Method and system for information management

Abstract

An information management method includes the following steps: a first application performs a first information replacement to update first operation information corresponding to registration information to second operation information, and performs a first zero-knowledge proof using the registration information as comparison information for a first zero-knowledge proof; a second application provides first verification information to determine whether the first verification information is the same as the comparison information through the first zero-knowledge proof; and if the first verification information is the same as the comparison information, it is determined that the second application has passed the first zero-knowledge proof and the first application transmits the second operation information to the second application.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to an information management method and system, and more particularly to an information management method and system that automatically updates private information. [Previous Technology]

[0002] In today's era of advanced information technology, the internet has become an indispensable part of human life. Whether it's work management and execution, basic daily needs and leisure activities, or various activities triggered by interpersonal interactions, all matters, large and small, inevitably require the internet. However, while the internet brings many conveniences, it also poses concerns about information security. Confidential information may be viewed, disclosed, stolen, modified, damaged, or destroyed by unauthorized third parties via the internet.

[0003] Regularly updating confidential information helps to address the aforementioned concerns. However, with general information management methods, such updates require a significant amount of manpower from both the system administrator (SA) and the database administrator (DBA).

[0004] Therefore, it is essential to develop an efficient and secure automated information management method. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] This disclosure provides an information management method. The information management method includes the following steps: a first application performs a first information replacement to update first operation information corresponding to registration information to second operation information, and uses the registration information as comparison information for a first zero-knowledge proof to perform a first zero-knowledge proof; a second application provides first verification information to determine whether the first verification information is the same as the comparison information through the first zero-knowledge proof; and if the first verification information is the same as the comparison information, it is determined that the second application has passed the first zero-knowledge proof and the first application transmits the second operation information to the second application.

[0006] This disclosure provides an information management system, which is installed in a host device and communicatively connected to a user device containing a first application. The information management system includes a first storage unit and a processing unit. The first storage unit is used to store current operation information and a second application. The processing unit is electrically connected to the first storage unit and is used to execute the second application to update the current operation information to first operation information and send a request message related to zero-knowledge proof to the user device so that the user device performs zero-knowledge proof via the first application. When the user device passes the zero-knowledge proof, the processing unit further transmits the first operation information to the user device.

Implementation Method

[0008] To fully understand the description of this disclosure, please refer to the accompanying drawings when reading the following embodiments. Furthermore, many practical details will be mentioned in the specification; however, it should be understood that these practical details should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure. In some embodiments of this disclosure, these practical details are not essential. Additionally, for the purpose of simplifying the drawings, some familiar or conventional structures and elements will be shown in a simple schematic manner in the figures.

[0009] The terms 'include', 'include', 'have', 'contain', etc., used in this document are all open-ended terms, meaning that they include but are not limited to.

[0010] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. Singular forms such as “a,” “this,” “this,” “the,” and “the” as used herein also include plural forms.

[0011] The terms "first" and "second" used in this document do not specifically refer to order or sequence, but are used only to distinguish elements or operations described with the same technical terms.

[0012] The terms used herein, unless otherwise specified, generally have their ordinary meaning in the context of the art, the subject matter, and the specific content of the case. Certain terms used to describe the case will be discussed below or elsewhere in this specification to provide additional guidance to those skilled in the art in describing the case.

[0013] Please refer to Figure 1A. Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of application interaction relationships 100 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The application interaction relationships 100 illustrated in Figure 1A include the connections between a command center application 110 and the user applications 120 and server applications 130 it manages. The server application 130 provides services to the user applications 120. In other words, the server application 130 and the user applications 120 cooperate to accomplish specific tasks.

[0014] For example, a shopping platform application and an online transaction application work together to complete the online shopping process, wherein the shopping platform application and the online transaction application play the roles of user application 120 and server application 130, respectively. As another example, an online banking application and a bank application work together to complete the online transfer process, wherein the online banking application and the bank application play the roles of user application 120 and server application 130, respectively.

