Method for processing an update file of an avionic equipment of an aircraft, a computer program product, related processing electronic device and processing system

• US 10,452,382 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Cantaloube, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Su, Sarah
• Application Number:
  US15/491,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20170308371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC

Abstract

This method makes it possible to validate an update file of at least one set of computer data of a piece of avionics equipment of an aircraft. The processing method is implemented within a processing system comprising a mobile terminal independent of the aircraft, an update unit integrated into the aircraft, and a database separate from the aircraft and the mobile terminal, and comprises obtaining a computed message digest, the computed message digest resulting from the application, by the update unit, of a cryptographic hash function to the update file, obtaining a reference message digest, the reference message digest being acquired by the mobile terminal by secure access to a database comprising the reference message digest, and processing the update file based on a comparison of the computed message digest with the reference message digest.

Claims

1. A method for processing an update file of at least one set of computer data of a piece of avionics equipment of an aircraft, the processing method comprising:

obtaining a computed message digest associated with the update file by the application by an update unit integrated into the aircraft of a cryptographic hash function to the update file,

obtaining a reference message digest not stored on the aircraft, associated with the update file and acquired by a mobile terminal independent of the operation of the aircraft by secure access to a database separate from the aircraft and the mobile terminal, said database comprising the reference message digest, and

processing the update file based on a comparison of the computed message digest with the reference message digest.

2. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein the comparison of the computed message digest with the reference message digest comprises obtaining a comparison indicator comprising:

the acquisition of the comparison indicator entered by an operator, or

the automatic implementation of the comparison of the computed message digest with the reference message digest.

3. The processing method according to claim 2, wherein the method further comprises storing the comparison indicator.

4. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein, when it is implemented by the mobile terminal, the obtainment of the computed message digest comprises:

receiving the computed message digest sent by the update unit, or

receiving the computed message digest entered by an operator, or

an acquisition, based on optical recognition of the computed message digest, on a retrieval screen of the aircraft.

5. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein, when it is implemented by the update unit, the obtainment of the reference message digest comprises:

receiving the reference message digest sent by the mobile terminal, or

receiving the reference message digest entered by an operator, or

an acquisition, based on optical recognition of the reference message digest, on a retrieval screen of the mobile terminal.

6. The processing method according to claim 1, wherein the processing of the update file based on a comparison of the computed message digest with the reference message digest comprises:

validating the update file when the computed message digest is identical to the reference message digest, or

deleting the update file when the computed message digest is different from the reference message digest.

7. An electronic device for processing an update file of at least one set of computer data of a piece of avionics equipment of an aircraft,

wherein the electronic processing device comprises a processor for processing the update file based on a comparison of:

a computed message digest, associated with the update file, the computed message digest resulting from the application, by an update unit integrated into the aircraft, of a cryptographic hash function to the update file, with a reference message digest not stored on the aircraft associated with the update file, the reference message digest being acquired by a mobile terminal independent of the operation of the aircraft by secure access to a database separate from the aircraft and the mobile terminal, said database comprising the reference message digest;

wherein the electronic processing device is configured to be integrated into a system for processing the update file, said system comprising the mobile terminal independent of the operation of the aircraft, the update unit integrated into the aircraft, and the database separate from the aircraft and the mobile terminal.

8. A system for processing an update file of at least one set of computer data of a piece of avionics equipment of an aircraft, said processing system comprising:

a mobile terminal independent of the operation of the aircraft that is configured for obtaining a reference message digest not stored on the aircraft, associated with the update file, the reference message digest being acquired by the mobile terminal by secure access to a database comprising the reference message digest, said database being separate from the aircraft and the mobile terminal, and

an update unit integrated into the aircraft that is configured for obtaining a computed message digest, associated with the update file, the computed message digest resulting from the application, by the update unit, of a cryptographic hash function to the update file,

wherein the mobile terminal, or the update unit, is configured for processing the update file based on a comparison of the computed message digest with the reference message digest.

9. The processing system according to claim 8, wherein the update unit is an electronic unit integrated into the avionics equipment, or an electronic unit separate from the piece(s) of avionics equipment of the aircraft.