Plug-in connector system for protected establishment of a network connection
View Patent ↗A plug-in connector system for a data communication interface comprising a network connector and a network socket is equipped with an integrated authentication function that is independent of network communication. The authentication is undertaken independently of the data transmission or the data communication. The enabling is undertaken by a physical connection between the contacts of the network socket, where the network connector associated therewith is established after successful authentication.
1. A plug-in connector system for protected establishment of a network connection, comprising:
a network connector including an authentication unit; and
a network socket including an authentication checking unit and an enabling unit,
the authentication checking unit being configured to transfer a checking command to the authentication unit,
the authentication unit being configured to determine a checking response based on the checking command transferred by the authentication checking unit and transfer the checking response to the authentication checking unit, determining the checking response comprising performing a cryptographic computation utilizing a stored cryptographic key;
the authentication checking unit being configured to check the transferred checking response, and
the enabling unit being configured to enable a physical connection between the network connector and the network socket for protected establishment of the network connection in an event of a successful check of the checking response by the authentication checking unit;
wherein the network connector and the network socket each include a communication unit for wired transfer of the checking command and the checking response between the authentication unit and the authentication checking unit.
2. The connector system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the network socket is provided in an area protected from physical access.
3. The connector system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the network socket is a physically access-protected network socket, and identification information of the network connector is stored in the connector system after the protected establishment of the network connection for the network connector through the physically access protected network socket, the connector system further comprising a predeterminable number of further network sockets configured to check the stored identification information of the network connector.
4. The plug-in connection system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the network connector is configured to allow establishment of the network connection for only a predetermined period of time.
5. The plug-in connection system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the network connector is provided with a predeterminable scope of access rights to establish a network connection.
6. A network connector having an authentication unit configured for implementation in a plug-in connection system for protected establishment of a network connection, the authentication unit being configured to determine a checking response based on a checking command transferred from an authentication checking unit and to transfer the checking response to the authentication checking unit for protected establishment of the network connection, determining the checking response comprising performing a cryptographic computation utilizing a stored cryptographic key; wherein the network connector includes a communication unit for wired transfer of the checking command and the checking response between the authentication unit and the authentication checking unit, the network connector being physically connectable to an enabling unit configured to enable a physical connection between the network connector and a network socket for the protected establishment of the network connection in an event of a successful check of the checking response by the authentication checking unit.
7. A network socket having an authentication checking unit and an enabling unit, the network socket being configured for implementation in a plug-in connection system for protected establishment of a network connection, the authentication checking unit being configured to transfer a checking command to an authentication unit and to check a transferred checking response from the authentication unit, checking the transferred checking response comprising performing a cryptographic computation utilizing a stored cryptographic key, and the enabling unit being configured to enable a physical connection between a network connector and the network socket for protected establishment of the network connection in an event of a successful check of the checking response transferred from the authentication unit; wherein the network socket includes a communication unit for wired transfer of the checking command and the checking response between the authentication unit and the authentication checking unit.