Volume Mount Authentication via Fuzzy Logic Trust Scoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to effectively authenticate and trust external storage devices, such as USB drives, which can facilitate data theft or virus transmission, without compromising business productivity or requiring intrusive methods.
Innovation Solution
A software-based solution, called Volume Trust, uses fuzzy logic calculations to assign a Trustworthy Factor score to volumes based on attributes like size and interface type, allowing administrators to configure weighing factors to determine the trustworthiness of devices, enabling non-intrusive authentication and real-time decision-making for mounting requests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If external storage devices are allowed to mount without authentication, then ease of operation is improved, but security reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication of external storage devices before allowing them to mount. The Volume Trust application evaluates multiple attributes of the storage device (interface type, capacity, manufacturer, etc.) and calculates a trust score in advance, only permitting mounting if the device meets predefined trust criteria. This prevents malicious devices from mounting while maintaining ease of operation for trusted devices.
2Reliability
If authentication methods are made more intrusive to improve security, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system operates autonomously without requiring user intervention. The Volume Trust application automatically evaluates storage device attributes, calculates trust scores, and makes mounting decisions based on predefined policies. This self-service approach maintains security reliability while preserving ease of operation, as users simply plug and play without encountering authentication prompts or manual verification steps.
3Measurement precision
If comprehensive device attributes are analyzed to improve authentication accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system segments the evaluation process into distinct attribute categories (interface type, capacity ranges, manufacturer information, serial numbers). Each attribute is evaluated independently and assigned a weighted score, which are then aggregated to determine the overall trust score. This segmentation improves measurement precision by systematically analyzing multiple device attributes while managing complexity through modular evaluation.
4Reliability
If security checkpoints and physical searches are implemented to detect threats, then reliability is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces physical security checkpoints and manual device inspections with automated software-based authentication. The Volume Trust application programmatically evaluates storage device attributes and makes instantaneous mounting decisions, eliminating the need for physical searches or manual security procedures. This substitution maintains threat detection reliability while preserving business productivity, as authentication occurs automatically without interrupting work workflows.
Data Source
AI summary
There is a variety of media that may be inserted into a reading or writing device, such as CD's, USB drives, floppy disks, memory sticks, and many other devices. Media is inserted into a media reading or writing device that is in communication with a computer or network device. Upon insertion of the media, a number of metadata regarding that media is available to the computer. The trustworthy calculator is typically a plug-in software module that processes each piece of volume metadata and applies a weighed score, resulting in a Trustworthy Factor. A scoring matrix denotes ranges of values of the Trustworthy Factor into a Level of Trust Zone. Based on the Level of Trust Zone, appropriate action handlers may direct the computer to disallow the mounting of the media, may require specific authentication action to take place prior to allowing a mount of the media, or may indicate that the media may be mounted without further authentication. Upon completion of the execution of the action handlers, a decision to allow or disallow the mount is made.