Attestation-Based Secret Transfer for Secure Update Governance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing secure computing environments face challenges in securely transferring secrets during updates, particularly in container computing environments, where trust management and data confidentiality are compromised, and are vulnerable to malicious updates.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that verifies the authenticity of a signed attestation document from a target computing component to ensure compliance with update governance rules before transferring a secret, ensuring secure transfer and trust validation, thereby preventing malicious updates and maintaining data confidentiality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If secret transfer is enabled during updates, then system functionality is improved, but security is worsened due to vulnerability to malicious updates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an attestation mechanism as an intermediary between the update source and the secret transfer process. The target computing component generates an attestation document that serves as verification evidence, mediating the trust relationship and enabling secure secret transfer during updates without directly exposing the system to unverified update sources
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary verification of the attestation document before allowing secret transfer. The source computing component verifies the authenticity and content of the attestation document in advance of the actual secret transfer, ensuring that only verified updates can access secrets and preventing malicious updates from compromising security
2Reliability
If trust control is moved to data controller, then data confidentiality is improved, but control complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the target computing component to self-verify its compliance with update governance rules by generating and providing its own attestation document. This self-service approach allows the data controller to maintain trust control without requiring complex external verification infrastructure, as the system itself provides the necessary proof of compliance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the trust management function into distinct components: the attestation document generation, the verification process, and the secret transfer mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to be independently managed and verified, reducing the overall complexity of trust management while maintaining strong data confidentiality
3Reliability
If attestation verification is performed, then security is improved, but processing time is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The attestation document is generated and prepared in advance by the target computing component before the secret transfer is initiated. This preliminary action allows the verification process to operate on pre-prepared evidence rather than requiring real-time generation and analysis, reducing the time loss during the actual verification phase while maintaining strong security
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for securely transferring a secret from a source computing component to a target computing component, wherein the source computing component and the target computing component are part of a secure computing environment is disclosed. The method comprises upon the source computing component receiving from the target computing component a signed attestation document, verifying, by the source computing component, an authenticity and content of the attestation document, and upon a successful verification of the authenticity and the content, transferring, by the source computing component the secret to the target computing system. Thereby, the attestation document is attesting that the target computing component is compliant to an update governance rule.