[0015] The command center application 110 can manage communication between the user application 120 and the server application 130 by transmitting secret information such as database passwords, connection strings, and application programming interface (API) credentials.

[0016] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1A, the command center application 110, user application 120, and server application 130 can be manually managed by administrators via input 140. For information security, regular information replacement is necessary. However, manually replacing information regularly is labor-intensive and inconvenient. Therefore, the following paragraphs will describe information management methods 200 and 400 and related operational methods 300, 500, 700, and 800 to solve this problem.

[0017] In some embodiments, user application 120 and server application 130 are located on the same electronic device. In some embodiments, user application 120 and server application 130 are located on different electronic devices. In some embodiments, command center application 110 and user application 120 and / or server application 130 are located on the same electronic device. In some embodiments, command center application 110 and user application 120 and / or server application 130 are located on different electronic devices. In other words, the information management methods 200 and 400 disclosed herein can be implemented by, but are not limited to, the information management system 10 shown in Figure 1B.

[0018] Please refer to Figure 1B. Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of an information management system 10 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1B, the information management system 10 is communicatively connected to a user device CD via a network NW. The information management system 10 is located in an electronic device different from the user device CD. Furthermore, the network NW can be replaced by an electrical connection, and accordingly the information management system 10 is electrically connected to the user device CD.

[0019] Specifically, the information management system 10 includes a processing unit 10-1, a storage unit 10-2, and a storage unit 10-3. The processing unit 10-1 is electrically connected to the storage units 10-2 and 10-3. The command center application 110 is stored in the storage unit 10-2. The user device CD includes a processing unit 20-1 and a storage unit 20-2. The processing unit 20-1 is electrically connected to the storage units 20-2 and 20-3. The user application 120 is stored in the storage unit 20-2.

[0020] Please refer to Figures 1A through 3. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the information management method 200 and its operation according to various embodiments of this disclosure. For new users, as shown in Figure 2, the first step of the information management method 200 is registration 210. The registration 210 operation is performed using the registration method 300 shown in Figure 3. The registration method 300 includes steps 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, and 370. However, the steps of the registration method 300 are not necessarily performed in the order shown in Figure 3. In other words, within the scope of the various embodiments of this disclosure, steps can be appropriately added, replaced, changed in order, and / or deleted.

[0021] In step 310, the user application 120 performs multi-factor authentication (MFA), that is, authorization is obtained through two or more authentication mechanisms.

[0022] In step 320, the administrator input 140 transmits a one-time password to the command center application 110 and the user application 120. In some embodiments, the one-time password transmitted by the administrator input 140 is random. In other words, the one-time password is a random number.

[0023] In step 330, the command center application 110 sends random information to the user application 120. In some embodiments, the random information sent by the command center application 110 is a random string.

[0024] In step 340, the user application 120 sends a hash code to the command center application 110. In some embodiments, the hash code sent by the user application 120 is generated by hashing the executable file or binary file of the user application 120. In some embodiments, the aforementioned hashing is performed using an MD5 hash function.

[0025] In step 350, the command center application 110 combines the hash code with a one-time password and / or random information to form registration information and stores the registration information in storage units 10-2 and 10-3 of the information management system 10 in Figure 1B. In some embodiments, storage unit 10-2 is a component for persistent storage, such as a hard drive, and storage unit 10-3 is a component for temporary storage, such as memory. Therefore, storage unit 10-2 persistently stores the registration information while storage unit 10-3 temporarily stores the registration information.

[0026] In step 360, the command center application 110 stores the one-time password and / or random information in the storage unit 20-3 of the user device CD in Figure 1B. In some embodiments, the storage unit 20-3 is a component for temporary storage, such as memory. Therefore, the storage unit 20-3 temporarily stores the one-time password and / or random information.

