Onboard Vehicle Communication System Dynamic Key Derivation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing secure communication systems rely solely on a shared secret key for secure communication between vehicle and off-board systems, which can be vulnerable to security breaches over extended periods, as the key remains unchanged during vehicle travel.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates a session key with a shared secret key known by both onboard and off-board communication systems, and uses encryption keys hashed with a cycle time-based identifier to encrypt messages, providing additional security measures by changing encryption keys periodically based on time or location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single shared secret key is used for secure communication throughout the entire communication session, then the communication can be maintained continuously without key management overhead, but the security vulnerability increases over extended periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single shared secret key into multiple derived encryption keys, each valid for a specific time period or cycle. The key management function derives different encryption keys from the shared secret key based on cycle identifiers, effectively dividing the long-term security into shorter-lived key segments that reduce vulnerability exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic key derivation where encryption keys change over time based on cycle identifiers. Instead of using a static shared secret key throughout the communication session, the system dynamically generates different encryption keys for different time cycles, making the security adaptable to changing conditions and reducing the impact of potential key compromises.
2Reliability
If encryption keys are updated frequently based on cycle time, then the security against breaches is improved, but the computational overhead and complexity of key management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a key management function as an intermediary that handles the complexity of key derivation and updating. This function takes the shared secret key and cycle identifier as inputs and automatically generates the appropriate encryption keys, shielding the communication systems from direct key management complexity while enabling frequent key updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of key generation by introducing cycle identifiers (time-based or location-based) as additional inputs to the key derivation process. This allows the system to generate different encryption keys based on changing parameters without requiring complex key management protocols, as the cycle identifier naturally drives the key variation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and a method include an onboard communication system configured to be disposed onboard a vehicle system and comprising one or more processors. The one or more processors may generate a session key that includes a shared secret key that is known by the onboard communication system and an off-board communication system, generate one or more encryption keys by hashing the session key with an identifier based on a cycle time that is known by the onboard communication system and the off-board communication system, generate one or more encrypted messages by encrypting one or more messages associated with one or more of the vehicle system or a route over which the vehicle system moves based on the one or more encryption keys, and communicate the one or more encrypted messages from the onboard communication system to the off-board communication system.