Segmented Firmware Architecture for Secure Instruction Deletion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Firmware instructions with enhanced features, such as stolen device recovery, pose a security risk and create an attack surface, making it impractical to remove unwanted portions without affecting core functionality or security.
Innovation Solution
A firmware architecture is partitioned into core and excludable regions, with metadata managing the layout and enabling secure deletion of excludable instructions while maintaining core functionality through separate digital signatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If firmware instructions include enhanced features (such as stolen device recovery), then device security and functionality are improved, but attack surface and security risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The firmware is segmented into two distinct regions: a first region storing core firmware instructions that cannot be excluded, and a second region storing excludable firmware instructions that can be selectively removed. This segmentation allows the system to maintain essential security features while eliminating unwanted attack surfaces by excluding specific excludable instructions from the second region.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts excludable firmware instructions from the complete firmware set and places them in a separate second region. This extraction enables selective removal of specific instructions (such as stolen device recovery features) while preserving core functionality in the first region, thereby reducing the attack surface without compromising essential security features.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If firmware instructions are removed to reduce attack surface, then security risk is reduced, but core functionality may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The firmware is divided into a first region containing core firmware instructions that are protected from exclusion and a second region containing excludable firmware instructions. This segmentation ensures that core functionality is preserved in the first region while allowing selective removal of non-essential features from the second region, thus reducing security risk without affecting core operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the firmware are assigned different properties: the first region has immutable core instructions that must always be present, while the second region has excludable instructions that can be selectively removed. This local differentiation allows targeted removal of specific instructions while preserving the quality and integrity of core functionality in the first region.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple versions of firmware are developed (one with features, one without), then security customization is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of maintaining separate firmware versions, the patent segments the firmware into a first region with core instructions and a second region with excludable instructions. This single unified structure with internal segmentation allows security customization through selective exclusion of instructions from the second region, avoiding the complexity of managing multiple separate firmware versions while still enabling adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified firmware structure serves multiple functions: it maintains core functionality through the first region, enables security customization through selective exclusion of the second region, and simplifies management by using a single firmware image rather than multiple versions. This multi-functional design achieves adaptability without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
According to examples, an apparatus may include a processor that may delete portions of firmware instructions responsive to an indication that the portions should be disabled. To facilitate the foregoing, the firmware instructions may be deployed in a segmented architecture stored in respective regions of a storage device. The regions may include a metadata region, a main region, and excludable regions. The metadata region may store metadata that describes the structure of the firmware instructions and/or the various other regions. The main region may store core firmware instructions that may not be deleted. Each excludable region may store respective excludable firmware instructions. Each excludable firmware instructions may be associated with a flag that indicates whether or not the instructions should be disabled. If so, the corresponding excludable region in the storage device is identified and the contents may be removed, permanently disabling the excludable firmware instructions that were stored there.