[0027] In step 370, the command center application 110 generates operation information S1 corresponding to the registration information and transmits the operation information S1 to the user application 120. The so-called operation information is the information required for communication between the user application 120 and the server application 130 (which can be regarded as a kind of private information), and can be implemented by database password, connection string, and application interface credentials. In some embodiments, the command center application 110 further transmits the operation information S1 to the server application 130.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, after registration 210, the user application 120 then performs routine operation 220 via operation information S1. In routine operation 220, the user application 120 receives services from the server application 130 via operation information S1 to perform activities such as online shopping and online money transfer.

[0029] Please refer to Figures 1A through 2, 4, and 5 together. As shown in Figure 2, after the regular operation 220, information replacement 230 and zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) 240 are performed. The operations of information replacement 230 and zero-knowledge proof 240 are performed using the information management method 400 shown in Figure 4. The information management method 400 includes steps 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460. However, the steps of the information management method 400 are not necessarily performed in the order shown in Figure 4. In other words, within the scope of the various embodiments disclosed herein, steps may be appropriately added, replaced, ordered, and / or deleted.

[0030] In step 410, the command center application 110 performs a first information replacement to update the operation information S1 corresponding to the registration information to operation information S2, and uses the registration information as the comparison information for the first zero-knowledge proof to perform the first zero-knowledge proof.

[0031] In step 420, the user application 120 provides first verification information to determine whether the first verification information is the same as the comparison information through a first zero-knowledge proof. In some embodiments, the first verification information is generated by the user application 120 by performing the following steps: extracting a one-time password and / or random information from the storage unit 20-3 shown in Figure 1B (stored in the storage unit 20-3 by registration method 300 during the registration 210 operation); generating a hash code associated with the registration information; and combining the one-time password and / or random information with the hash code to form the first verification information.

[0032] Zero-knowledge proof is a method of proving the existence of real information without disclosing the real information itself. Therefore, using zero-knowledge proof can effectively improve information security.

[0033] In detail, the zero-knowledge proof 240 is performed using the zero-knowledge proof method 500 shown in Figure 5. The zero-knowledge proof method 500 includes steps 510, 520, and 530. However, the steps of the zero-knowledge proof method 500 are not necessarily performed in the order shown in Figure 5. In other words, within the scope of the various embodiments disclosed herein, steps may be appropriately added, substituted, rearranged, and / or deleted.

[0034] In step 510, the command center application 110 generates random information and transmits it to the user application 120. It then extracts comparison information as salt or seed data for the hash function to hash the random information, generating a first hash result. The salt data refers to a specific string inserted at any fixed position in the object being hashed before hashing. The seed data refers to the initial value at which the hash function begins generating random numbers. In some embodiments, the random information is a random string.

[0035] In step 520, the user application 120 provides verification information as another salt or another sub-data of the hash function to hash the random information to generate a second hash result, and the second hash result is sent back to the command center application 110. The hashing process is irreversible; therefore, hashing can improve the security of information transmission.

[0036] In step 530, the command center application 110 compares the first hash result with the second hash result. When the first hash result and the second hash result are the same, it is determined that the user application 120 has passed the first zero-knowledge proof.

[0037] In some embodiments, the random information in step 510 and the second hash result in step 520 are transmitted along with a time-limited session ID to restrict the first zero-knowledge proof to be completed within a certain time period. Thus, all information related to the first zero-knowledge proof is only available for use in the first zero-knowledge proof within a certain time period, thereby further improving information security.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 4 again. In step 430, if the first verification information is the same as the comparison information, it is determined that the user application 120 has passed the first zero-knowledge proof and the command center application 110 has transmitted the updated operation information S2 to the user application 120 (i.e., the information release 250 shown in Figure 2 is performed).

