Digital Certificate Checking Module for Wireless Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Checking digital certificates frequently in S/MIME and similar systems leads to slowdowns, battery life reduction, and increased data costs, especially in group communications or frequent message exchanges in mobile wireless environments.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a digital certificate checking module that determines the necessity of validity checks based on the time since the last check, with configuration data provided by IT administrators to set a periodicity for certificate validity checks, balancing security and performance considerations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If digital certificate validity is checked every time a message is sent or received, then security is improved, but system performance deteriorates due to slowdowns and increased processing time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic certificate validity checks instead of checking every message. The system uses assurance periods (e.g., 4 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours) to determine when to check certificate status, balancing security needs with performance requirements in wireless environments
2Reliability
If digital certificate validity is checked frequently, then security is improved, but energy consumption increases reducing battery life
Solution Approach 1:
The system schedules certificate checks at periodic intervals (assurance periods) rather than continuously or with every message transaction. This reduces the frequency of wireless communications and processing operations that consume battery power
3Reliability
If digital certificate validity is checked every message exchange, then security is improved, but data costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces the frequency of OCSP (Online Certificate Status Protocol) requests by using assurance periods. Instead of checking certificate status with every message, the system checks periodically based on pre-configured time intervals, reducing wireless data transmission requirements
4Productivity
If certificate checking is optimized for wireless environments, then productivity is improved, but security may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the time parameter (assurance period) to balance security and performance. Different assurance periods can be configured based on security requirements and wireless conditions, allowing flexible adjustment of the trade-off between security assurance and communication efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for handling electronic messages. An electronic message that is associated with a digital certificate is to be processed. A decision whether to check the validity of the digital certificate is based upon digital certificate checking criterion. An IT administrator may provide to one or more devices configuration data that establishes the digital certificate checking criterion.