Trusted interface unit (TIU) and method of making and using the same

• US 20050198412A1
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc. (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems Incorporated (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Patrick, Pedersen, Robert, Chambers, Basil, O'Donnell, William
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0485 Networking architectures for enhanced packet encryption processing, e.g. offloading of IPsec packet processing or efficient security association look-up
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a trusted interface unit and a method of making and using the same. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method of transmitting data on a network may include receiving data from a partition within a node on the network. This node may be configured to transmit data associated with a number of sensitivity levels. According to one embodiment of the invention, these sensitivity levels may be classification levels. One method of transmission of data may include determining the identity of the partition that originated the data within the node. Furthermore, a label may be added to the data received from within the node and the data may be encrypted with a key that may be uniquely associated with the label on the data. After encryption, the data may be transmitted on the network. Additional methods including the reception of data are disclosed. Various node and network architectures are disclosed implementing the methods and apparatus of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data over a network, the method comprising:

receiving data from a partition within a node on the network, the node being configured to transmit data associated with a plurality of sensitivity levels;

determining an identity of the partition within the node;

adding a label to the data received from the partition;

encrypting the data with a cryptographic key that is uniquely associated with the label added to the data; and

transmitting the data over the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the label is one of a sensitivity label, a classification label, and a flow label.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the label is a flow label.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the label is associated with a unique destination node within the network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the partition within the node is associated with a sensitivity level and wherein the step of adding a label to the data includes adding a label associated with the sensitivity level associated with the partition.

6. A method of transmitting data over a network, the method comprising:

receiving data to be transmitted over the network from a node, the node being configured to handle data having a sensitivity level;

adding a label to the data, the label being associated with a sensitivity level of the node;

encrypting the data using a cryptographic key associated with the sensitivity level of the node; and

transmitting the data on the network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the label is one of a classification label and a flow label.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the label is associated with a unique destination node within the network.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the label is associated with a sensitivity level and the data may be configured to be transmitted to any of a plurality of nodes on the network that are configured to operate at the same sensitivity level.

10. A method of receiving data over a network, the method comprising:

receiving data at a local node from a remote location, the data being encoded with a label and the local node being associated with a sensitivity level;

retrieving a cryptographic key associated with the sensitivity level of the local node;

checking the label against an anticipated value;

discarding the data when the cryptographic key does not decrypt the received data or the label does not match the anticipated value; and

passing the data to the local node when the label matches the anticipated value and the cryptographic key decrypts the received data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of checking the data against an anticipated value includes accessing a table including a list of anticipated values.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of passing the data to the local node includes passing the data to a partition in the local node based on the sensitivity level associated with the received data.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of receiving the data at a local node includes receiving the data at a unit located at a point of data ingress and egress from the node.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the unit is the only point for data to enter or exit the local node.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of passing the data to the local node includes passing the data to a partition within the local node using a separation kernel.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of retrieving the cryptographic key includes accessing a key memory to retrieve the key.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating a report when the data that is received is discarded.

18. A method of transmitting and receiving data over a network, the method comprising:

receiving data from a partition within a first node on the network, the first node being configured to handle data associated with a plurality of sensitivity levels;

determining an identity of the partition within the first node, the partition being associated with a sensitivity level of the plurality of sensitivity levels;

encoding a label to the data received from the partition;

encrypting the data with a cryptographic key that is uniquely associated with the label added to the data;

transmitting the data over the network;

receiving data from the first node, the data including the label added at the first node;

comparing a value associated with the label encoded on the data received from the first node to an anticipated value;

retrieving a cryptographic key based on the label;

decrypting the data using the retrieved cryptographic key;

discarding the data when the cryptographic key does not decrypt the received data or when the value associated with the label encoded on the data received from the first node is not the same as the anticipated value; and

passing the data received from the first node to a second node if the data is not discarded.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the data is passed from a unit located at a port in a switch fabric into the second node, the second node being operatively coupled to the switch fabric.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of checking the data against an anticipated value includes accessing a table including a list of anticipated values.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of receiving the data at a local node includes receiving the data at a unit located at a point of data ingress and egress from the node.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the unit is the only point for data to enter or exit the local node.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of passing the data to the local node includes passing the data to a partition within the local node using a separation kernel.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of retrieving the cryptographic key includes accessing a key memory to retrieve the key.

25. A trusted interface unit comprising:

a data processing element, the data processing element being configured to run application software and to receive data from a data interface;

an encryption/decryption element, the encryption/decryption element being configured to receive a cryptographic key and being configured to encrypt data received from the data processing element and being configured to decrypt data received from a network interface; and

a network interface processing element, the network interface processing element being configured to add a label to data being output on to the network and being configured to identify a label added to data received from a remote location on the network.

26. The trusted interface unit of claim 25, wherein the data processing element, the encryption/decryption element, and the network interface processing element are arranged on a mezzanine card configured to be coupled to a processor board.

27. The trusted interface unit of claim 25, wherein the data processing element, the encryption/decryption element, and the network interface processing element are coupled to a network interface card, the network interface card being configured to interface a node with a network.

28. The trusted interface unit of claim 25, wherein the data processing element, the encryption/decryption element, and the network interface processing element are encoded on a computer readable medium as processor-readable software code.

29. The trusted interface unit of claim 28, wherein the processor-readable software code is run in a partition of a separation kernel at a node on a network.

30. The trusted interface unit of claim 25, wherein the data processing element, the encryption/decryption element, and the network interface processing element are configured to prevent unauthorized data flows into a node on a network.

31. The trusted interface unit of claim 25, wherein the trusted interface unit is configured at the ingress and egress ports of a network fabric.

32. The trusted interface unit of claim 25, wherein the network interface processing element is configured to add a label associated with a sensitivity level of data received from a node.

33. The trusted interface unit of claim 32, wherein the sensitivity level is a classification level.

34. The trusted interface unit of claim 32, wherein the label is one of a flow label and a sensitivity label.