Controller Message Freshness Windows for Replay Attack Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication networks face issues with unauthorized message replay attacks due to unpredictable synchronization of freshness values, leading to potential unauthorized access and malicious actions, and current functional security measures add complexity and overhead.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a freshness value manager to generate and manage N-bit integers for message authentication, coupled with an acceptance window and message authentication code (MAC) to verify message freshness and authenticity, ensuring only timely and legitimate messages are accepted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If functional security measures are implemented to block unauthorized access, then network security is improved, but system complexity and overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing trust relationships between controllers through certificate exchange before actual communication occurs. The freshness value mechanism is pre-configured with acceptance windows, allowing the system to automatically validate messages without complex real-time authentication negotiations, thus improving security while maintaining operational simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service through autonomous message validation where each controller independently verifies freshness values against its own acceptance window criteria. The controllers self-manage their security validation without requiring external security management infrastructure, reducing system complexity while maintaining robust security
2Measurement precision
If periodic synchronization of freshness values is implemented, then message freshness verification is improved, but synchronization reliability deteriorates due to unpredictable network delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the acceptance window adaptive rather than fixed. The acceptance window dynamically adjusts to accommodate network variability while maintaining security, allowing the system to verify message freshness without requiring perfect synchronization. This dynamic approach resolves the contradiction by making the verification mechanism resilient to timing variations
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary establishment of acceptance windows before message exchange begins. By pre-configuring the range of acceptable freshness values based on expected network delays, the system eliminates the need for complex real-time synchronization while maintaining accurate freshness verification
3Reliability
If strict freshness value matching is enforced, then replay attack prevention is improved, but message acceptance rate deteriorates due to out-of-order message arrival
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by implementing an acceptance window that provides a flexible range for freshness value matching rather than strict equality checking. This dynamic range allows messages that arrive slightly late or out of order to still be accepted if their freshness value falls within the window, preventing replay attacks while maintaining high message acceptance rates
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter from strict equality comparison to range-based comparison. By transforming the validation criterion from requiring exact freshness value matches to accepting values within a predefined window, the system simultaneously improves replay attack prevention and maintains message acceptance efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for securely transmitting a message within a communication network is described. The system includes a first controller being in communication with a second controller. A freshness value (FV) manager generates a first FV, wherein the first FV is arranged as an N-bit integer. The first controller generates a first message that includes the first FV. The first controller communicates the first message to the second controller. The second controller receives the first message from the first controller, and evaluates the first FV of the first message. The second controller generates an acceptance window, which is defined as a range of N-bit integers between a maximum FV and a minimum FV. The second controller permits further evaluation of the first message when the first FV is within the acceptance window.