Cache Authenticity via Hash Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional caching systems are neither secure nor precise, as they fail to detect file corruption or version incompatibility, and retrieving files from the same Internet domain to prevent these issues leads to slower download times.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses a hash result and network location to identify and provide files from a cache, retrieving and hashing files to ensure authenticity and version accuracy, allowing files from any domain to be cached while detecting corruption or incorrect versions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If files are cached from the same Internet domain only, then file corruption and version incompatibility are prevented, but download times increase due to repeated downloads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a hash value as an intermediary mechanism to verify file authenticity. Instead of restricting caching to same-domain files, the system computes hash values of cached files and compares them with expected hash values from the request. This intermediary verification method enables cross-domain caching while maintaining file authenticity, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and download time.
2Speed
If conventional caching systems store files without verification, then retrieval speed is maximized, but file corruption and incorrect versions cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by computing and storing hash values of files when they are first cached. This pre-computation allows for rapid verification during subsequent retrieval operations without adding significant overhead. The hash value is calculated in advance and stored alongside the cached file, enabling fast authenticity verification that maintains retrieval speed while ensuring verification accuracy.
3Reliability
If hash verification is performed on every cached file retrieval, then file authenticity is ensured, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical verification systems with a simplified hash-based verification mechanism. Instead of implementing intricate file comparison or authentication protocols, the system uses cryptographic hash functions to generate compact verification values. This substitution dramatically reduces system complexity while maintaining high reliability, as hash computation and comparison are computationally efficient operations that can be performed with minimal additional infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method receives a request for a file containing an identifier of the requested file and a message digest, containing an expected hash result of the requested file. The system and method identifies whether it has already stored a file having that identifier and a hash result matching the message digest. If so, the file is provided, optionally after being checked for authenticity via rehashing and comparing again to the message digest. If the file is not stored in the cache, it may be retrieved from a location included in the identifier, hashed and compared to the message digest to authenticate it, and provided to the requesting program if the hash result matches the message digest.