Secure Element for Electronics Device Configuration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for configuring electronics devices, such as printers, require knowledge of specific commands and serial numbers, making it complex and costly to securely change settings like region or cartridge acceptance, as they are vulnerable to unauthorized access due to the need for symmetric or private key storage.
Innovation Solution
A process where a common query command is sent to electronics devices, which respond with specific commands and unique identifiers, allowing a secure signing system to validate and execute changes without needing to maintain detailed command sets, using a hardware security module in a server to protect keys and ensure authenticity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If symmetric key or private key is stored on the printer or client machine's disk, then configuration can be changed, but security is compromised and key theft becomes easy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the private key from the printer and client machine's disk and relocates it to a secure element within the printer. This extraction eliminates the security vulnerability of storing keys on accessible storage media while maintaining the configuration capability through secure key-based authentication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a secure element as an intermediary component between the printer's processing unit and the external environment. This secure element acts as a mediator that protects the private key from direct access while enabling secure cryptographic operations for configuration changes.
2Reliability
If knowledge of specific commands and serial numbers is required for configuration, then precise control is achieved, but complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the printer to self-configure by automatically generating and processing configuration commands internally. The secure element facilitates this self-service by providing secure cryptographic verification of configuration requests without requiring external systems to know device-specific command sets or serial numbers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal configuration mechanism that works across different printer models and manufacturers. The secure element implements a standardized cryptographic interface that replaces model-specific command knowledge, allowing a single configuration approach to work universally across diverse devices.
3Ease of operation
If model-specific configuration knowledge is required for each device type, then precise device control is achieved, but infrastructure cost and maintenance burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the configuration system into two independent parts: a universal secure element implementation in each printer that handles device-specific security, and a model-agnostic configuration service that handles high-level configuration requests. This segmentation eliminates the need for centralized storage and management of model-specific command knowledge.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of configuration from model-specific command sequences to model-agnostic cryptographic verification. By changing how configuration is authenticated (from knowing specific commands to verifying cryptographic signatures), the system achieves precise device control without maintaining extensive model-specific knowledge infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for configuring an electronics device. The method includes receiving, by the electronics device, a request for a command to perform a predetermined operation by the electronics device and sending the command in response to receiving the request. The electronics device then receives a signature based upon the command, whereupon the electronics device verifies the signature by the electronics device and, following an affirmative verification, executes the command for performing the predetermined operation. In this way, the electronics device may be reconfigured remotely without knowledge of the particular command for performing the predetermined operation by the electronics device.