designed to be computationally inexpensive, using straightforward string matching or hashing against the pre-defined authorized command list, thereby minimizing processing overhead while providing effective security
Data Source
AI summary
A controller sandbox using an emulation framework of a hypervisor is disclosed. A hypervisor receives, from a task in a virtual machine that is controlled by the hypervisor in a computing device on which the hypervisor executes, a first implement device command request that requests that a first device command be implemented on a controllable device communicatively connected to the computing device via an interface. The hypervisor determines that the first device command is on an authorized device command list. Based on determining that the first device command is on the authorized device command list, the hypervisor communicates a signal to the controllable device to implement the first device command.