Hacking-resistant computer design

• US 9,578,054 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pathguard Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Newman H-R Computer Design, LLC
• Inventors: Newman, Frank N., Newman, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Li, Mary
• Application Number:
  US14/841,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20170063877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1433 for a module or a part of a module
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1441 for a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/71 to assure secure computing or processing of information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1052 Security improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/031 Protect user input by software means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/032 Protect output to user by software means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/034 Test or assess a computer or a system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms

Abstract

A computer architecture is disclosed for implementing a hacking-resistant computing device. The computing device, which could be a mainframe computer, personal computer, smartphone, or any other computing device suitable for network communication, comprises a first partition and a second partition. The second partition can communicate over a network such as the Internet. In contrast, the first partition cannot connect to the Internet, and can directly communicate only with the second partition through a bus or with input/output devices directly connected to the first partition. Further, the first partition segments its memory addressing between computer executable code, critical data files, and data files read from the second partition. The second partition is hardware-limited from reading or writing to the memory addressing of the first partition. As a result, the critical data files and program code stored on the first partition are protected from malicious code affecting the second partition.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a first partition comprising;

a first CPU,

at least one memory module,

at least one write module,

at least one I/O module,

at least one data store comprising at least one data file, and

a memory addressing structure, comprising;

at least one program code address range,

at least one first partition data address range, and

at least one second partition data address range;

at least one critical data file;

computer executable code stored in the program code address range, wherein the computer executable code comprises an operating system;

wherein the first CPU is configured to execute only the computer executable code stored in the program code address range;

wherein the computer executable code is hardware protected by hardware switch;

a bus, and

a second partition comprising;

a second CPU,

at least one data store comprising at least one data file, and

a communication module coupled to a network;

wherein the first partition is interconnected to the second partition through the bus;

wherein the first partition is configured to execute a pull command to read data from the second partition and write the data to the at least one second partition data address range of the first partition;

wherein the first partition is configured to execute a push command to write data to the second partition;

wherein the first partition, with hardware protected computer executable code, cannot accept a push command from the second partition or a pull command from the second partition; and

wherein the second partition is restricted from accessing the first CPU or the at least one memory module.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of input/output devices are coupled to the I/O module of the first partition.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein

the program code address range comprises a first memory unit;

the first partition data address range comprises a second memory unit; and

the second partition data address range comprises a third memory unit.

4. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a chip comprising the first partition and second partition.

5. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a first chip comprising the first partition and a second chip comprising the second partition.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the hardware switch comprises at least one external physical switch comprising an on position and an off position, wherein the at least one write module cannot modify data in the program code address range of the first partition unless the external physical switch is in the on position.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the at least one write module comprises a field-programmable gate array.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein a hardware feature, utilizing an external device connected directly to the first partition, can enable the write module to write to the second partition from the at least one data store of the first partition, the at least one program code address range, the at least one first partition data address range, or the at least one second partition data address range.

9. A computer system comprising:

at least one partition computer comprising;

a first partition comprising;

at least one CPU,

at least one memory module,

at least one write module,

at least one I/O module,

at least one data store, and

a memory addressing structure, comprising;

at least one program code address range,

at least one first partition data address range, and

at least one second partition data address range;

computer executable code stored in the program code address range wherein the computer executable code is hardware protected by hardware switch;

wherein the at least one CPU of the first partition is configured to execute only the computer executable code stored in the program code address range;

a bus; and

a second partition comprising;

at least one CPU,

at least one memory module,

at least one data store comprising at least one data file, and

a communication module communicatively coupled to an external network; and

wherein the first partition is interconnected to the second partition through the bus;

wherein the first partition is configured to execute a pull command to read data from the second partition and write the data to the at least one second partition data address range of the first partition;

wherein the first partition is configured to execute a push command to write data to the second partition;

wherein the first partition, with hardware protected computer executable code, cannot accept a push command from the second partition or a pull command from the second partition;

wherein the second partition restricted from accessing the first CPU or the at least one memory module;

at least one separate computer communicatively coupled to the at least one I/O module;

wherein the at least one separate computer is not communicatively coupled to an external network;

wherein the at least one separate computer comprises at least one critical data file and at least one data segment;

wherein the at least one write module is configured to read from or write to the at least one separate computer;

wherein the second partition cannot read from or write to the at least one separate computer; and

wherein the at least one separate computer cannot read from or write to the second partition.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the at least one write module comprises a field-programmable gate array.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the at least one program code address range comprises a first memory unit, wherein the at least one first partition data address range comprises a second memory unit, and wherein the at least one second partition data address range comprises a third memory unit.

12. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising:

a second separate computer communicatively coupled to an external network; and

wherein the second partition comprises an I/O module;

wherein the second separate computer is coupled to the I/O module of the second partition;

wherein the second separate computer is not directly coupled to the first partition;

wherein the second separate computer does not hold critical files; and

wherein the second separate computer can write to and read from the second partition.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein a plurality of input/output devices are coupled to the I/O module of the first partition.

14. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising a chip comprising the first partition and second partition.

15. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising a first chip comprising the first partition and a second chip comprising the second partition.

16. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the physical switch comprises at least one external physical switch comprising an on position and an off position, wherein the at least one write module cannot modify data in the program code address range of the first partition unless the external physical switch is in the on position.

17. The computer system of claim 9, wherein a hardware feature,

utilizing an external device connected directly to the first partition, can enable the write module is configured to write to the second partition from the at least one data store of the first partition, the at least one program code address range, the at least one first partition data address range, or the at least one second partition data address range.

18. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the at least one program code address range comprises a first memory unit, wherein the at least one first partition data address range comprises a second memory unit, and wherein the at least one second partition data address range comprises a third memory unit.

19. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the physical switch comprises at least one external physical switch comprising an on position and an off position, wherein the at least one write module cannot modify data in the program code address range of the first partition unless the external physical switch is in the on position.

20. The computer system of claim 12, wherein a hardware feature, utilizing an external device connected directly to the first partition, can enable the write module to write to the second partition from the at least one data store of the first partition, the at least one program code address range, the at least one first partition data address range, or the at least one second partition data address range.