General Electric Company

Mark E Hingsbergen

Jeffrey Scott Gilton

Douglas Robert Nichols

Matthew B Pfenninger

A method comprises a server generating a server nonce and transmitting a server public key, a key signature and the server nonce to a device, the device verifying the server public key, signing the server nonce with a device private key, generating a device nonce, and transmitting the server nonce, the server nonce signature, a device public key, a device key signature, and the device nonce to the server, the server verifying the server nonce and the device public key, generating a session key, encrypting the session key with the device public key, signing the device nonce and the session key with a server private key, and transmitting the device nonce, the signed device nonce and session key, and the encrypted session key to the device, and the device verifying the device nonce, decrypting the encrypted session key with the device private key, and verifying the decrypted session key.

Communicating securely with devices in a distributed control system

A method is disclosed and includes authenticating a first stage boot loader and authenticating a second stage boot loader in response to authentication of the first stage boot loader. The method also includes executing the second stage boot loader in response to authentication of the second stage boot loader. Executing the second stage boot loader includes loading an operating system, a first set of machine-readable instructions, and first configuration information associated with the first set of machine-readable instructions onto a non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the first set of machine-readable instructions and the first configuration information are associated with one or more priority partitions. Executing the second stage boot loader includes authenticating the operating system and the first set of machine-readable instructions. Executing the second stage boot loader includes executing the first set of machine-readable instructions in response to authentication of the operating system and the first set of machine-readable instructions.

Growing community of inventors

Fairfield Township, OH, United States of America

Mark E Hingsbergen