Publication

Cybersecurity of Ground Systems
2022

BLOCKCHAIN INTEGRITY CHECKS FOR SOFTWARE (BICS)

by George G Fortney

Abstract

Currently there is no method to ensure that the software loaded on a vehicle has been compromised at the software level. Common practice is to use physical port security to secure all network and data bus connection points with physical devices requiring tool, keys, or damage to tamper evident devices to prevent, inhibit, or discourage unauthorized connection; turn off access to the ports in the BIOS and password protect the BIOS. As well as give non-admin access to user accounts and password protect the operating systems. All these countermeasures help to prevent access but there is no way to tell if the software was compromised if not detected by these methods. Blockchain technology ensures that the software has not been compromised by comparing a hash generated at start up and comparing it to the distributed ledger. This technology helps to bring Warfighter technology into the future.