Cloud Key Management Server for Secure Message Encryption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional communication systems face challenges in securing message transmission and reception, as encrypted mail and files can be easily viewed within closed networks, and key management is complex, leading to potential unauthorized access and decryption errors.
Innovation Solution
A communication system where a user terminal acquires a public key for the recipient to encrypt messages and files, and a cloud key management server generates and decrypts private keys, minimizing key management on the user terminal and ensuring secure transmission and reception.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional public key encryption is used with key management on user terminals, then message confidentiality is secured, but key management becomes complex and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the key management function from user terminals and relocates it to a dedicated key management server. The server generates, stores, and manages private keys centrally, while user terminals only handle public key distribution and message encryption/decryption operations. This extraction eliminates the complexity of local key management on user terminals while maintaining message confidentiality through secure server-side key control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a key management server as an intermediary between users for handling sensitive key operations. The server acts as a trusted mediator that generates key pairs, securely stores private keys, and manages key distribution without requiring users to directly manage their own keys. This intermediary approach simplifies user terminal operations while ensuring reliable cryptographic security through centralized key control.
2Reliability
If encrypted mail is transmitted through mail servers, then communication security is improved, but encrypted text can be easily viewed within closed networks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a perturbation server as an intermediary that applies perturbation processing to encrypted messages. The server receives encrypted text from senders, applies perturbation (such as adding noise or transforming the ciphertext), and forwards the perturbed encrypted text to recipients. This intermediary processing ensures that even if messages are intercepted within the closed network, they cannot be easily viewed or decrypted without the proper private key and perturbation reversal capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies perturbation processing that changes the parameters of the encrypted text before transmission. The perturbation server modifies the ciphertext through mathematical transformations or noise addition, making it computationally infeasible to view or analyze the original message content without the corresponding private key and perturbation reversal process. This parameter change approach enhances security against unauthorized access within the network.
3Ease of operation
If cloud key management is implemented, then key management is simplified, but decryption requires server interaction increasing communication overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-distributing public keys to user terminals through the key management server before actual message transmission. The server generates key pairs in advance, stores private keys securely, and provides public keys to senders who need them for encryption. This preliminary key distribution eliminates the need for real-time server interaction during message decryption, reducing communication overhead while maintaining simplified key management through centralized pre-configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication system includes a user terminal that transmits and receives a message, and a server device that manages a public key and a private key, wherein the user terminal includes first processing circuitry configured to, when transmitting the message to another user terminal, acquire a public key corresponding to identification information about a recipient of the message, and encrypt the message or a file attached to the message, using the acquired public key, transmit, to the another user terminal, a message obtained by encrypting the message or the file attached to the message, and when receiving the message from the another user terminal, request the server device to decrypt the message or the file attached to the message, and receive the decrypted message or file from the server device, and the server device includes second processing circuitry configured to generate a private key corresponding to the identification information.