SECURE CHASSIS WITH INTEGRATED TAMPER DETECTION SENSOR

• US 20080129501A1
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Dalzell, William J., Tucker, James L., Fleischman, Scott G., Heffner, Kenneth H.
• Application Number:
  US11/565,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20080129501A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/550
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/06 by tampering with fastening
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/128 the housing being an electronic circuit unit, e.g. memory or CPU chip protecting computer components in secure or tamper resistant housings G06F21/86; protecting computer input devices, e.g. keyboards G06F21/83

Abstract

A secure chassis comprises a plurality of walls, wherein each wall comprises an inner portion; an outer portion; and a tamper sensor disposed between the inner portion and the outer portion of each wall, the tamper sensor configured to detect unauthorized tamper events; wherein the plurality of walls are coupled together to form an enclosure to house one or more components.

Claims

1. A secure chassis, comprising:

a plurality of exterior walls, wherein each exterior wall comprises;

an inner portion;

an outer portion; and

a tamper sensor disposed between the inner portion and the outer portion of each exterior wall, the tamper sensor configured to detect unauthorized tamper events;

wherein the plurality of exterior walls are coupled together to form an enclosure to house one or more components.

2. The secure chassis of claim 1, wherein the tamper sensor comprises a fiber optic matrix.

3. The secure chassis of claim 1, wherein, the tamper sensor comprises an electrical sensor configured to detect changes in electrical characteristics.

4. The secure chassis of claim 1, wherein the inner portion and outer portion of each exterior wall are comprised of a composite material, a metal, or a ceramic material.

5. The secure chassis of claim 1, further comprising a connection point configured to couple the tamper sensor to a tamper sensor in a secure connector.

6. The secure chassis of claim 1, further comprising at least one coupler configured to couple the tamper sensor in one of the plurality of walls to the tamper sensor in another of the plurality of exterior walls.

7. The secure chassis of claim 1, wherein the plurality of exterior walls comprise a container including a base and a plurality of sides, and a lid which is coupleable to the plurality of sides to form a sealed enclosure.

8. The secure chassis of claim 7, wherein the lid and the plurality of sides of the container are coupled together via a plurality of mounting holes.

9. The secure chassis of claim 8, wherein the mounting holes are coupled to the tamper sensor in the lid or the container such that forced removal of the lid from the sides of the container is detected by the tamper sensor.

10. A secure system comprising:

a secure chassis, comprising;

a container including a base and a plurality of sides; and

a lid coupled to the plurality of sides to form a sealed enclosure, wherein the lid and the container each comprise;

an inner portion;

an outer portion; and

a tamper sensor disposed between the inner portion and the outer portion, the tamper sensor configured to detect unauthorized tamper events;

one or more secure connectors each including a tamper sensor disposed inside a casing;

one or more sensitive components disposed in the sealed enclosure; and

a monitoring device coupled to the one or more sensitive components and to a tamper sensor in the lid or the container, wherein the monitoring device is configured to control a response to unauthorized tamper events detected by the tamper sensor.

11. The secure system of claim 10, wherein the tamper sensor comprises a fiber optic matrix.

12. The secure system of claim 10, wherein, the tamper sensor comprises an electrical sensor configured to detect changes in electrical characteristics.

13. The secure system of claim 10, wherein the inner portion and outer portion of the lid and the container are each comprised of a composite material, a metal, or a ceramic material.

14. The secure system of claim 10, wherein the secure chassis further comprises a connection point configured to couple the tamper sensor in the container to the tamper sensor in the one or more secure connectors.

15. The secure system of claim 10, further comprising at least one coupler configured to couple the tamper sensor in the lid to the tamper sensor in the container.

16. The secure system of claim 10, wherein the monitoring device is configured to control a response comprising encryption of data on the one or more sensitive components, erasure of data on the one or more sensitive components, or physical destruction of the one or more sensitive components.

17. The secure system of claim 10, wherein the lid is coupled to the plurality of sides of the container via a plurality of mounting holes.

18. The secure system of claim 17, wherein the mounting holes are coupled to the tamper sensor in the lid or the container such that forced removal of the lid from the plurality of sides of the container is detected by the tamper sensor.

19. A secure chassis comprising:

a container including a base and a plurality of sides;

a lid configured to couple to the plurality of sides to form a sealed enclosure for one or more sensitive components, wherein the lid and the container each comprise;

an inner portion;

an outer portion; and

a tamper sensor disposed between the inner portion and the outer portion, the tamper sensor configured to detect unauthorized tamper events; and

a coupler configured to couple the tamper sensor in the lid to the tamper sensor in the container.

20. The secure chassis of claim 19, wherein the tamper sensor in the lid and the tamper sensor in the container each comprise a fiber optic matrix or an electrical sensor configured to detect changes in electrical characteristics.