Virtual Clock Management for TSN Attack Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Time-synchronized networks (TSNs) are vulnerable to cyberattacks that disrupt time synchronization, leading to desynchronization of nodes and impact scheduled traffic, which existing intrusion detection systems (IDSs) can only detect after several samples have been consumed, leaving the system with an unusable clock state.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a virtual clock manager that maintains multiple clock control loops at different rates, allowing immediate recovery from network-based attacks by accessing a clean clock state unaffected by malicious time measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional intrusion detection systems are used to detect attacks on TSN clocks, then attack detection capability is provided, but the detection occurs after several samples have been consumed leaving the clock state unusable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains multiple virtual clocks in advance (primary, secondary, tertiary) that are continuously synchronized at different rates. When an attack is detected, the system immediately switches to a pre-prepared clean clock state rather than recovering from a compromised single clock, eliminating the time loss associated with detection and recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares multiple backup virtual clocks beforehand that can serve as cushioning against attacks. These pre-synchronized clocks act as a buffer, ensuring that when an attack occurs, there is already a clean clock state available to maintain TSN operation without interruption or time loss.
2Speed
If multiple virtual clocks are maintained at different synchronization rates, then faster recovery from attacks is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single clock function into multiple virtual clocks (primary, secondary, tertiary), each operating at different synchronization rates. This segmentation allows the system to isolate attacked clocks from clean clocks, enabling fast recovery by switching between segmented clock instances rather than recovering a single compromised clock.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual clock manager acts as an intermediary that manages multiple virtual clocks and handles the switching logic between them. This intermediary component abstracts the complexity of managing multiple clocks at different rates, providing a unified interface while enabling fast recovery through intelligent clock selection and switching.
3Device complexity
If a single hardware clock is used for TSN synchronization, then device complexity is minimized, but the system becomes vulnerable to desynchronization attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates multiple virtual clock copies from a single hardware clock source. These virtual clocks are software-based instances that replicate the clock function but operate independently at different synchronization rates. This copying approach maintains hardware simplicity while providing redundancy against attacks, as compromised virtual clock copies can be discarded and replaced without affecting the hardware or other virtual clocks.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques include a method, apparatus, system and computer-readable medium to enhance security for time-synchronized networking. A method includes decoding a reference message comprising time information to synchronize a hardware clock of a time sensitive network (TSN) node with a network time for a TSN, the reference message associated with a reference synchronization interval, selecting a virtual clock from a set of virtual clocks for the TSN node, the virtual clock associated with a first synchronization interval that is different from the reference synchronization interval, and adjusting a time for the virtual clock based on the time information from the reference message to synchronize the virtual clock with the network time for the TSN. Other embodiments are described and claimed.