Washington University

Q-net Security, Inc.

David Michael Zar

Jerome R Cox, Jr

George Lawrence Engel

Wesley A Clark

Jeremiah Cox O'Driscoll

One embodiment includes hardware-based cybersecurity devices that create a physical barrier ('hardware security barrier') between a computer's (or other device's) processor and a public or private network. Hardware security barriers typically use immutable hardware in accomplishing cybersecurity activities including generating and distributing cryptographically secure numbers, encryption, decryption, source authentication, and packet integrity verification. This hardware security barrier protects against remote threats and guarantees that all exported and received data are strongly encrypted. A hardware security barrier can be included in any computing or networking device that contains a network interface. One embodiment of a hardware security barrier is implemented as part of a network interface, such as, but not limited to being part of a network interface controller, or as a standalone unit between a communications interface of a host system and a connection to a network.

Secure network communications using hardware security barriers

Disclosed are, inter alia, instantaneously restartable clocks and their use. For example, instantaneously restartable clocks can be used to receive data from another independently clocked subsystem in a manner that removes the possibility of metastability errors. A restartable clocking signal generator, relying on oscillating signals typically generated by a continuous oscillating source, is used to generate a restartable clocking signal which can be asynchronously restarted in response to one or more control signals. In one implementation, an apparatus includes multiple independently clocked subsystems and a clockless sequencing network, with the clockless sequencing network being used to initiate the start of a restartable clock in order to reliably receive and process data between the independently clocked subsystems.

Growing community of inventors

Maryland Heights, MO, United States of America

David Michael Zar