Using power fingerprinting (PFP) to monitor the integrity and enhance security of computer based systems

• US 9,558,349 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
• Inventors: Reed, Jeffrey H., Aguayo Gonzalez, Carlos R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, ANTHONY D
• Application Number:
  US14/950,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20160117502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 726 22- 25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3062 where the monitored property is the power consumption power management in a computing system G06F1/3203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3093 Configuration details thereof, e.g. installation, enabling, spatial arrangement of the probes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/52 during program execution, e.g. stack integrity ; Preventing unwanted data erasure; Buffer overflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/755 with measures against power attack
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/033 Test or assess software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/034 Test or assess a computer or a system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

Procedures are described for enhancing target system execution integrity determined by power fingerprinting (PFP): by integrating PFP into the detection phase of comprehensive defense-in-depth security; by deploying a network of PFP enabled nodes executing untrusted devices with predefined inputs forcing a specific state sequence and specific software execution; by embedding module identification information into synchronization signaling; by combining signals from different board elements; by using malware signatures to enhance PFP performance; by automatic characterization and signature extraction; by providing secure signature updates; by protecting against side-channel attacks; performing real-time integrity assessment in embedded platform by monitoring their dynamic power consumption and comparing it against signatures from trusted code, including pre-characterizing power consumption of the platform by concentrating on trace sections carrying the most information about the internal execution status; by using PFP from sequence of bit transitions to detect deviations from authorized execution of software in a digital processor.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a signal representing power consumption of a first electronic device measured with one or more sensors during operation;

defining a plurality of signal sections based on the signal, each signal section from the plurality of signal sections being less than a total size of the signal, each signal section from the plurality of signal sections associated with one signature section from a plurality of signature sections representing power consumption of a second electronic device during operation, the second electronic device being a trusted device; and

comparing, for at least one signal section from the plurality of signal sections, that signal section to the associated signature section from the plurality of signature sections to extract a feature.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is a first signal, the plurality of signal sections are a first plurality of signal sections, the method further comprising:

comparing, for the at least one signal section from the first plurality of signal sections, that signal section to an associated signal section from a second plurality of signal sections to determine whether first electronic device executed authorized code during operation, the second plurality of signal sections defined based on a second signal representing power consumption of the second electronic device during operation of the authorized code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is a first signal, the plurality of signal sections are a first plurality of signal sections, the method further comprising:

receiving a second signal representing power consumption of the second electronic device during operation;

defining a second plurality of signal sections based on the second signal, each signal section from the second plurality of signal sections being less than a total size of the second signal, each signal section from the plurality of signal sections associated with one signature section from the plurality of signature sections that were generated from the second electronic device during operation; and

comparing, for at least one signal section from the second plurality of signal sections, that signal section to the associated signal section from the plurality of signature sections to extract the feature.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the feature is associated with a difference between the at least one signal section and the associated signature section.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a duration of the at least one signal section being associated with a size of the feature,

the size of the feature for the at least one signal section being greater than a size of the feature when extracted based on a difference between the signal in its entirety and a signature in its entirety generated from the second electronic device during operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the comparing includes correlating the at least one signal section with the associated signature section.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the comparing includes correlating the at least one signal section with the associated signature section,

the correlating including identifying a time of a maximum correlation value for the at least one signal section and the associated signature section,

the method further comprising;

compensating for timing differences between the at least one signal section and the associated signature section based on the time of the maximum correlation value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the signal representing power consumption of the first electronic device during operation is received from at least one of a current probe, a shunt resistor or a current mirror disposed with the first electronic device during operation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing is performed by a detector having a detection threshold, the method further comprising:

determining, during operation of first the electronic device, the detection threshold to substantially maximize a probability of detection of the feature within the at least one signal section while substantially minimizing a probability of false alarm.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the comparing includes comparing a first signal section and a second signal section from the plurality of signal sections to an associated first signature section and an associated second signature section from the plurality of signature sections, respectively;

an order of the first signal section and the second signal section corresponding to an order of the associated first signature section and the associated second signature section, respectively.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving a signal representing power consumption of a first electronic device measured with one or more sensors during operation;

