Cloud HSM Key Pooling for Scalable Cryptographic Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing payment HSMs face challenges such as complex integration, vendor lock-in, expertise requirements, compliance with industry standards, and scalability issues, particularly when transitioning to cloud-based systems.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based HSM solution that shares a group of HSM master keys among multiple identical HSMs, allowing for efficient resource allocation and secure cryptographic processing, with a computing device managing requests and encrypting/decrypting customer working keys using a unique HSM master key.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple identical HSMs share a group of HSM master keys in a cloud-based system, then resource sharing and scalability are improved, but system complexity and key management overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the key management function by separating HSM master keys from individual HSM devices. Multiple identical HSMs share a group of HSM master keys, allowing workloads to be distributed across multiple devices while maintaining simplified key management at the cloud platform level. This segmentation enables resource sharing without proportionally increasing key management complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud-based HSM platform acts as an intermediary between customer applications and the pool of identical HSMs. It manages the group of HSM master keys and handles key assignment to specific HSMs, abstracting away the complexity from both the customers and the individual HSM devices. This intermediary layer enables efficient resource allocation while centralizing key management responsibilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If HSM master keys are shared among multiple identical HSMs, then scalability and load distribution are improved, but security risks and attack surfaces increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each HSM in the pool maintains its own local security boundaries and processing isolation. While HSM master keys are shared at the cloud platform level, individual HSMs process cryptographic operations independently with localized security controls. This local quality approach allows scalability through multiple devices while maintaining security through isolation at the device level.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically assigns specific HSM master keys from the shared group to specific HSMs based on workload requirements and security considerations. This dynamic allocation allows the system to scale flexibly while adapting security configurations to match operational needs, balancing the trade-off between scalability and security risk management.
3Reliability
If proprietary protocols and varying security configurations are used in Payment HSMs, then security and compliance are improved, but integration complexity and vendor lock-in increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cloud-based HSM platform provides a universal interface that abstracts away the proprietary protocols and varying security configurations of individual Payment HSMs. Multiple identical HSMs with different configurations can be managed through a single standardized interface, enabling integration without requiring customers to deal with vendor-specific complexities while maintaining security compliance through centralized configuration management.
4Reliability
If expensive HSMs are sized to support peak loads, then system resilience during peak loads is improved, but resource utilization efficiency deteriorates during average loads
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple identical HSMs into a shared pool that can be dynamically allocated to handle varying loads. During peak loads, the combined capacity of all HSMs in the pool provides the necessary resilience. During average loads, the workload is distributed across fewer active HSMs, improving resource utilization efficiency. This merging approach allows the system to achieve peak load resilience without permanently over-provisioning individual HSMs.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a method performed by a computing device for processing data objects in a cloud-based system. The method includes generating a group of different hardware security module, HSM, master keys shared by a plurality of identical HSMs, and receiving a request from a customer application, wherein the request comprises one or more data objects and an encrypted version of a customer working key. The method further includes associating the received request with a unique HSM master key from the group of different HSM master keys, decrypting the encrypted version of the customer working key and encrypting the customer working key using the unique HSM master key. The method further comprises sending the one or more data objects with the encrypted customer working key using the unique HSM master key to a randomly selected HSM from the plurality of identical HSMs.