Secure Boot Recovery for Autonomous Driving Vehicles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous driving vehicles face challenges in ensuring the integrity and security of their boot code during the secure boot procedure, which is crucial for reliable operation but often compromised by potential malware or unauthorized changes.
Innovation Solution
A secure boot method is implemented in autonomous driving vehicles that involves reading markers from storage devices with unique identifiers and authentication codes, verifying their validity, and executing firmware images only if they pass authentication, with backup images available for failed primary versions, ensuring the integrity and authenticity of the boot process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If secure boot verification is performed on all boot code, then system security is improved, but boot time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-computing and storing authentication codes for boot code images in a database before the actual boot process. During boot verification, the system retrieves pre-stored authentication codes and compares them with computed codes from the boot images, rather than performing complex cryptographic verification from scratch. This pre-prepared authentication data significantly reduces the time required for secure boot verification while maintaining security integrity.
2Reliability
If multiple backup firmware images are stored, then system reliability is improved, but storage device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the firmware storage into multiple distinct partitions, where each partition contains a boot code image and its corresponding authentication code. The system sequentially verifies partitions in a predetermined order, allowing it to isolate and verify individual firmware images without managing a monolithic complex storage structure. This segmented approach enables reliable backup and recovery while maintaining manageable storage organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements copying by storing multiple copies of boot code images in different partitions of the storage device, with each copy having its own authentication code. When the primary boot image fails verification or is corrupted, the system automatically attempts to load from subsequent partitions containing backup copies. This copying strategy ensures system reliability through redundancy while using standard storage partitioning techniques rather than complex redundant storage systems.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method of performing a secure boot operation in an autonomous driving vehicle includes reading a first marker from a storage device in which the storage device includes a plurality of partitions and at least the first marker. The plurality of partitions includes a first partition including stored software, the first marker associated with the first partition, and wherein the first marker includes a unique identifier and an authentication code. The method further includes determining if the read first marker associated with the first partition is valid during a boot-up operation and executing the stored software in the first partition if the read first marker is determined valid.