Cloud Key Management Service with Hardware Security Module
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collaboration environments in cloud-based settings lack client-side control and configurability for security mechanisms, particularly in data encryption, which limits enterprise control over key management and access monitoring.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a hardware security module (HSM) with local key encryption and automatic generation of audit log information, along with a rule engine for client-side control and configurability, enables enterprise clients to monitor and manage key access, including a 'kill switch' for remote key management services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If security mechanisms are added to cloud-based collaboration environments, then data security is improved, but client-level control and configurability of security mechanisms deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments key management control into two distinct layers: enterprise-level administrative control and user-level operational access. The key management service separates encryption key storage (enterprise-controlled) from data encryption/decryption operations (user-accessible), allowing enterprises to maintain security policies while users perform collaborative operations. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling both strong security and client-level configurability through differentiated access controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a key management service as an intermediary component between enterprise administrators and end users. This service acts as a mediator that receives encryption/decryption requests from users, validates them against enterprise policies, and performs key operations. The intermediary enables user-level control for collaboration while maintaining enterprise-level security oversight, resolving the contradiction between security and adaptability.
2Reliability
If remote key management services are implemented, then enterprise control over key encryption is improved, but system complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts key management functionality from the core collaboration platform into a separate, dedicated key management service. This extraction isolates the complexity of cryptographic operations, key storage, and policy enforcement into a specialized component, allowing the main collaboration system to remain simple while enterprise control over encryption is enhanced through the dedicated service.
Solution Approach 2:
The key management service is designed as a universal component that handles multiple functions: key generation, storage, encryption, decryption, key rotation, and policy enforcement. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional service, the patent reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate mechanisms for each cryptographic operation, while maintaining strong enterprise control.
3Reliability
If access monitoring and audit logging are implemented, then security monitoring capability is improved, but processing overhead and system performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring access policies, permissions, and audit rules in the key management service before actual cryptographic operations occur. Enterprise administrators define access control policies and monitoring parameters in advance, allowing the system to quickly evaluate requests against pre-established rules rather than making complex decisions in real-time during encryption/decryption operations, thus minimizing performance overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where audit log information is generated and returned to the key management service for analysis. This feedback loop allows the service to learn from access patterns and enforce policies more efficiently over time, improving security monitoring capability while the structured feedback process prevents excessive processing overhead by focusing analysis on relevant access events.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are disclosed for facilitating remote key management services in a collaborative cloud-based environment. In one embodiment, the remote key management architecture and techniques described herein provide for local key encryption and automatic generation of a reason code associated with content access. The reason code is logged by a hardware security module which is monitored by a remote client device (e.g., an enterprise client) to control a second (remote) layer of key encryption. The remote client device provides client-side control and configurability of the second layer of key encryption.