Cryptographic device with detachable data planes

• US 9,942,033 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2016
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3 Technologies, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: L3 Technologies, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Winslow, Richard Norman, Costantini, Frank A.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLDER, BRADLEY W
• Application Number:
  US15/338,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20170048214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18506 Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0618 Block ciphers, i.e. encrypting groups of characters of a plain text message using fixed encryption transformation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/083 involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 involving random numbers or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0897 involving additional devices, e.g. trusted platform module [TPM], smartcard or USB
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement

Abstract

A system for performing encryption and/or decryption may include a parent cryptographic device. The parent cryptographic device may be configured to receive a first cryptographic key. The parent cryptographic device may be configured to determine one or more session keys based on the first cryptographic key and/or internally generated random data bits. The parent cryptographic device may be configured to insert the one or more session keys onto one or more child cryptographic devices that are operably connected to the parent cryptographic device. The one or more child cryptographic devices may be configured to receive the one or more session keys from the parent cryptographic device, and perform one or more of encryption or decryption of communications exchanged with another child cryptographic device of the one or more child cryptographic devices. The one or more child cryptographic devices may perform encryption/decryption after separation from the parent cryptographic device.

Claims

1. A cryptographic configuration device configured to load one or more cryptographic keys onto one or more removeable encryption/decryption (E/D) devices, the cryptographic configuration device comprising:

one or more child interfaces, wherein each child interface is configured to allow one or more removeable E/D devices to be physically connected to the cryptographic configuration device during the configuration of the one or more removeable E/D devices to perform one or more data plane cryptographic functions;

secure tamper memory, wherein the secure tamper memory is configured to store one or more secret keys, and clear memory contents based on operating without power for more than a configured amount of time; and

a microprocessor configured to;

perform one or more control plane cryptographic functions for the one or more secret keys, the one or more control plane cryptographic functions comprising a fail-safe key management function,

derive one or more session keys based on the one or more secrets keys using one or more of a one-way function or internally generated random data bits, and

load the one or more session keys onto the one or more removeable E/D devices while the one or more removeable E/D devices are physically connected to the cryptographic configuration device via the one or more child interfaces.

2. The cryptographic configuration device as in claim 1, further comprising an operator interface configured to receive inputs and present outputs, wherein the microprocessor is configured to configure the one or more removeable E/D devices based on inputs received from the operator interface.

3. The cryptographic configuration device as in claim 2, wherein the operator interface is configured to receive an input that is indicative of a type of encryption to be performed by the at least one of the one or more removeable E/D devices, and the microprocessor is configured to configure the at least one of the one or more removeable E/D devices to implement the type of encryption indicated.

4. The cryptographic configuration device as in claim 1, further comprising a serial interface configured to be connected to a deployed removeable E/D device while the deployed removeable E/D device is connected to a communication system for performing at least one of encryption or decryption.

5. The cryptographic configuration device as in claim 4, wherein the microprocessor is configured to rekey the deployed removeable E/D device using the serial interface while the deployed removeable E/D device is connected to the communication system.

6. The cryptographic configuration device as in claim 5, wherein the microprocessor is configured to rekey a second removeable E/D device via the deployed removeable E/D device using the serial interface, wherein the cryptographic configuration device is configured to use the deployed removeable E/D device as a relay for configuring the second removeable E/D device over the air.

7. The cryptographic configuration device as in claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is configured to generate at least one session key using a random number generator.

8. A method implemented by a cryptographic configuration device for loading one or more cryptographic keys onto one or more removeable encryption/decryption (E/D) devices the method comprising:

the cryptographic configuration device connecting to one or more removeable E/D devices via one or more child interfaces, wherein the one or more removeable E/D devices are physically connected to the cryptographic configuration device via the one or more child interfaces and the one or more removeable E/D devices are configured by the cryptographic configuration device to perform one or more data plane cryptographic functions while physically connected to the cryptographic configuration device;

the cryptographic configuration device storing one or more secret keys in secure tamper memory, wherein the secure tamper memory is cleared on condition that power is not supplied to the secure tamper memory for more than a configured amount of time;

the cryptographic configuration device performing one or more control plane cryptographic functions for the one or more secret keys, the one or more control plane cryptographic functions comprising a fail-safe key management function;

the cryptographic configuration device deriving one or more session keys based on the one or more secrets keys using one or more of a one-way function or internally generated random data bits; and

the cryptographic configuration device loading the one or more session keys onto the one or more removeable E/D devices while the one or more removeable E/D devices are physically connected to the cryptographic configuration device via the one or more child interfaces.

