Root of Trust Key Storage for Reversible Device Ownership Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing device ownership transfer solutions require permanent modification of device circuitry, leading to internal issues and increased complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for mutable device ownership transfer (DOT) using a Root of Trust (RoT) that allows customer authentication keys (CAKs) to be installed in non-volatile or volatile memory without permanent modification, enabling secure ownership transfer and key rotation through encryption and authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If permanent modification of device circuitry is used to record customer authentication key, then device ownership transfer is secured, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (mutable DOT circuitry and software-based key management system) that mediates between the customer authentication key and the device, eliminating the need for permanent circuitry modification while maintaining security. The key is stored in non-volatile memory and protected through cryptographic mechanisms rather than physical fuses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical system of electrical fuses and permanent circuitry modification with a software-based cryptographic system. Customer authentication keys are managed through software modules and cryptographic operations rather than physical alterations to the device circuitry.
2Reliability
If permanent modification of device circuitry is used to record customer authentication key, then device ownership is permanently secured, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive permanent physical modifications with cost-effective software-based cryptographic mechanisms. The mutable DOT system uses standard non-volatile memory and software modules instead of costly fuse programming or circuitry modification processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the state of the authentication key from permanent/immutable to mutable/reversible. The key can be installed, unlocked, replaced, and removed through software operations, transforming the ownership security model from a permanent physical state to a flexible software-controlled state.
3Reliability
If customer authentication key is recorded in electrical fuses, then device ownership transfer is permanent, but device architecture internal issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the electrical fuse mechanism with a software-based key management system that operates at the logical level rather than the physical circuit level, eliminating internal architecture conflicts while maintaining ownership security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a middleware layer (DOT circuitry and software modules) that intermediates between the authentication key and the device architecture, preventing direct conflicts with the underlying hardware design while ensuring secure ownership transfer.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are described herein for implementing a mutable device ownership transfer (DOT) of a device. An example system receives a request from a first customer to record a mutable DOT of a device using a First Customer Authentication Key (FCAK); receives the FCAK from the first customer in response to receiving the request; determines whether the device is capable of recording the mutable DOT; and installs, using a DOT circuitry, the FCAK in a non-volatile memory of a Root of Trust (RoT) associated with the device in an instance in which the device is capable of recording the mutable DOT. Installing the FCAK in the non-volatile memory of the Root of Trust (RoT) results in no permanent modification to the device.