System-on-chip data security appliance encryption device and methods of operating the same

• US 10,616,344 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2019
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Web Sensing, LLC
• Original Assignee: Web Sensing, LLC
• Inventors: Dahlstrom, Jason, Taylor, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Huson, Zachary K
• Application Number:
  US16/505,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20190335001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 274 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0414 during transmission, i.e. party's identity is protected against eavesdropping, e.g. by using temporary identifiers, but is known to the other party or parties involved in the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

System-on-chip data security appliance (“SoC-DSA”) and methods of operating the same. In one embodiment, the SoC-DSA includes data security mechanisms enclosed within a protected boundary of a single chip. In some embodiments, isolation and access control features are hidden within an on-chip field-programmable gate array (“FPGA”). The isolation and access control features can be implemented such that they are not visible to or alterable by software executing on the processing cores of the SoC-DSA, which provides for continued data security even in the presence of software exploitation, such as a malicious implant, that otherwise compromises data security in software-only systems. The SoC-DSA can be used to enhance data security in existing data security devices and protocols, such as high assurance guards (“HAG”) and can be used to create new types of security devices, such as devices enforce alternative human data interactions (“HDI”) models.

Claims

1. A system-on-chip data security appliance encryption device (SoC-DSA ED) comprising:

a single-chip device defining a protected boundary co-incident with a boundary of the single-chip device;

a plurality of communication interfaces;

an electronic processor located within the protected boundary;

a data transfer control component located within the protection boundary;

memory located within the protected boundary, the memory storing data, encryption keys, hash values, and a network configuration table;

an encryption component located within the protection boundary,

wherein the electronic processor is configured to store a set of configuration data in the network configuration table for each of the plurality of communication interfaces and associate each of the plurality of communication interfaces with a set of configuration data stored in the network configuration table to define a communication channel for each of the plurality of communication interfaces, wherein the set of configuration data for at least one of the plurality of communication interfaces includes addresses associated with the at least one of the plurality of communication interfaces;

wherein the electronic processor is configured to allow two-way transfer of data between each of the communication interfaces using the data transfer control component based on data stored in the memory;

wherein data appearing on at least one of the plurality of communication interfaces is always encrypted using the encryption component within the protection boundary.

2. The SoC DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the network configuration table is set statically to establish a set of known network locations for each communication channel.

3. The SoC DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the network configuration table is set statically with multiple configuration entries per communication channel and the association between a communication channel and a set of configuration data stored in the memory varies according to a fixed time schedule.

4. The SoC DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the network configuration table is updated dynamically and the association between a set of configuration data stored in the memory and a communication channel is made dynamically.

5. The SoC DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the network configuration table includes elements chosen non-deterministically from the Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) global address space.

6. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication interfaces includes a first communication interface, a second communication interface, and a third communication interface communicating with an alternate location.

7. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 6, wherein the electronic processor is further configured to perform a reversible message operation, including performing at least one selected from a group consisting of message encryption and decryption, message padding and un-padding, message fragmentation and assembly, message compression and decompression, on data appearing on at least one of the plurality of communication interfaces prior to re-transmission of the data from within the protected boundary.

8. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication interfaces includes a first communication interface, a second communication interface, and a third communication interface communicating with a remote server for storing and retrieving the encryption keys and the set of configuration data associated with at least one of the plurality of communication interfaces.

9. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the electronic processor SoC-DSA ED dynamically obtains an additional set of configuration data including at least one selected from a group consisting of software, firmware, a field programmable gate array configuration, a key, a hash value, a policy rule, a network configuration, and a human-data interaction rule over a data interface.

10. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, further comprising a power supply including at least one selected from the group consisting of a battery power supply and an electrical power supply.

11. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of communication interfaces connects with an anti-tamper sensor performing hardware monitoring for physical tampering.

12. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of communication interfaces receives user input for verifying a physical presence of an authenticated operator.

13. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, further comprising a secure boot loader located within the protected boundary, the secure boot loader providing secure software bootstrapping.

14. The SoC-DCA ED of claim 1, wherein the set of configuration data for at least one of the plurality of communication interfaces is received in encrypted form and is decrypted within the protected boundary using the encryption component located within the protection boundary.

15. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of communication interfaces is selected from a group consisting a 802.11 communication interface, a 802.15 communication interface, a cellular communication interface, a wired Ethernet communication interface, and a Bluetooth communication interface, and at least one of the plurality of communication interfaces communicates with an appliance via an intervening network infrastructure, wherein the appliance includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a second SoC-DSA ED and an unbundling application.

16. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein a field device attached to at least one of the plurality of communication interfaces includes at least one selected from the group consisting of an ultrasonic range sensor inserted into an orifice of a container, a potentiometer sensor attached to a mechanical level indicator, a ranging sensor determining a level of material within a container, a flow sensor, a pressure sensor, a vibration sensor, a temperature sensor, an optical sensor, a medical sensor for a medical device, a switch, a jumper, a valve, a hydraulic piston, a shutoff valve controlling a level within a container, a medical actuator, a sound generator, a light, and a display.

17. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the SoC-DSA ED selects one of the plurality of communication interfaces to use based on a property of the communication channel used by each of the plurality of communication interfaces, the property including at least one selected from the group consisting of availability, signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, interference, a temporal profile, and a historical profile.

18. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 17, wherein the SoC-DSA ED selects at least one of the plurality of communication interfaces manually, automatically, or non-deterministically.

19. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the SoC-DSA ED refreshes data stored in the memory manually, automatically, or non-deterministically.

20. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the SoC-DSA ED refreshes data stored in the memory by placing data at random locations in the memory.

21. The SoC DSA ED of claim 1, further comprising a copy of one of the plurality of communication interfaces, the copy providing an alternative data communication path from within the protected boundary or an alternative attachment point for a field device from within the protected boundary.

22. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the electronic processor is configured to perform hardware monitoring for malicious attacks within the protected boundary.

23. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the SoC-DSA ED ignores communications received from a second unauthentic SoC-DSA ED over one of the plurality of communication interfaces.

24. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein the electronic processor constrains communications over one of the plurality of communication interfaces to a fixed format or a fixed length.

25. The SoC-DSA ED of claim 1, wherein encrypted data stored outside the protected boundary in attached memory is encrypted and decrypted within the protected boundary.

26. A system comprising:

a plurality of system-on-chip data security appliance encryption devices (SoC-DSA EDs), each of the plurality of SoC-DSA EDs including a single-chip device defining a protected boundary co-incident with a boundary of a chip included in the single-chip device and a communication interface; and

an intermediate network infrastructure connecting the plurality of SoC-DSA EDs through the communication interface of each of the plurality of SoC-DSA EDs.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising an unbundling application, wherein the unbundling application communicates with at least one of the plurality of SoC-DSA EDs through the intermediary network infrastructure.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein at least one of the plurality of SoC-DSA EDs is designated as a zone for message operations associated with a subset of the plurality of SoC-DSA EDs.