Cable security

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11934568-B2
Application number	US-202017115832-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2020
Priority date	Dec 12, 2019
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

A device including a cable transceiver including cable electrical connections including data electrical connections and control electrical connections, and a hardware memory device, the hardware memory device storing a string identifying a cable and being electrically accessible from externally to the cable transceiver via the control electrical connections. The cable, in electrical connection with the cable electrical connections, may be included in the device. A device for verifying cable authenticity is also described, the device including interface hardware for interfacing a plurality of cables with the device, and verifier circuitry configured to verify that each of the plurality of cables is genuine based on a string stored in a hardware memory device included in each of the plurality of cables. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for verifying cable authenticity, wherein a manufacturer stores unique individual identifying strings in hardware memory devices attached to cables that the manufacture makes, wherein each manufactured cable indicates a different identifying string, and each identifying string includes a unique hash value, the apparatus comprising:
a hardware interface for connection by a plurality of cables to a communication network; and
verifier circuitry to read respective strings from respective hardware memory devices in the cables that are connected to the hardware interface, and to generate an indication that at least one of the cables is counterfeit upon detecting that two or more of the strings of different cables are the same.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the cables comprises one of the following: an electrical cable; and an optical cable.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hardware memory devices are disposed in cable transceivers in the respective cables and are electrically accessed by the verifier circuitry via control electrical connections in the cable transceivers.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hash values are based, at least in part, on one or more of the following hashing parameters in each cable: a serial number of the cable; a data code associated with the cable; a physical attenuation of the cable; a date-time indicator of production of the cable; and physical attributes associated with the cable.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the hash values are cryptographically signed.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the verifier circuitry is to send a challenge to a challenge-response module comprised in each of the cables and to evaluate correctness of a response received therefrom.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the strings also comprise non-hashed values, and wherein the verifier circuitry is to compute a hash over at least one of the non-hashed values to generate a hash result and to verify that the hash result matches at least one of the hash values stored in each of the cables that are connected to the ports.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the respective strings indicate respective serial numbers of the cables, and wherein the verifier circuitry is to generate the indication that at least one of the cables is counterfeit upon detecting that two or more of the serial numbers are the same.

9. A communication system comprising multiple apparatuses according to claim 1 , wherein the verifier circuitry in at least one of the apparatuses is to communicate with the verifier circuitry in other apparatuses via the network to make a comparison between the respective strings read from the respective cables connected to the hardware interface of the at least one of the apparatuses to the respective strings read from the respective cables connected to the hardware interfaces of the other apparatuses and to generate the indication that at least one of the cables is counterfeit responsively to the comparison.

10. A method for verifying cable authenticity, wherein a manufacturer stores unique individual identifying strings in hardware memory devices attached to cables that the manufacture makes, wherein each manufactured cable indicates a different identifying string, and each identifying string includes a unique hash value, the method comprising:
connecting a plurality of cables to a communication network via a hardware interface;
reading, respective strings from respective hardware memory devices in the cables that are connected to the hardware interface; and
generating an indication that at least one of the cables is counterfeit upon detecting that two or more of the strings of different cables are the same.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein each of the cables comprises one of the following: an electrical cable; and an optical cable.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the hardware memory devices are disposed in cable transceivers in the respective cables, and wherein reading the respective strings comprises accessing the hardware memory devices via control electrical connections in the cable transceivers.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the hash values are based, at least in part, on one or more of the following hashing parameters in each cable: a serial number of the cable; a data code associated with the cable; a physical attenuation of the cable; a date-time indicator of production of the cable; and physical attributes associated with the cable.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the hash values are cryptographically signed.

15. The method according to claim 13 , and comprising sending a challenge from the communication apparatus to a challenge-response module comprised in each of the cables and to evaluate correctness of a response received therefrom.

16. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the strings also comprise non-hashed values, and wherein the method comprises computing a hash in the apparatus over at least one of the non-hashed values to generate a hash result, and verifying that the hash result matches at least one of the hash values stored in each of the cables that are connected to the ports.

17. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the respective strings indicate respective serial numbers of the cables, and wherein generating the indication comprises determining that at least one of the cables is counterfeit upon detecting that two or more of the serial numbers are the same.

18. The method according to claim 10 , and comprising computing with other apparatuses via the network to make a comparison between the respective strings read from the respective cables connected to the hardware interface of the communication apparatus to the respective strings read from the respective cables connected to the hardware interfaces of the other apparatuses, and generating the indication that at least one of the cables is counterfeit responsively to the comparison.

Assignees

• Mellanox Tech Tlv Ltd
• Mellanox Technologies Ltd

Inventors

• Haramaty Zachy
• Eyal Zvika
• Dor Shachar
• Mula Liron
• Spinney Barry

Classifications

• G06F21/85 Primary

  interconnection devices, e.g. bus-connected or in-line devices · CPC title

• G06F13/4068

  Electrical coupling · CPC title

• G06F21/73

  by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers · CPC title

• G06F21/86

  Secure or tamper-resistant housings · CPC title

• G06F2221/2103

  Challenge-response · CPC title