US 12,081,566 B2
Aircraft network monitoring and attestation
Stefan Alexander Schwindt, Cheltenham (GB); and Mustafa Hussain, Munich (DE)
Assigned to GE Aviation Systems Limited, Cheltenham (GB)
Filed by GE Aviation Systems Limited, Cheltenham (GB)
Filed on Aug. 4, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/984,226.
Prior Publication US 2022/0046037 A1, Feb. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. H04L 9/40 (2022.01); B64D 43/00 (2006.01); B64F 5/60 (2017.01); G06F 21/60 (2013.01); H04L 12/40 (2006.01); H04L 41/06 (2022.01); H04L 41/0681 (2022.01); H04L 41/0686 (2022.01); H04L 41/0853 (2022.01); H04L 43/067 (2022.01); H04L 43/16 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 63/1425 (2013.01) [B64D 43/00 (2013.01); B64F 5/60 (2017.01); G06F 21/602 (2013.01); H04L 12/40 (2013.01); H04L 41/06 (2013.01); H04L 41/0681 (2013.01); H04L 41/0686 (2013.01); H04L 41/0853 (2013.01); H04L 43/067 (2013.01); H04L 43/16 (2013.01); H04L 63/1416 (2013.01); H04L 2012/4028 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of monitoring health and security of networked avionics for an aircraft, the method comprising:
generating a list representative of a network configuration of the networked avionics, the list including executables and libraries representative of the networked avionics;
evaluating at least one of a cryptographic signature or a cryptographic token for each of the networked avionics corresponding to the list;
verifying, based on the evaluating, that each of the networked avionics is at least one of physically present on the aircraft or located on a network in communication with the aircraft;
monitoring, by a configuration management unit (CMU), the networked avionics corresponding to the list, wherein monitoring the networked avionics comprises measuring at least one aspect of the networked avionics and repeatedly comparing the at least one aspect to a predetermined threshold to define a most recent measurement and at least one prior measurement;
comparing the most recent measurement to the at least one prior measurement to determine a trend;
alerting when one or more of the networked avionics provided on the list satisfies a predetermined threshold;
updating the predetermined threshold based upon the trend when the predetermined threshold is unmet by the one or more of the networked avionics;
monitoring the list to determine if the CMU no longer approves the network configuration; and
dynamically reconfiguring the network configuration when the network configuration is no longer approved by the CMU;
wherein the dynamically reconfiguring comprises at least one of:
updating a data pathway from where the at least one aspect is received from; or
updating the list to include detection of at least one of a new avionics component or a replaced avionics component.