Secure Time Synchronization for Industrial Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial machines in critical environments face vulnerabilities due to the transmission of system time, which can be intercepted by external parties, leading to potential attacks and machine failures.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an encryption algorithm synchronized with an external time source to generate encrypted time, which is tagged with operating parameters, reducing the risk of system time exposure during data transmission and enhancing security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If system time is transmitted in plain text with operating parameters, then data transmission is simple and efficient, but system time becomes vulnerable to external interception and attacks
Solution Approach 1:
An encryption module is introduced as an intermediary component that receives system time, encrypts it using cryptographic algorithms, and outputs encrypted time values. This mediator protects the original time data while maintaining the time synchronization function, resolving the contradiction between security and simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms the time parameter from its original plaintext form into an encrypted form through cryptographic parameter changes. The encrypted time values maintain the temporal information needed for synchronization while being secure against external attacks, thus improving security without fundamentally changing the time synchronization mechanism.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If encrypted time is used instead of plain system time, then security against external attacks is improved, but data transmission and processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful element (plain text system time) is extracted and replaced with encrypted time values. The encryption module extracts the essential temporal information while removing the vulnerability to external attacks, allowing secure transmission without requiring complex end-to-end encryption systems throughout the entire data processing chain.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of transmitting the original system time, the system creates and transmits encrypted copies of time values. These copies contain the necessary temporal information for synchronization while being secure, allowing the system to maintain simplicity in data processing while improving security against external attacks.
3Reliability
If time synchronization data is encrypted and transmitted separately, then security is enhanced, but data transmission time and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The encryption module performs time encryption in advance, before the time synchronization data needs to be transmitted or processed. By pre-computing encrypted time values and making them available when needed, the system minimizes the time loss associated with real-time encryption operations while maintaining security.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method incudes receiving data characterizing a plurality of operating parameters associated with an industrial machine, and receiving data characterizing a plurality of encrypted time. The method also comprises identifying a first encrypted time from the plurality of encrypted times based on temporal location of the first encrypted time relative to a first system time of a plurality of system time. A first operating parameter of the plurality of operating parameters is received at the first system time. The method further comprises generating an operating data set comprising at least the first operating parameter and a new encrypted time based at least on the identified first encrypted time. The new encrypted time is tagged to the first operating parameter. The method also comprises providing the operating data set.