Authentication Artifact Signing for Key-Isolated Backup Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Authentication systems face outages that prevent principals from maintaining access to resources after expiration of their authentication artifacts, as the encryption key used to issue these artifacts is not accessible to backup systems, leading to security and operational complexities.
Innovation Solution
Implement a system with a primary authentication system, a backup authentication system, and an authentication artifact signing service that allows the backup system to modify and digitally sign authentication artifacts using the primary system's encryption key, ensuring seamless access during outages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the primary authentication system stores the encryption key to issue authentication artifacts, then authentication artifacts can be issued normally, but during outages backup systems cannot generate valid authentication artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the encryption key storage from the authentication systems. The key is stored in a dedicated key management service, while authentication systems only have access to it when needed through controlled interfaces. This segmentation allows backup systems to function without having the key stored locally, yet still enable continuous authentication through the artifact signing service mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
An authentication artifact signing service is introduced as an intermediary between the primary authentication system and backup systems. This service uses the encryption key to sign authentication artifacts generated by backup systems, allowing principals to maintain access during outages without backup systems needing direct access to the key. The intermediary resolves the contradiction by enabling key-less backup authentication.
2Reliability
If backup authentication systems store the encryption key to generate authentication artifacts during outages, then access continuity is maintained, but security is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The encryption key is extracted from the authentication systems entirely and placed in a separate key management service. Backup authentication systems generate authentication artifacts without having access to the key, eliminating the security risk of key storage in backup systems. The key is only used by the authenticated artifact signing service, which controls key exposure and minimizes security risks while maintaining access continuity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If authentication systems operate independently without shared keys, then security is improved, but backup systems cannot issue valid authentication artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication artifact signing service acts as an intermediary that bridges independent authentication systems. It uses the primary system's encryption key to sign artifacts generated by backup systems, allowing backup systems to issue valid authentication artifacts without having direct access to the key. This maintains security through key isolation while enabling backup capability through the intermediary signing service.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for authenticating a principal comprises first and second authentication systems and an authentication artifact signing service. The first authentication system issues a request comprising an authentication artifact associated with the principal and a specification of one or more modifications to be made thereto, the authentication artifact being generated by a second authentication system, signed thereby using a key, and stored by the first authentication system. The signing service receives the request and, responsive thereto: applies the modification(s) to the authentication artifact to generate a modified authentication artifact, signs the modified authentication artifact using a key of the second authentication system, and returns the signed modified authentication artifact to the first authentication system for use in authenticating the principal. The first authentication system executes in a different security domain than the signing service and is unable to access the key used thereby.