Secure Functional Block Data Transmission via Keyed Value Pairs
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Solution Overview
Problem
The integration of industrial systems with information and communication technology makes it easier for unauthorized persons to access sensitive information in insecure areas, as existing electrical devices lack effective protection mechanisms for secure data transmission.
Innovation Solution
The electrical device is divided into secure and non-secure function blocks with a single transmission device only allowing information to flow from the secure to the non-secure block, using a key to anonymize or encrypt data, making it difficult for unauthorized access through the implementation of identifier-value pairs or cryptographic methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If electrical devices are connected with ICT devices for information exchange, then process optimization in industrial plants is improved, but access to sensitive information in insecure areas becomes easier for unauthorized persons
Solution Approach 1:
The functional unit is divided into a secure functional block and an insecure functional block. The secure block contains sensitive information and processing functions, while the insecure block handles less sensitive operations. This segmentation prevents unauthorized access to critical information even when the device connects to ICT networks, as the secure block remains isolated and protected.
Solution Approach 2:
A transmission device acts as an intermediary between the secure functional block and the insecure functional block. This transmission device controls and mediates all information flow between the two blocks, ensuring that only authorized data passes through while maintaining the security boundary. The intermediary prevents direct access to sensitive information while enabling necessary communication for process optimization.
2Ease of operation
If information is transmitted freely between functional blocks, then ease of operation is improved, but security against unauthorized access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The functional unit is divided into a secure functional block and an insecure functional block. The secure block contains sensitive information and processing functions, while the insecure block handles less sensitive operations. This segmentation prevents unauthorized access to critical information even when the device connects to ICT networks, as the secure block remains isolated and protected.
Solution Approach 2:
A transmission device acts as an intermediary between the secure functional block and the insecure functional block. This transmission device controls and mediates all information flow between the two blocks, ensuring that only authorized data passes through while maintaining the security boundary. The intermediary prevents direct access to sensitive information while enabling necessary communication for process optimization.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
An electrical device (2) with a functional unit (5) is shown and described, wherein the functional unit (5) is divided into a secure functional block (6) and an unsecured functional block (7), wherein the functional unit (5) has a single transmission device (13) for transmitting information from the secure functional block (6) to the unsecured functional block (7), and wherein the functional unit (5) has a first interface device (9) and the first interface device (9) is arranged in the unsecured functional block (7). The invention is based on the objective of providing an electrical device (2) in which access to information in unsecured areas is at least made more difficult for unauthorized persons.The task is solved by storing a key in the safe function block (6), by designing the safe function block (6) to assign an identifier to a meaning using the key, to form a pair of values from the identifier and a value, and to transfer the pair of values to the unsafe function block (7) via the transmission device (13), and by designing the unsafe function block (7) to transfer the pair of values via the first interface (9).