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Securing M2M Communications with Industrial Flash Memory Cards
By Hubertus Grobbel, Head of Security Products Division, Swissbit AG I
n the smart factory, sensors, ac- tuators and systems are net- worked and communicate with
each other. But, how can data, com- munications, machines, and entire plants in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) be secured? An easily integrated solution is to use industri- al flash memory cards with a secure element.
Networking itself is one signifi-
cant feature of all Industry 4.0 con- cepts. Smart production plants should be able to adapt automatical- ly to new products or events, commu- nicate data between machines and simultaneously offer user-friendly remote maintenance and control functions.
Networking industrial plants,
the independent communication be- tween “things” offers many opportuni- ties, along with new risks. What hap- pens if a hacker or compromised sys- tems gain control over machines in a factory? What kind of damage could be done if this were to happen at a power station or chemical plant? The critical question is: How does a “thing” know that the data or data queries received from another “thing” are correct and that the source of the message is truly what it purports to be?
Designating an ID to Things Identification, authentication
and authorization are the three steps to achieve secure communication. To
be identified, the user provides his or her information to log in. Authentica- tion is the next step, where the claimed identity is verified. Users must enter a password, PIN or use an additional form of hardware secu- rity, such as a token or ID card. For very secure environments, two-factor authentication is required, such as a password entered in conjunction with a non-clonable ID object. Once users have been successfully authen- ticated, they are authorized to re- ceive access to the extent that they were previously allowed. For the authentication of people
by IT systems, smart ID cards work well. But how should “things” identi- fy themselves? Pure software solu- tions for securing M2M communica- tions can be tampered with. Systems communicating through the internet or IoT gateways must have an identi- ty that cannot be cloned, but also be able to send and receive cryptograph- ically secured data. This type of protection requires
hardware to be implemented, re- ferred to as a secure element or an- chor. A few approaches include using SIM cards, soldering identifiable hardware components, such as a trusted platform module (TPM), onto the assembly, or using processors that are clearly identifiable by inte- grated elements — a trusted execu- tion environment (TEE). Each of these methods has limi-
tations that must be considered. They offer security, but also limit the flexibility of the solution, because manufacturers are then bound to specific vendors, assemblies or processors.
Retrofittable Solution An alternative, easy-to-inte-
grate and retrofittable solution is to use industrial flash memory cards with an integrated secure element that acts as a TPM. This offers devel- opers of IIoT components and sys-
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tems many advantages over other methods.
Integration is extremely simple
for designers, as memory interfaces are standardized, middleware for the integration of TPM queries is sup- plied and the flash memories with TPM are available in various shapes and sizes, including SD, microSD or USB flash drive. Secure memory modules are based on cards that have been specified for industrial use for years, due to their significantly extended temperature ranges and longer durability and availability. The idea to combine the identi-
fier with a standard data memory is appealing, because most IIoT compo- nents and systems require memory anyway for operating systems and data. Secure memory cards consist of a flash memory chip, a smart card and a flash controller. Its special firmware with integrated AES en- cryptor allows other applications. Because a crypto-element is used
to secure the device, both communica- tions and data can be encrypted. This allows for trusted boot processes and for licenses to be secured. The flash memory with encryptor can also be used to encrypt additional data memo- ry within the system, such as conven- tional hard drives. The flash memory cards pro-
posed for the authentication and en- cryption within the IIoT are already employed on a large scale in tap- proof mobile phones, police body cameras and for the protection of pa- tient data in medical technology.
Benefit to Sustainability To network plants and machin-
ery requires integrating existing sys- tems. The introduction of an encrypt- ed communication between machines is part of the retrofitting process. If they come with standard USB or SD interfaces, these legacy systems can be equipped with an SD card as TPM — a sort of SIM card for “things” — with tamper-proof identities. Easy retrofitting is one of the most appar- ent benefits of secure flash memory cards. During the lifecycle of a prod- uct, its security features become out- dated. The expected emergence of the quantum computer in the next few years presents a particular threat to encryption processes. As a result, it will be easy to hack asymmetrical cryptography. Product managers must consider the upgradeability of security solutions. As easily ex- changeable modules, secure memory
cards offer an excellent solution. Contact: Swissbit NA, Inc., 18
Willett Avenue, Suite 202, Port Chester, NY 10573 % 914-935-1400 fax: 914-935-9865 E-mail:
sales@swissbitna.com Web:
www.swissbit.com r
August, 2018
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