Mobile Security Offloader for IoT Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing number of IoT devices poses a security threat as they often lack robust security features due to power and cost constraints, and existing mobile network security mechanisms burden the devices with encryption tasks, increasing power consumption and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A mobile security offloader (MSOL) component that handles security methods and encryption, offloading security processes from mobile devices to itself, using security profiles to encrypt and decrypt data without requiring the device to perform these tasks, thereby reducing power consumption and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If security features are implemented on IoT devices, then security is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the security processing functions (encryption, decryption, authentication) from the mobile device and relocates them to the network infrastructure (specifically the serving gateway and packet data network gateway). This allows IoT devices to maintain simple designs while still benefiting from robust security mechanisms handled by network elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces network elements (serving gateway and packet data network gateway) as intermediaries that perform security operations on behalf of mobile devices. These intermediaries handle the complex security processing, allowing IoT devices to communicate securely without having complex security features embedded in their design.
2Reliability
If security features are implemented on IoT devices, then security is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts power-intensive security processing operations from the mobile device's CPU and relocates them to network infrastructure. This extraction eliminates the need for IoT devices to consume additional power for encryption, decryption, and authentication operations, as these are performed remotely by network elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The serving gateway and packet data network gateway act as intermediaries that absorb the power consumption burden of security operations. By performing security processing in the network rather than on the device, the patent enables battery-powered IoT devices to maintain security without increased power consumption.
3Reliability
If mobile devices perform encryption and decryption, then security is maintained, but device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts encryption and decryption operations from the mobile device and relocates them to the packet data network gateway. This allows the device to maintain security functionality while eliminating the power consumption and complexity associated with implementing these cryptographic operations locally.
Data Source
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AI summary
In an example embodiment, a mobile security offloader (MSOL) is provided. Within the MSOL, a mobile device identification component is used to receive unencrypted data from a mobile device in a mobile radio network and to determine a mobile device identification of the mobile device from the unencrypted data. A security profiles directory interface then uses the mobile device identification to retrieve a security profile corresponding to the mobile device identification from a security profiles directory, the security profile identifying a security protocol for encrypting data from the mobile device corresponding to the mobile device identification. An encryption engine is used to encrypt the unencrypted data using the security protocol identified in the security profile. A packet switched network interface is then used to route the encrypted data to a secured server identified in the data via a packet switched network.