The IoT presents many challenges encompassing a wide spectrum of use cases. Many IoT devices need to support customized authorizations, permissions, and restrictions. These device-level requirements become challenging when devices must collaborate in hostile environments while also following business rules and logic installed at the device level. Internet access is never 100% requiring IoT devices to continuously operate under such controls without internet access.
The TrustCentral security ecosystem provides versatility and ease of use for solutions that don’t currently exist. Our patented technology enables operators to successfully solve such challenges while also arming devices with tools for them to handle hacking and spoofing attacks. Our robust IoT solutions provide metrics for data and device trustworthiness, as well as auditability of device activities.
Here is an example that incorporates a variety of bi-lateral and multi-lateral relationships:
“Right to Repair”, for example: Authentication of: the entity conducting the repair (e.g., vehicle owner; repair shop); Authentication of: tools for vehicle access, diagnostics and replacement; Authentication of: replacement parts; Authorization of: entity conducting a repair or replacement of a specific part(s); Authorization of: an authenticated part for the specific vehicle plus that it is properly integrated in the vehicle; Accounting of: records showing specific, authenticated part installed in specific vehicle; report of testing results; functioning of completed repair; updated owner/vehicle central records with OEM/Dealer.
Attaining such results starts with the creation of authenticated, persistent, Secure Communication Lines between paired endpoints. Each Communication Line is authorized and secured by a digital certificate incorporating rules and business logic of use for that Communication Line that whitelists relationships, and controls activities according to management’s preferences. Secure IoT Device Groups are also a vital component of this technology.
The fact that this IoT device authorization technology is put in place at the device-level and builds from the bottom up, contributes to it being a highly scalable system. This patented bottom up approach will be far easier to manage and expand than anything imagined so far.
AUTHENTICATION-AUTHORIZATION-ACCOUNTING: “AAA”
For AAA, TrustCentral provides a solution for AUTHORIZATION and ACCOUNTING for IoT devices that collaborate in hostile environments.
- Authentication(device identity)
- Authorization(device privileges)
- Accounting(device usage, activity parameters, etc.)
TrustCentral’s invented the use of device-level certificates with communication lines to manage device-level authorization of endpoint interactions, rather than manage devices from a complex, top-down network approach. This provides a precise authorization technology that is vital in order to establish and manage privileges for limited-resource IoT devices that:
- Operate in hostile environments
- Need precise instructions as to the limited endpoints with which they may communicate
- Must operate within precise rules of authorization and privilege
- Must support their own security
- Need their data and activities accurately accounted for
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
BUSINESS MODEL
TrustCentral’s target customers are solution providers, systems integrators and hardware vendors. These, in turn, will license and support integrated solutions for their specific end-customer use cases.
THE GENESIS OF CORE TRUSTCENTRAL TECHNOLOGY
Dr. David Kravitz (TrustCentral’s primary inventor) came up with an innovative approach: “let’s use X.509 in a different way from its traditional ‘central-point-to-endpoint’ point approach, but rather so that endpoints may authenticate and securely communicate with each other.” This innovative concept is the inception of what became Secure Communication Lines: a core component of TrustCentral’s intellectual property.