[0039] In some embodiments, after the normal operation 220, in addition to the information replacement 230 and zero-knowledge proof 240 for the user application 120, after the first information replacement, the server application 130 is also subjected to a first zero-knowledge proof using the registration information as the comparison information. After the server application 130 passes the first zero-knowledge proof, the command center application 110 transmits the updated operation information S2 to the server application 130. In some embodiments, the first zero-knowledge proof performed by the user application 120 can also be performed by the server application 130. In the above embodiments, the server application 130 performs the operations of the user application 120 as described in steps 420, 430, 510, 520, and 530. Therefore, some descriptions will not be repeated.

[0040] Through the above operations, after the first information is replaced, the updated operation information is synchronously transmitted to the user application 120 and the server application 130. This can prevent service interruption caused by inconsistencies in the operation information of the user application 120 and the server application 130 due to information replacement 230.

[0041] It should be understood that although the content of this disclosure can be used to synchronously update the operation information of user application 120 and server application 130, it is not limited thereto. The communication method between command center application 110 and user application 120 can be used to improve the convenience and security of communication between the two applications.

[0042] Please refer to Figures 2 and 6 together. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of information transition 251 according to some embodiments of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, after information publication 250, since the user application 120 and the server application 130 may contain multiple instances (i.e., execution individuals), it takes a period of time to publish the updated operation information S2 to all instances. Therefore, information transition 251 is required to avoid service interruption.

[0043] As shown in Figure 6, time t1 is the time when operation information S2 is published to the first instance, and time t2 is the time when operation information S2 is published to the last instance. During the transition period TM (i.e., from time t1 to time t2), information transition 251 is performed, allowing user application 120 and server application 130 to communicate with each other through operation information S1 or operation information S2. In other words, the lifetime T1 of operation information S1 and the lifetime T2 of operation information S2 overlap during the transition period TM. In this way, the situation where instances that have not yet received operation information S2 cannot communicate with instances that have already received operation information S2 can be avoided.

[0044] As shown in Figure 2, after information transition 251, that is, after time t2 in Figure 6, the transition is completed 252. The user application 120 and the server application 130 communicate with each other through the updated operation information S2.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 4 again. In step 440, the command center application 110 sequentially performs multiple information replacements that are different from the first information replacement.

[0046] In step 450, after each of these information replacements is performed, corresponding operation information is generated and corresponding zero-knowledge proof is performed. The corresponding zero-knowledge proof includes comparing corresponding verification information and comparison information provided by the user application 120, and the first information replacement and these information replacements occurring at a predetermined time. The manner in which the corresponding zero-knowledge proof is performed is similar to the first zero-knowledge proof, and therefore will not be described again.

[0047] In some embodiments, information replacement is scheduled to be performed at fixed intervals, such as once a month or every 7 days. In some embodiments, these information replacements are scheduled to be performed at multiple specific time points. For example, information replacement is performed on the 5th of each month. Another example is that information replacement is performed on the first Monday of each month. Yet another example is that information replacement is scheduled to be performed on January 18th, April 5th, July 20th, and October 1st of this year. The scheduled times can be determined based on convenience and actual needs.

[0048] In step 460, after the user application 120 passes the corresponding zero-knowledge proof, the command center application 110 transmits the corresponding operation information to the user application 120.

[0049] In some embodiments, similar to the first information replacement, after each of the aforementioned information replacements that are different from the first information replacement, the server application 130 also performs the corresponding zero-knowledge proof in the same manner as the user application 120 (i.e., steps 450, 460), and after the server application 130 passes the corresponding zero-knowledge proof, the command center application 110 transmits the corresponding operation information to the server application 130.

[0050] Through the operations in steps 450 and 460, the operation information of the command center application 110, the operation information of the user application 120, and the operation information of the server application 130 are continuously updated over time. Between adjacent information replacements, except during the information transition 251, the user application 120 and the server application 130 communicate using the current operation information available at the current time to perform routine operations 220.

[0051] In some embodiments, these applications further store current operation information in the storage unit of their respective electronic devices. For example, the command center application 110 stores current operation information in storage unit 10-3 of the information management system 10 shown in Figure 1B. For example, the user application 120 stores current information in storage unit 20-3 of the user device CD shown in Figure 1B.

