Redundant Industrial Control Module Authentication via Nonce Handshake
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial control systems are vulnerable to unauthorized or counterfeit communications/control modules, particularly during handoff events between primary and secondary modules, leading to security breaches and performance degradation.
Innovation Solution
Implementing redundant communications/control modules that perform an authentication sequence, including a handshake with nonces and certificates, to verify the authenticity of each module, and disabling or restricting unauthorized modules to prevent security breaches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redundant communications/control modules are implemented for failover capability, then system reliability is improved, but system vulnerability to unauthorized modules increases during handoff events
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs authentication of the secondary communications/control module before allowing it to assume control. The authentication sequence includes exchanging cryptographic credentials (certificates, nonces, signatures) in advance, so that when a handoff is needed, the module is already verified as authorized, preventing unauthorized modules from exploiting the handoff transition.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If authentication sequences with cryptographic credentials are implemented, then security against unauthorized modules is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses cryptographic certificates and signatures as intermediary mechanisms to verify module authenticity. Instead of complex hardware security modules or manual verification processes, the system employs standardized cryptographic protocols (X.509 certificates, digital signatures, nonces) that provide robust security through well-established mathematical principles while keeping implementation complexity manageable.
Data Source
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AI summary
A set of redundant industrial control system communications/control modules includes at least a first communications/control module and a second communications/control module. The first and second communications/control modules are configured to perform an authentication sequence including: transmitting a request datagram from the first communications/control module to the second communications/control module, the request datagram including a first nonce, a first device authentication key certificate, and a first identity attribute certificate; transmitting a response datagram from the second communications/control module to the first communications/control module, the response datagram including a second nonce, a first signature associated with the first and second nonces, a second device authentication key certificate, and a second identity attribute certificate; and transmitting an authentication datagram from the first communications/control module to the second communications/control module when the response datagram is valid, the authentication datagram including a second signature associated with the first and second nonces.