Runtime Attestation Evidence for Continuously Operating Industrial Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional remote attestation methods fail to accurately reflect the current state of industrial devices that operate continuously without rebooting, as they do not account for software updates, configuration changes, or security compromises during runtime, posing challenges in maintaining device integrity and trustworthiness in dynamic industrial environments.
Innovation Solution
A method for recreating and maintaining attestation evidence by measuring device software and configuration during runtime, storing these measurements in a protected storage, and validating them against previous measurements, with on-demand updates via a recreation trigger signal, ensuring continuous security assurance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional boot-time attestation measurements are used, then initial device integrity can be verified, but the attestation does not reflect current device state after runtime changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary measurements during boot-time to establish a baseline attestation state, then recreates these measurements during runtime to detect changes. This preliminary action at boot provides the initial verification while the recreation mechanism ensures ongoing accuracy throughout the operational period.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the attestation process from a single boot-time event to a continuous runtime process by periodically recreating measurements and comparing them against the baseline. This continuous action ensures the device maintains its trusted state throughout extended operational periods without rebooting.
2Measurement precision
If device reboots are performed to refresh attestation, then measurement accuracy is restored, but operational continuity is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of the boot-time measurement state and stores it for comparison during runtime. Instead of rebooting to refresh attestation, the system recreates measurements and compares them against the stored baseline copy, maintaining operational continuity while ensuring attestation freshness through cryptographic verification.
3Reliability
If runtime measurement recreation is implemented, then continuous device integrity monitoring is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic measurement recreation during runtime at scheduled intervals or triggered by specific events. This periodic action provides continuous security monitoring without requiring constant verification, balancing reliability with acceptable system complexity through efficient use of computational resources.
4Speed
If frequent measurements are taken during runtime, then device state changes are detected promptly, but computational overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts the measurement frequency and depth based on operational context, device state, and security requirements. Rather than taking frequent measurements at fixed intervals, the system adapts the measurement cadence to actual needs, detecting changes promptly when necessary while minimizing computational overhead during stable operational periods.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for creating attestation evidence for an industrial device is provided. The attestation evidence is recreated after device boot and kept at least for a runtime period. The method involves measuring device software and/or device configuration to generate the attestation evidence. The recreated attestation evidence is stored in a protected storage. One or more logs are generated, containing information for a verifier to detect changes towards a known-good state of the industrial device. The measured software and/or device configuration is validated against previously measured software and/or device configuration. The attestation evidence is recreated after receiving a recreation trigger signal. The industrial device may comprise a manufacturing device, process automation device, logistics device, and/or autonomous vehicle.