Secure Computing Device Direct Display Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for secure computing devices that can reliably store and display secret information, such as passwords, while preventing unauthorized access and minimizing the risk of attacks by reducing the need for forwarding sensitive data to unsecured control units.
Innovation Solution
A secure computing device with interfaces to control a display device, allowing it to read and display secret information directly, thereby minimizing the risk of unauthorized access and reducing the effectiveness of potential attacks by maintaining control over the display process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If secret information is stored in electronic data storage devices and displayed through control units, then the secret information can be accessed and displayed, but the risk of unauthorized access and attacks increases when forwarding secret information to unsecured control units
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the secret information display function from the main control unit and implements it directly in the secure element. The secure element reads the secret from its internal storage arrangement and controls the display device directly, removing the need to forward secret information through potentially unsecured control units. This extraction of the critical security function isolates it from potential attacks on the main system.
Solution Approach 2:
The secure element acts as an intermediary between the storage of secret information and the display device. Instead of the main control unit directly displaying secrets, the secure element mediates by reading the secret from its secure storage and controlling the display, thereby protecting the secret information from exposure to unsecured control units while still enabling display functionality.
2Ease of operation
If secret information is forwarded to unsecured control units for display, then the display functionality is enabled, but the exposure of sensitive data to potential attacks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display control functionality for secret information is extracted from the unsecured control unit and relocated to the secure element. The secure element directly controls the display device to show secrets, eliminating the need for secret information to traverse through unsecured control units while maintaining full display functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into distinct security zones: the secure element handles secret information storage and display control, while the main control unit handles non-sensitive operations. This segmentation allows display functionality to be maintained while isolating secret information handling from potential attack vectors in the main system.
3Reliability
If the secure computing device takes direct control of the display device, then the risk of attacks is reduced, but the complexity of the secure element increases
Solution Approach 1:
The secure element is designed with multi-functionality, combining secret storage, display control, and interface handling in a single integrated component. By making the secure element universal and self-sufficient, the need for separate control units is eliminated, and the added complexity is contained within the secure element rather than distributed across multiple components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the secret storage function, display control function, and interface management into the secure element. By combining these functions that were previously separated across different components, the system reduces the attack surface while the complexity is consolidated within the already-secure secure element boundary.
Data Source
AI summary
A secure computing device having a storage arrangement configured to store a secret. The secure computing device includes a first interface configured to control a display, and a second interface configured to receive an input signal having information which reproduces a prompt to display the secret. The secure computing device is designed to read the secret from the storage arrangement on the basis of the input signal, and to control the display via the first interface in such a way that a display of the secret is effected.