Volatile Locking of Rewritable Non-Volatile Memory Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic devices face vulnerabilities to attacks on non-volatile rewritable memory (MNVR) while requiring regular software updates and hardware maintenance, with current protection methods hindering these processes.
Innovation Solution
A method involving volatile locking of a selected memory area in non-volatile rewritable memory, ensuring protection against attacks while allowing updates and maintenance by selecting the most recent version of content and locking it with a power-off deactivatable lock.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If write protection is applied to MNVR memory using OTP or password protection, then security against attacks is improved, but software updates and hardware maintenance become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The MNVR memory is divided into multiple memory areas, with at least one area designated as a protected area and another as an unprotected area. This segmentation allows simultaneous application of strong write protection in the protected area while maintaining update capability in the unprotected area, resolving the contradiction between security and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different write protection characteristics are applied to different parts of the MNVR memory. The protected area has strong write protection (OTP or password) for security-critical data, while the unprotected area allows free writing for software updates and maintenance, achieving local optimization of both security and adaptability.
2Reliability
If write protection is applied to MNVR memory, then protection against erasure and reprogramming is improved, but hardware maintenance and defective area management become impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The memory is segmented into protected and unprotected areas, allowing maintenance operations to be performed in the unprotected area without compromising the security of the protected area. This enables wear leveling and defective area management while maintaining protection against unauthorized modification.
Solution Approach 2:
The unprotected memory area serves as an intermediary space that facilitates maintenance operations. File management systems can use this area for wear leveling, bad block management, and other maintenance tasks without directly accessing or compromising the protected area, thus enabling hardware maintenance while maintaining security.
3Reliability
If strong write protection is used in MNVR memory, then security against unauthorized access is improved, but regular software updates become hindered
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the memory into protected and unprotected areas, the system maintains high security in the protected area while enabling frequent software updates in the unprotected area, thus resolving the contradiction between security and update frequency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically manages the unprotected memory area for software updates while keeping the protected area static and secure. This dynamic allocation allows the system to maintain security posture while accommodating the changing needs of software updates and maintenance operations.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for locking a non-volatile rewritable memory (12) of an electronic device (1) is described. A first initialization step of the electronic device is performed (S10). At least one memory area of the non-volatile rewritable memory is then selected (S12) from a set of N memory areas of said non-volatile rewritable memory, each of said N memory areas containing content, N being an integer ≥ 2. The selected memory area is locked (S14) by a volatile locking mechanism. A second initialization step of the electronic device is performed (S16) using content stored in said selected memory area.