Certificate Enrollment Assistant for SCEP Authentication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The global challenge password mechanism in Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) does not authenticate individual devices effectively, allowing it to be used for obtaining certificates for any identity, posing a security risk by potentially exposing the password to devices.
Innovation Solution
A certificate enrolment assistant module is introduced to collaborate with computing devices, maintaining the global challenge password securely and injecting it into certificate signing requests without revealing it to the device, ensuring authentication and confidentiality through hash signing and encryption processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the global challenge password mechanism is used in SCEP, then certificate enrollment can be performed, but the password cannot authenticate individual devices effectively and can be used to obtain certificates for any identity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a certificate enrollment assistant as an intermediary component that mediates between the device and the certificate authority. The assistant holds the global challenge password securely and uses it to sign certificate signing requests on behalf of devices, while devices authenticate through their unique device identifiers. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of certificate enrollment through the assistant while achieving reliable individual device authentication without exposing the global password to devices.
2Ease of operation
If the global challenge password is exposed to devices, then certificate signing requests can be formed, but security is compromised as the password can be misused
Solution Approach 1:
The certificate enrollment assistant serves as a trusted intermediary that holds the global challenge password securely. Devices communicate their enrollment requests to the assistant, which then uses the password to sign the certificate signing requests. This eliminates password exposure risk while maintaining the ability to form valid certificate signing requests, as the assistant performs the signing operation using the protected password.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the global challenge password from the device environment and places it exclusively in the certificate enrollment assistant. By separating the password from devices, the system maintains the functionality of certificate signing request formation while removing the security vulnerability of password exposure. The assistant alone possesses and manages the password.
3Reliability
If a certificate enrolment assistant module is introduced to maintain the global challenge password securely, then device authentication and security are enhanced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The certificate enrollment assistant is introduced as a centralized intermediary that consolidates password management functionality. While this adds a component to the system, it actually simplifies the overall architecture by centralizing security-critical functions in one trusted location rather than distributing password management across multiple devices. The assistant handles all password-related operations, reducing the complexity of securing passwords across the entire system.
Data Source
AI summary
A certificate enrolment assistant module may be provided to inject a challenge password into a certificate signing request to be sent, to a Certificate Authority, from a computing device. The certificate enrolment assistant module, thereby, acts as a trusted proxy to assist the computing device in building a valid certificate signing request without the computing device having access to the challenge password.