Vehicle Security Posture Assessment for M2M Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Machine to machine communications, particularly between vehicles and electronic devices, face security risks due to malware that can compromise data integrity and safety, leading to potential driving hazards.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where vehicles assess the security posture of connected electronic devices by exchanging security information, determining a security confidence score based on operating system and antivirus status, and controlling data connections accordingly to ensure minimum security standards are met.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If vehicles connect to electronic devices for data exchange using short range communication technologies, then communication functionality and data exchange capability are improved, but security risks from malware increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary security assessments by exchanging security posture information (OS version, antivirus status, update status) before establishing full data connection. This advance verification prevents malware-infected devices from connecting to the vehicle, resolving the contradiction by preparing security defenses before the harmful interaction can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces security posture information exchange as an intermediary mechanism between the vehicle and electronic device. This intermediary layer allows the system to evaluate security status and make informed connection decisions without directly exposing the vehicle to potential malware threats, thus enabling safe communication functionality.
2Reliability
If security assessments are performed by exchanging security posture information, then security reliability is improved, but communication complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The security assessment process is segmented into discrete information exchanges: OS version information, antivirus software status, and update status are transmitted separately. This segmentation makes the complex security verification process manageable and systematic, reducing overall communication complexity while maintaining high security reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes communication parameters by establishing security-specific transmission rules for posture information. By defining specific parameters to exchange (OS version, antivirus status, update timestamps) and their formats, the patent simplifies the security assessment communication while ensuring comprehensive security verification.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and software can be used to improve the security for machine to machine communications. In some aspects, a method is disclosed comprising: receiving, at a vehicle, a connection request from an electronic device; receiving, at the vehicle, security posture information from the electronic device, wherein the security posture information comprises at least one of operating system update information or antivirus status information; and determining, by the vehicle, whether to connect to the electronic device based on the security posture information of the electronic device.