Secure Portable Device Authenticates Untrusted Display Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face challenges in ensuring the authenticity of information presented on untrusted computing devices, as these devices can be compromised by hackers, leading to potential interception and alteration of sensitive data during transactions or document verification.
Innovation Solution
A secure portable device connects to the untrusted user device, analyzes data, generates a video stream containing the information intended for display, and inserts authentication elements such as watermarks, animations, or font changes, ensuring the information is presented authentically by synchronizing these elements with the user interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a secure portable device is used to perform computations, then security of operations is improved, but the user cannot verify the authenticity of information displayed on the untrusted device screen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a camera as an intermediary device to capture and verify the displayed information. The camera records the screen content and transmits it to a trusted device for verification, creating a mediator between the untrusted display and the user's verification process. This allows the user to confirm the authenticity of information without relying on the potentially compromised display device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from direct visual verification on the screen to a multi-dimensional verification process involving camera capture, image transmission, and digital analysis. By adding the spatial dimension of camera capture and the digital dimension of image processing, the system enables verification of displayed information through alternative pathways that bypass the untrusted display interface.
2Ease of operation
If harmful software is installed on the user's computer, then the device becomes untrusted and can intercept data, but the user continues to use the same device for work
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the verification process into separate components: the untrusted device displays information, the camera captures it, and a trusted device verifies it. This segmentation allows the user to continue using the potentially compromised device for display purposes while relying on separate, trusted components for verification, thus maintaining operational continuity without sacrificing security.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera and trusted verification device act as intermediaries that bridge the gap between the untrusted computing environment and the user's need for secure verification. This intermediary layer enables the user to interact with the untrusted device while maintaining a trusted verification channel, allowing continued device usage without full compromise of security.
3Productivity
If the user relies on information displayed on the screen, then the workflow is simple, but the information may be intercepted or altered by harmful software
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of the displayed information through camera capture and image transmission. Instead of directly trusting the screen display, the system generates a digital copy that can be independently verified on a trusted device. This copying mechanism maintains workflow efficiency by automating the capture and transmission process while providing an additional layer of authenticity verification.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are systems and method for trusted presentation of information on an untrusted user device. An exemplary system includes a secure portable device which can be connected to the untrusted user device and configured to: receive data from the untrusted user device; analyze the received data to identify therein information intended for display to the user via the untrusted user device; generate a video stream containing at least part of the information intended for display to the user; generate and insert into the video stream one or more protection elements that serve to authenticate the information being outputted in the video stream; and transmit the generated video stream to the user device.