Portable Cryptographic Chip for Mobile Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mobile devices, such as smartphones, face vulnerabilities in security due to software-based cryptography, which can be altered or compromised, leading to issues like eavesdropping and unauthorized access, particularly in high-security environments like the U.S. military, where development costs are elevated and security breaches are a concern.
Innovation Solution
A portable cryptographic hardware-software system that integrates a cryptographic chip with the mobile device's battery, enabling encrypted communication and utilizing a Crypto Ignition Key or biometrics for security, ensuring the cryptographic functionality is not alterable through networks and can be quickly adapted to various devices, reducing development time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If software-based cryptography is used in mobile devices, then security can be implemented without hardware modifications, but the cryptographic security can be altered or compromised through software attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates cryptographic functions into a dedicated hardware module (cryptographic processor) distinct from the main mobile device processor. This segmentation isolates security-critical operations from software vulnerabilities in the main system, allowing the cryptographic module to operate independently with its own secure key storage and processing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The cryptographic processor acts as an intermediary between the mobile device and secure communication protocols. It provides a trusted hardware layer that mediates all cryptographic operations, preventing direct software access to encryption keys and ensuring that security functions cannot be compromised by malware or software attacks on the main device.
2Reliability
If hardware-based cryptography is embedded in each cellular telephone, then cryptographic security is improved, but development time increases to 4 years and the capability is not portable
Solution Approach 1:
The cryptographic processor is designed as a universal hardware module that can be integrated into multiple different mobile device platforms and models. This multi-functional design allows the same security hardware to serve various device types, reducing development time by eliminating the need to create custom cryptographic implementations for each new device generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables dynamic configuration of cryptographic capabilities through the portable cryptographic module that can be added or removed based on security requirements. This dynamic approach allows organizations to scale security implementation according to needs without committing to fixed 4-year development cycles for hardware integration.
3Adaptability or versatility
If cryptographic software is made portable across devices, then ease of deployment is improved, but the software can be altered without user knowledge compromising security
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts cryptographic key storage and processing from the main device software environment into a separate, dedicated cryptographic processor. This extraction ensures that even if the main device software is compromised, the cryptographic keys and security functions remain protected in the isolated hardware module that cannot be altered through software attacks.
4Productivity
If commercial off-the-shelf smart phones are used, then cost and accessibility are improved, but operational security and communication security are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges commercial off-the-shelf mobile devices with a dedicated cryptographic processor to create a hybrid secure communication platform. This combination retains the accessibility and ease of deployment of consumer devices while adding hardware-based security capabilities that protect against eavesdropping, malware, and other security threats.
Solution Approach 2:
The secure communication system uses a composite architecture combining consumer-grade mobile device components with military-grade cryptographic hardware. This composite approach leverages the advantages of both commercial devices (cost-effectiveness, accessibility) and specialized security hardware (protection against sophisticated attacks).
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided that provide a portable, cryptographic hardware-software device allowing balancing of the needed heightened security while maintaining the modified communication device's original features and value. The system comprises a single chip comprising a self-contained security boundary and cryptographic processing, and is enabled to quickly and easily connect to and modify an existing, commercial, off the shelf mobile communication device. The systems may be enabled to modify the existing device by being contained in hardware, for example the battery of a smart phone. Then, the system may be connected to the existing device's interface, for example via a “micro-USB” or other suitable connection, and subsequently provide cryptographic functionality to the existing device.