Trusted Hardware Computing Device for Legacy System Security
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computer systems are vulnerable to malware infections, which can compromise user data and privacy by allowing sensitive information to be accessed and manipulated, leading to potential damage and privacy breaches.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a trusted hardware computing device that communicates wirelessly with a legacy computing system, providing security functions such as authentication, encryption, and data protection to prevent malicious access and ensure secure communication, even if the legacy system is infected with malware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a legacy computing system is used, then ease of operation and compatibility are maintained, but security and reliability deteriorate due to malware vulnerabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two separate environments: a legacy environment for general computing operations and a trusted hardware environment for security-critical functions. This segmentation allows the legacy system to maintain ease of operation while the trusted environment provides enhanced security, resolving the contradiction between operational convenience and security reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
A trusted hardware device acts as an intermediary between the user and the legacy computing system. This intermediary handles authentication, credential protection, and security-sensitive operations, preventing malware in the legacy system from accessing sensitive information while maintaining the system's ease of operation.
2Reliability
If security functions are integrated into the legacy system, then reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Security functions are extracted from the legacy computing system and placed in a separate trusted hardware device. This extraction maintains security reliability while avoiding the increase in device complexity that would result from integrating security components into the legacy system.
Solution Approach 2:
The trusted hardware device is designed as a universal security solution that can protect multiple legacy systems and applications. By providing multi-functional security capabilities in a single device, the solution achieves high reliability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
3Ease of operation
If hands-free operation is implemented, then ease of operation improves, but security risks increase due to lack of user verification
Solution Approach 1:
User authentication and verification are performed in advance through the trusted hardware device before hands-free operations are executed. This preliminary action ensures that security verification is completed beforehand, allowing subsequent hands-free operations to proceed with verified credentials, thus maintaining both ease of operation and security reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The trusted hardware device provides continuous feedback regarding authentication status and security verification results during hands-free operations. This feedback mechanism ensures that user verification is maintained throughout the operation, resolving the contradiction between hands-free convenience and security verification.
Data Source
AI summary
A trusted component is suggested to be added to off the shelf computing systems such as PCs or smartphone providing secure functions for access management and credential protection—safe authentication, maintaining session integrity and validation of content modification. An additional advantage of the solution that it detects malware/hacking attempts on first try allowing of taking action while oblivious to the malware/hacker to avoid retaliation. The trusted component may be any type of computing system that could be regarded trusted.