Fortified Source Data Signatures for Tamper-Resistant EDAC
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional error detection and correction (EDAC) techniques are inadequate to protect against deliberate corruption in cyber attacks, particularly in mission- and safety-critical systems, as they primarily address random errors and lack protection against intelligent attacks, and do not provide sufficient integrity and security for outsourced system development and data delivery.
Innovation Solution
A method that enhances EDAC systems by adding errors to the data during encoding, exceeding the capability of the EDAC system, allowing for improved detection of spoofing and tampering, using a second EDAC algorithm as a digital signature, and incorporating transformations and distortions to create a fortified digital signature resistant to malicious attacks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional EDAC techniques are used to protect data, then random errors can be detected and corrected, but the system remains vulnerable to deliberate corruption and cyber attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by adding intentional errors to the data during the encoding phase, before transmission or storage. These pre-added errors create a fortified digital signature that will mismatch if the data is later tampered with, enabling detection of cyber attacks and deliberate corruption attempts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of error addition from passive (detecting existing errors) to active (intentionally adding errors). By transforming the data with added errors and using a second EDAC algorithm on the transformed data, the system creates a tamper-detectable digital signature that fundamentally alters how integrity is verified.
2Measurement precision
If digital signatures are used to verify firmware integrity, then source identification is improved, but the known value can be easily modified to provide a match to calculated value under malicious attack
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the vulnerability of digital signatures (where known values can be modified) into a benefit by using the same error-detection mechanism to create tamper-evident signatures. The intentional errors added during encoding become a protective feature that reveals any subsequent modification, turning the weakness of verifiable signatures into a strength for attack detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite integrity verification mechanism by combining traditional digital signature verification with error detection coding. The fortified digital signature uses both the original data and intentionally added errors processed through a second EDAC algorithm, creating a multi-layered protection scheme that resists both random errors and deliberate tampering.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If encryption is used to secure critical data, then security is improved, but processing time and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a lightweight, computationally inexpensive error detection approach instead of heavy encryption. The fortified digital signature using EDAC algorithms provides adequate security for many applications without the significant processing overhead of cryptographic encryption, offering a cheaper and faster alternative for integrity verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by using error detection coding rather than full encryption. For applications where data integrity is more critical than confidentiality, or where processing speed is essential, this partial security measure provides sufficient protection against tampering without the excessive computational burden of encryption.
4Reliability
If additional security algorithms are added to address malicious attacks, then protection capability is improved, but timing requirements for real-time systems may not be met
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the EDAC system multi-functional by having it perform both traditional error detection and tamper detection through the fortified digital signature mechanism. This universal approach eliminates the need for separate security algorithms, maintaining real-time performance while providing comprehensive protection against both random errors and malicious attacks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges error detection and security verification into a single integrated process. The second EDAC algorithm processes the transformed data (original data plus intentional errors) to create a fortified signature that simultaneously verifies data integrity and detects tampering, combining multiple security functions into one efficient operation that meets real-time requirements.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 1d
Figure 2
AI summary
A method of identifying and protecting the integrity of a set of source data which produces and combines an identification signature with a detection and correction remainder and extends the existing capability of some information assurance methods.