[0052] Please refer to Figures 2 and 7 together. Figure 7 is a flowchart of a user application restart method 700 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, during normal operation 220 (before the first information replacement or between two adjacent information replacements), if the user application 120 encounters an abnormality, such as crashing, being infected with a virus, or being subjected to malicious threats, then the user application restart 260 is performed.

[0053] The user application restart 260 operation is performed using the user application restart method 700 shown in Figure 7. The user application restart method 700 includes steps 710, 720, and 730. First, in step 710, the user application 120 sends a restart message to the command center application 110. Next, in step 720, in response to the restart message, the command center application 110, in collaboration with the user application 120, performs a second zero-knowledge proof. Then, in step 730, in response to the user application 120 passing the second zero-knowledge proof, the command center application 110 returns current operation information to the user application 120. The operation of the second zero-knowledge proof is similar to that of the first zero-knowledge proof, and therefore will not be described further.

[0054] Please refer to Figures 2 and 8 together. Figure 8 is a flowchart of a command center application restart method 800 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, during normal operation 220 (before the first information replacement or between two adjacent information replacements), if the command center application 110 malfunctions, such as crashing, being infected with a virus, or being subjected to malicious threats, then the command center application restart 270 is performed.

[0055] The operation of restarting the command center application 270 is performed using the command center application restart method 800 shown in Figure 8. The command center application restart method 800 includes steps 810, 820, and 830. First, in step 810, the command center application 110 is restarted. Next, a system evaluation 280 is performed, including parameters such as turnaround time, response time, throughput, and utilization. Then, if the system evaluation 280 passes, the current operation information is further updated to second operation information. In some embodiments, the command center application restart method 800 further includes the command center application 110 retrieving registration information from the storage unit 10-2 shown in Figure 1B.

[0056] Please refer again to Figure 1B and Figure 2. The above implementation can be, but is not limited to, implemented by the information management system 10 in Figure 2. The processing unit 10-1 of the information management system 10 is used to perform at least the operations of information replacement 230, zero-knowledge proof 240, information publishing 250, and command center application restart 270.

[0057] In detail, the processing unit 10-1 of the information management system 10 executes the command center application 110 to update the current information into operation update information. Then, the processing unit 10-1 sends a request message related to zero-knowledge proof, such as a random string, to the user device CD. The user device CD further performs zero-knowledge proof via the user application 120. When the user device CD passes the zero-knowledge proof, the processing unit 10-1 transmits the operation update information to the user device CD.

[0058] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the storage unit 10-2 and storage unit 10-3 of the information management system 10 temporarily and persistently store registration information, respectively. When system anomalies occur, such as crashes, virus infections, or malicious threats, the processing unit 10-1 restarts the user application 120. This causes the registration information to be removed from the storage unit 10-3. After removing the registration information from the storage unit 10-3, the processing unit 10-1 transfers the registration information from the storage unit 10-2 to the storage unit 10-3. Storing information in a temporary storage unit, such as memory, can increase the difficulty of information theft; for example, stealing information from memory requires a memory dump.

[0059] In summary, this disclosure provides a labor-saving, efficient, and secure method and system for information management between applications, which solves the problem of balancing security and convenience in information security maintenance.