defining a signal section based on the signal and having a duration less than a total duration of the signal, the signal section associated with a signature section representing power consumption of a second electronic device during operation of authorized code and that includes a feature having a size; and

comparing the signal section to the associated signature section to extract the feature, the size of the feature for the signal section being greater than a size of the feature when extracted based on a difference between the signal in its entirety and a signature in its entirety generated from the second electronic device during operation, the second electronic device being a trusted device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the signal is a first signal, the signal section is a first signal section, the method further comprising:

comparing the first signal section to a second signal section to determine whether first electronic device executed authorized code during operation, the second signal section defined based on a second signal representing power consumption of the second electronic device during operation of the authorized code.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the signal is a first signal, the signal section is a first signal section, the method further comprising:

receiving a second signal representing power consumption of the second electronic device during operation;

defining a second signal section based on the second signal, a size of the second signal section being less than a total size of the second signal, the second signal section associated with one signature section from the plurality of signature sections that were generated from the second electronic device during operation; and

comparing the second signal section to the associated signal section from the plurality of signature sections to extract the feature.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the feature is associated with a difference between the signal section and the associated signature section.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

a duration of the signal section being associated with a size of the feature,

the size of the feature for the signal section being greater than a size of the feature when extracted based on a difference between the signal in its entirety and a signature in its entirety generated from the second electronic device during operation.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the comparing includes correlating the signal section with the associated signature section.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the comparing includes correlating the signal section with the associated signature section,

the correlating including identifying a time of a maximum correlation value for the signal section and the associated signature section,

the method further comprising;

compensating for timing differences between the signal section and the associated signature section based on the time of the maximum correlation value.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the signal representing power consumption of the first electronic device during operation is received from at least one of a current probe, a shunt resistor or a current mirror disposed with the first electronic device.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving is performed by a detector having a detection threshold, the method further comprising:

determining, during operation of the first electronic device, the detection threshold to substantially maximize a probability of detection of the feature within the signal section while substantially minimizing a probability of false alarm.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving a signal representing power consumption of a first electronic device measured with one or more sensors during operation;

defining a plurality of signal sections based on the signal, each signal section from the plurality of signal sections being less than a total size of the signal, each signal section from the plurality of signal sections associated with one signature section from a plurality of signature sections representing power consumption of a second electronic device during operation, the second electronic device being a trusted device;

comparing each signal section from the plurality of signal sections to the associated signature section from the plurality of signature sections to identify a time of a maximum correlation value for that signal section and the associated signature section; and

compensating for timing differences between each signal section from the plurality of signal sections and the associated signature section based on the time of the maximum correlation value for that signal section.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the signal is a first signal, the plurality of signal sections are a first plurality of signal sections, the method further comprising:

comparing, for the at least one signal section from the first plurality of signal sections, that signal section to an associated signal section from a second plurality of signal sections to determine whether first electronic device executed authorized code during operation, the second plurality of signal sections defined based on a second signal representing power consumption of the second electronic device during operation of the authorized code.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the signal is a first signal, the plurality of signal sections are a first plurality of signal sections, the method further comprising:

receiving a second signal representing power consumption of the second electronic device during operation;

defining a second plurality of signal sections based on the second signal, each signal section from the second plurality of signal sections being less than a total size of the second signal, each signal section from the plurality of signal sections associated with one signature section from the plurality of signature sections that were generated from the second electronic device during operation; and

comparing, for at least one signal section from the second plurality of signal sections, that signal section to the associated signal section from the plurality of signature sections to extract the feature.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the comparing includes comparing each signal section from the plurality of signal sections to the associated signature section from the plurality of signature sections to extract a feature for that signal section.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the comparing includes correlating each signal section from the plurality of signal sections with the associated signature section.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the signal representing power consumption of the first electronic device during operation is received from a at least one of a current probe, a shunt resistor or a current mirror disposed with the first electronic device.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the receiving is performed by a detector having a detection threshold, the method further comprising:

determining, during operation of the first electronic device, the detection threshold to substantially maximize a probability of detection within the at least one signal section while substantially minimizing a probability of false alarm.