Browser Extension Secondary Encryption Against TLS Interception
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional encryption methods, such as TLS, are vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks, allowing malicious parties to intercept and decrypt sensitive data imperceptibly, compromising network security during data transmission.
Innovation Solution
A web browser plugin and servers collaborate to generate a periodically updated session key using a device fingerprint, server secret, and elliptic-curve Diffie-Hellman key agreement protocol, ensuring additional encryption layers even if TLS is compromised.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If TLS encryption is used for data transmission, then network security is improved, but vulnerability to man-in-the-middle attacks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the encryption process into multiple independent layers: TLS encryption at the transport layer and additional encryption using device-specific secrets at the application layer. This segmentation ensures that compromise of one layer (TLS) does not necessarily compromise the entire security system, as the second layer provides independent protection through device-fingerprint-based key derivation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-establishing device fingerprints and deriving encryption keys before actual data transmission occurs. The system pre-generates public-private key pairs and derives encryption keys from device-specific secrets, so that even if TLS is compromised during transmission, the data remains protected by these pre-established cryptographic credentials that are unique to each device.
2Reliability
If additional encryption layers are added, then security against attacks is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically generating device fingerprints, deriving encryption keys, and managing the additional encryption layer without requiring user intervention. The browser extension automatically performs key derivation from device-specific secrets and applies encryption to sensitive data, reducing the perceived complexity for users while maintaining enhanced security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the encryption system universal by using device fingerprints that can be derived from various device attributes (hardware identifiers, software configurations). This multi-functional approach allows the same encryption mechanism to work across different devices and browsers, reducing overall system complexity through standardized processes while maintaining device-specific security.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described herein for protecting sensitive data even when Transport Layer Security (TLS) communication sessions are compromised. A computing device may send, via a web browser plugin of a web browser application executing on the computing device and to one or more remote servers, a request for a server secret that comprises a device fingerprint, an identification of the web browser application, and an identification of the web browser plugin. The computing device may receive the server secret and a public certificate associated with the remote server. The computing device may establish, via the web browser application, a TLS session with the one or more remote servers. The computing device may generate a session key. The computing device may receive data comprising unencrypted data and encrypted data. The computing device may decrypt the encrypted data based on the session key.