System for detection and indication of a secure status of appliances

• US 20040125146A1
• Filed: 09/16/2003
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Volkmann, Frank, Talanis, Thomas, Gerlach, Hendrik
• Granted Patent: US 7,472,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/772
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4184 characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2145 Inheriting rights or properties, e.g., propagation of permissions or restrictions within a hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A system and method detect and display a security status of appliances, in particular automation appliances and/or systems. The appliances have a detector mechanism for identification of a security status, as well as an external display and an internal display for the respective status. The internal display can be accessed with the aid of simple network management protocols via a management information base. The status of the internal display is passed on via a data transmission apparatus within the system, and is processed with the aid of a central security server for automation. Joint displays can display the security status of the respective lower-level appliances and/or appliance complexes at any desired hierarchy level in the system. Appliances without any security function can be integrated in the system by a representative.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an appliance-internal unit to detect a security status of an appliance;

an external display to display the security status of the appliance directly on the outside of the appliance;

an internal display to display the security status of the appliance within the inside of the appliance; and

a transmission unit to transmit security status data between other appliances in a network of appliances such that the security status data can be subjected to data processing in the network of appliances.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the appliances are automation appliances.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external display visually displays the security status.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an access unit to run automation user programs on the internal display.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an internal-information base to provide access to the security status from the network of appliances via standard protocols, access to the security status being provided by the internal display.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a joint display to display an overall security status of a plurality of appliances, respectively having their internal displays linked.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the joint display is an external visual display.

8. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein

there are a plurality of joint displays, each displaying the status of a different plurality of appliances, and

the overall security status is passed on from the joint display to a higher-level joint display that displays an overall security status of the appliances communicating with the joint displays.

9. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein

there are a plurality of joint displays, each displaying the status of a different plurality of appliances, and

a server is provided for administration and display of the respective status of the joint displays.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the the security status of the internal display can be simulated such that the internal display is active even without the appliance-internal unit detecting the security status.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein

a portion of the appliances have internal security mechanisms,

a portion of the appliances are without internal security mechanisms, and

the system integrates appliances without internal security mechanisms with appliances that have internal security mechanisms.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits security status via an Intranet and/or the Internet.

13. A method for display and detection of a security status of an appliance comprising:

detecting the security status of the appliance;

displaying the security status of the appliance on an outside of the appliance;

displaying the security status of the appliance on an inside of the appliance; and

transmitting data between appliances in a network of appliances such that security status data can be subjected to data processing in the network of appliances.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the appliances are automation appliances.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the security status is displayed visually.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein an access unit provides automation user programs with access an internal display unit that displays the security status on the inside of the appliance.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the security status is checked by standard protocols via an appliance-internal information base.

18. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein

two or more appliances are linked, and

the method further comprises displaying an overall security status of the two or more appliances.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the overall security status is displayed externally and visually.

21. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein

the overall security status is displayed on a joint display,

there are a plurality of joint displays, each displaying the status of a different plurality of appliances, and

a server is provided for administration and display of the respective status of the joint displays the status of each of the joint displays is displayed and administered by at least one server.

22. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the security status of an internal display unit can be simulated such that the appliance operates at an assumed security status when the security status of the appliance cannot be detected.

23. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein

a portion of the appliances have internal security mechanisms,

a portion of the appliances are without internal security mechanisms, and

the method further comprises integrating appliances without internal security mechanisms with appliances that have internal security mechanisms.

24. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the data is transmitted via an Intranet and/or the Internet.

20. The method as claimed in wherein

the overall security status is displayed on a joint display,

there are a plurality of joint displays, each displaying the status of a different plurality of appliances, and

the overall security status is passed on from the joint display to a higher-level joint display that displays an overall security status of the appliances communicating with the joint displays the joint displays are linked to hierarchically higher-level joint displays.

25. An automation appliance for display of a security status, having

an appliance-internal unit to detect the security status of the appliance;

an external display to display the security status of the appliance directly on the outside of the appliance; and

an internal display to display the security status within the inside of the appliance in a format readable by other internal devices within the appliance.

26. The automation appliance as claimed in claim 25, wherein the external display visually displays the security status.

27. The automation appliance as claimed in claim 25, further comprising an access unit to run automation user programs on the internal display.

28. The automation appliance as claimed in claim 25, further comprising an internal-information base to provide external access to the security status via standard protocols.

29. The automation appliance as claimed in claim 25, wherein the internal display functions as an input for other devices within the appliance.