Tamper-Resistant Battery Memory for Secure Authentication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current smart battery authentication schemes are vulnerable to cloning due to the ease of accessing cryptographic keys, allowing for bulk theft and unauthorized copying of battery modules.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a tamper-resistant processing environment within the battery module to generate and store an identity key, which is used to authenticate securely with a host device through a challenge-response mechanism, and employing additional security measures such as encryption and public-private key verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional authentication schemes are used with accessible cryptographic keys, then authentication functionality is provided, but security against cloning is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the authentication system into two distinct key types: authentication keys stored in accessible memory for verification purposes, and cryptographic keys stored in tamper-resistant memory for secure challenge-response authentication. This segmentation allows the system to maintain authentication functionality while protecting against cloning by ensuring that cryptographic keys cannot be extracted or copied.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a challenge-response mechanism as an intermediary layer between the authentication request and the cryptographic key. Instead of directly using accessible authentication keys, the system employs a challenge-response protocol where the host sends a challenge, the battery module processes it using protected cryptographic keys in tamper-resistant memory, and returns a response. This intermediary mechanism prevents direct access to cryptographic keys while maintaining authentication security.
2Ease of operation
If cryptographic keys are stored in accessible memory for authentication, then authentication operations can be performed, but reverse engineering can extract keys for bulk theft
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides memory storage into two separate segments: accessible memory for authentication keys that enable verification operations, and tamper-resistant memory for cryptographic keys that prevent extraction. This segmentation allows authentication operations to proceed using accessible keys while the cryptographic keys remain protected from reverse engineering and bulk theft.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs tamper-resistant memory as a protective shell for cryptographic keys. This specialized memory component provides physical and logical protection layers that prevent extraction through conventional reverse engineering techniques, while still allowing the authentication system to function by using protected keys in challenge-response operations.
3Device complexity
If a single type of memory is used for key storage, then device complexity is reduced, but security against bulk theft is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the memory structure into two distinct types: accessible memory for storing authentication keys and tamper-resistant memory for storing cryptographic keys. This segmentation increases device complexity slightly but provides necessary protection against bulk theft by ensuring that cryptographic keys cannot be extracted or copied, thereby maintaining long-term security and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for providing a battery module 110 with secure identity information and authentication of the identity of the battery 110 by a host 120. In one embodiment, the system for providing a battery module with secure identity information includes: (1) a tamper resistant processing environment 200 located within the battery module 110 and (2) a key generator configured to generate a key based on an identity of the battery module 110 and cause the key to be stored within the tamper resistant processing environment 200.