9. The method as in claim 8, further comprising:

the cryptographic configuration device receiving one or more inputs via an operator interface;

the cryptographic configuration device outputting one or more outputs via the operator interface; and

the cryptographic configuration device configuring one or more aspects of the one or more removeable E/D devices in accordance with the one or more inputs received via the operator interface.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein the cryptographic configuration device receives an input that is indicative of a type of encryption to be performed by each of the one or more removeable E/D devices via the operator interface, and the one or more data plane cryptographic functions that the cryptographic configuration device configures the one or more removeable E/D devices to perform comprises implementing the type of encryption indicated.

11. The method as in claim 8, further comprising:

the cryptographic configuration device physically connecting to a deployed removeable E/D device while the deployed removeable E/D device is connected to a communication system for performing at least one of encryption or decryption, wherein the cryptographic configuration device is physically connected to the deployed removeable E/D device via a serial interface.

12. The method as in claim 11, further comprising:

the cryptographic configuration device rekeying the deployed removeable E/D device using the serial interface while the deployed removeable E/D device is connected to the communication system.

13. The method as in claim 12, further comprising:

the cryptographic configuration device rekeying a second removeable E/D device via the deployed removeable E/D device using the serial interface, wherein the cryptographic configuration device uses the deployed removeable E/D device as a relay for configuring the second removeable E/D device over the air.

14. The method as in claim 8, wherein the cryptographic configuration device generates at least one session key using a random number generator.

15. A cryptographic configuration device configured to load one or more cryptographic keys onto one or more removeable encryption/decryption (E/D) devices, the cryptographic configuration device comprising:

one or more child interfaces configured to connect to one or more removeable E/D devices, wherein the one or more child interfaces are configured to allow a physical connection between the one or more removeable E/D devices and the cryptographic configuration device;

secure tamper memory configured to store one or more secret keys and to erase the one or more secret keys on condition that power is not supplied to the secure tamper memory for more than a configured amount of time;

an operator interface configured to receive an input that indicates whether the one or more removeable E/D devices should be configured to perform encryption or should be configured to perform decryption; and

a processor configured to;

perform one or more control plane cryptographic functions for the one or more secret keys, the one or more control plane cryptographic functions comprising one or more fail safe key management functions,

derive one or more session keys based on the one or more secrets keys using one or more of a one-way function or internally generated random data bits, and

configure the one or more removeable E/D devices to perform one or more data plane cryptographic functions by loading the one or more session keys onto the one or more removeable E/D devices while the one or more removeable E/D devices are physically connected to the cryptographic configuration device via the one or more child interfaces.

16. The cryptographic configuration device as in claim 15, wherein the one or more child interfaces comprise a plurality of child interfaces, the plurality of child interfaces are configured to connect to a plurality of removeable E/D devices simultaneously, and the processor is configured to configure the plurality of removeable E/D devices simultaneously.

17. The cryptographic configuration device as in claim 15,

further comprising a key fill port configured to receive the one or more secret keys.

18. The cryptographic configuration device as in claim 15, further comprising a crypto-ignition key (CIK) interface configured to receive a CIK, wherein the processor is configured to authenticate an operator of the cryptographic configuration device using the CIK.

19. The cryptographic configuration device as in claim 15, further comprising a Key Management Infrastructure (KMI) network interface configured to interface the cryptographic configuration device with a KMI network, wherein the processor is configured to perform fail-safe key management for the one or more secret keys by communicating over the KMI network via the KMI network interface.