Secure Storage for Wireless Access Point Information
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Solution Overview
Problem
Storing a large amount of access point information in user devices poses security risks and scalability challenges, as it can be vulnerable to attacks and inefficient in handling numerous access points, leading to increased connection formation times.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a local secure storage that encrypts access point information and selectively provides a subset based on contextual changes and connectivity requirements, ensuring only necessary information is available to the connectivity management unit in unencrypted form, reducing the risk of exposure and improving efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If access point information is stored in user devices to enable wireless network access, then connectivity availability is improved, but security vulnerability increases due to exposure to attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides access point information into two segments: encrypted master credentials stored in secure hardware (TPM/HSM) and unencrypted operational data stored in memory. This segmentation allows the system to maintain connectivity functionality while protecting sensitive information from attacks, as the critical credentials remain encrypted and protected.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary encryption layer between the stored access point information and the connectivity management unit. The local secure storage encrypts the access point information using device-specific keys, and only decrypts it when needed for actual connection operations. This intermediary encryption mechanism protects against security attacks while maintaining operational availability.
2Speed
If all access point information is stored locally to enable quick connections, then connection speed is improved, but device complexity increases due to handling large amounts of data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary operational data (SSID, password, encryption type) from the complete access point information set and stores it in unencrypted form in memory for quick connections. The master credentials are separated and stored encrypted in secure hardware. This extraction allows fast connections for frequently used networks while reducing the amount of sensitive data handled by the connectivity management unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different storage qualities to different data types: critical master credentials are stored with high security (encrypted in TPM/HSM) while operational connection data is stored with high accessibility (unencrypted in memory). This local quality differentiation optimizes both connection speed and security by placing the right protection level on the right data.
3Reliability
If access point information is stored in encrypted form to improve security, then security against attacks is improved, but accessibility of information deteriorates due to encryption requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary decryption of access point information just before it is needed for connection operations. The local secure storage decrypts the encrypted credentials and operational data from the encrypted storage format into an unencrypted working copy in memory. This preliminary action ensures that when connectivity management needs the information, it is already in accessible unencrypted form, while the original encrypted data remains protected in storage.
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus (121) including a connectivity management unit (350) configured to provide wireless network access; a local secure storage (330) configured to securely store access point information; and a processor (240) configured to control the local secure storage to selectively provide a subset of the access point information to the connectivity management unit of the apparatus.