Method and apparatus for secure private key storage on IoT device

Apparatus for storing a private key on an Internet of Things (IoT) device for encrypted communication with an external user device having the same private key, comprising:

• a proximity-based communication interface;
• encryption circuitry for facilitating encryption and decryption operations on the IoT device with the private key;
• IoT functional circuitry for facilitating a predetermined IoT functional operation for the IoT device;
• the encryption circuitry including:
• a memory having a dedicated memory location allocated for storage of encryption keys utilized in the encryption and decryption operations,
• an encryption engine for performing the encryption and decryption operations with at least one of the stored encryption keys in association with the predetermined IoT functional operation of the IoT functional circuitry,
• an input and output interface for interfacing with the proximity-based communication interface to allow information to be exchanged with the external user device in a dedicated private key transfer operation,
• an internal system interface for interfacing with the IoT functional circuitry for transfer of information therebetween, and
• memory control circuitry for controlling storage of a received private key from the input and output interface for storage in the dedicated memory location in the memory, in a Write-only memory storage operation relative to the private key received from the input and output interface over the proximity-based communication interface, the memory control circuitry inhibiting any Read operation of the dedicated memory location in the memory through the input and output interface;
• and
• the IoT functional circuitry including:
• a controller for controlling the input and output interface and the memory control circuitry in the private key transfer operation to interface with the external user device to control the encryption circuitry for transfer of a private key from the external user device through the proximity-based communication interface for storage in the dedicated memory location in the memory,
• the controller interfacing with the encryption circuitry via the internal system interface, and
• operational circuitry for interfacing with the external user device over a peer to peer communication link and encrypting and decrypting information therebetween with the encryption engine in the encryption circuitry.