[0060] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Anyone skilled in the art can make various modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The scope of protection of the present disclosure shall be determined by the appended claims. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0007] To make the above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of this disclosure more apparent and understandable, the accompanying drawings are described as follows: Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of application interaction relationships according to various embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of an information management system according to some embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of information management methods and their operation according to various embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 3 is a flowchart of a registration method according to some embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 4 is a flowchart of an information management method according to some embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 5 is a flowchart of a zero-knowledge proof method according to some embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of information transition according to some embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 7 is a flowchart of a user application restart method according to some embodiments of this disclosure; and Figure 8 is a flowchart of a command center application restart method according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An information management method, comprising: a first application performing a first information replacement to update first operation information corresponding to registration information to second operation information, and using the registration information as comparison information for a first zero-knowledge proof to perform the first zero-knowledge proof, wherein the first information replacement occurs at a first predetermined time; a second application providing first verification information to determine whether the first verification information is the same as the comparison information through the first zero-knowledge proof; and if the first verification information is the same as the comparison information, determining that the second application has passed the first zero-knowledge proof and the first application transmitting the second operation information to the second application, wherein the second application includes a plurality of instances, and during a transition period after passing the first zero-knowledge proof, the instances communicate with a third application different from the first application through the first operation information or the second operation information, the second operation information being published to the first instance and the last instance of the instances at a start time and an end time during the transition period, respectively, and the lifetime of the first operation information and the lifetime of the second operation information overlap during the transition period.

2. The information management method as described in claim 1, wherein performing the first zero-knowledge proof comprises: generating random information by the first application and transmitting the random information to the second application, and extracting the comparison information as a salt or a sub-data of a hash function to hash the random information to generate a first hash result; providing the first verification information by the second application as another salt or another sub-data of the hash function to hash the random information to generate a second hash result, and sending the second hash result back to the first application; and comparing the first hash result with the second hash result by the first application, and determining that the second application has passed the first zero-knowledge proof when the first hash result is the same as the second hash result.

3. The information management method as described in claim 1 further includes: a third application cooperating with the second application providing second verification information to determine whether the second verification information is the same as the comparison information through the first zero-knowledge proof; and if the second verification information is the same as the comparison information, determining that the second application has passed the first zero-knowledge proof, and the first application transmitting the second operation information to the third application.

4. The information management method as described in claim 1, wherein the registration information includes a one-time password, a random information, and a hash code, respectively entered by an administrator, generated by the first application, and generated by the second application.

5. The information management method as described in claim 1 further comprises: performing a plurality of information replacements, different from the first information replacement, sequentially by the first application; and after each of the information replacements, generating corresponding operation information and performing a corresponding zero-knowledge proof, wherein performing the corresponding zero-knowledge proof includes comparing the corresponding verification information provided by the second application with the comparison information, wherein the information replacements occur at a plurality of second predetermined times.

6. The information management method as described in claim 5 further includes: before the first information replacement or between two adjacent information replacements, the second application sends a restart message to the first application; in response to the restart message, the first application collaborates with the second application to perform a second zero-knowledge proof; and in response to the second application passing the second zero-knowledge proof, the first application sends back current operation information to the second application.

7. The information management method as described in claim 5 further includes: before the first information replacement or between any two adjacent information replacements, restarting the first application and then performing a system evaluation, and after passing the system evaluation, updating a current operation information to the second operation information.

8. An information management system, comprising: A first storage unit for storing a first application program; A second storage unit for storing current operation information; The system also includes a processing unit electrically connected to the first storage unit and the second storage unit, configured to execute the first application and update the current operation information to operation information at a predetermined time and send a request message related to a zero-knowledge proof to a user device containing a second application, so that the user device performs the zero-knowledge proof via the second application. When the user device passes the zero-knowledge proof, the processing unit further transmits the operation information to the user device. The second application includes a plurality of instances, which communicate with a third application different from the first application via the current operation information or the operation information during a transition period after the user device passes the zero-knowledge proof. The operation information is published to the first and last instances of the instances at a start time and an end time during the transition period, respectively, and the lifetime of the current operation information overlaps with the lifetime of the operation information during the transition period.

9. The information management system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first storage unit is further configured to persistently store registration information; and the second storage unit is further configured to temporarily store the registration information, wherein when a system malfunction occurs, the processing unit is further configured to restart the first application to remove the registration information from the second storage unit; and after removing the registration information from the second storage unit, the processing unit is further configured to transfer the registration information from the first storage unit to the second storage unit.

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