Proxy Plug-in for Secure Software Artifact Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial and production networks face a dilemma in edge computing, where they need to balance protecting against malware and external attacks while enabling digitalization and fast firmware update cycles, which traditional security strategies struggle to manage effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a target-network-internal information structure with entries characterizing software artifacts, monitored by a plug-in that manages requests for software updates, ensuring only authorized downloads and implementing security measures like signature validation and end-to-end encryption, while logging all steps for auditing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional security strategies are used to protect internal corporate networks, then security against malware and external attacks is improved, but the ability to enable digitalization and fast firmware update cycles deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A proxy system is introduced as an intermediary component between the target network and source network. The proxy system includes a plug-in that monitors transmissions, validates software artifacts against a whitelist, and controls download permissions. This intermediary enables secure fast updates by filtering and approving legitimate software artifacts while blocking malicious ones, thus resolving the contradiction between security and update speed.
2Productivity
If internal corporate networks are opened up for digitalization, then fast update cycles and digitalization benefits are improved, but the attack vector on automation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary validation of software artifacts before they are allowed into the network. A whitelist is pre-configured with authorized software artifact identifiers, and the plug-in checks incoming artifacts against this whitelist before permitting downloads. This preliminary action prevents malicious artifacts from entering the network, thus enabling open access for digitalization while maintaining security.
3Ease of operation
If software artifacts are freely downloadable from source network, then ease of operation is improved, but security control deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The plug-in implements a feedback mechanism by continuously monitoring transmission requests and comparing them against the whitelist. When a software artifact request is received, the system checks whether the artifact identifier exists in the whitelist and provides feedback by either permitting or blocking the download. This feedback loop maintains security control while allowing legitimate downloads to proceed smoothly.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for transmitting software artifacts from a source network to a target network is disclosed. Each target and source network is assigned to a proxy system comprising a plug-in. The transmission is monitored on the target network side. A target network-internal information structure is provided containing entries, each of which characterizes a software artifact that can be downloaded when authorization is granted by an operator of the target network by the plug-in. The entries are read from the target network-internal information structure. Requests from the target network relating to the availability of new software artifacts are received on behalf of the source network. For each request, at least one entry which matches the request is searched in the target network-internal information structure. Based on the at least one matching entry being present in the target network-internal information structure, either the software artifact is retrieved or the request is blocked.