CPE Local Storage with TPM Encryption for Secure Content Caching
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing service provider networks face high traffic and resource consumption due to duplicative requests for content files, as devices within a local area network often retrieve content from the network instead of caching it locally, leading to inefficient bandwidth usage and security concerns.
Innovation Solution
Implementing customer-premises equipment (CPE) with a local storage device and a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) to intercept content file requests, cache frequently accessed files, and manage access permissions, allowing authorized devices to retrieve cached content directly while encrypting and securely managing stored files.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If content files are cached locally at CPE, then network traffic and resource consumption are reduced, but data security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by encrypting content files with TPM-generated keys before storing them in local cache. The encryption keys are generated and stored securely in the TPM chip before the actual caching operation, ensuring that even if cached files are compromised, the encrypted content remains protected. This preliminary security preparation resolves the contradiction by enabling local caching while maintaining data security.
Solution Approach 2:
The TPM (Trusted Platform Module) acts as an intermediary between the content files and the local storage system. It provides a secure layer that mediates the storage and retrieval operations, ensuring that cached content remains encrypted and protected. The TPM's cryptographic functions serve as a security buffer, allowing the system to cache content locally without directly exposing the plaintext data to potential security threats.
2Productivity
If content files are cached locally at CPE, then duplicative requests to service provider network are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The TPM chip provides multiple security functions within a single integrated component, including key generation, key storage, encryption, and decryption operations. This multi-functionality allows the CPE to implement secure caching without adding multiple separate security devices or complex security infrastructure, thereby reducing the overall device complexity while maintaining high request handling efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The TPM chip performs self-service by autonomously generating and managing cryptographic keys without requiring external key management infrastructure. The CPE system leverages the TPM's built-in capabilities to handle encryption and decryption operations, eliminating the need for complex external key management systems and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining efficient content delivery.
3Reliability
If TPM is used for encrypting cached content, then data security is enhanced, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the computationally intensive cryptographic operations out of the main CPE processing path and delegates them to the dedicated TPM hardware module. The TPM handles key generation, encryption, and decryption operations independently, allowing the main CPE processor to focus on content delivery tasks. This extraction reduces processing overhead in the main system while maintaining high data security through specialized hardware encryption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces duplicative requests to the service provider network, conserves bandwidth and resources, and enhances data security by enabling local caching and secure access to content files within the local area network.
Implementation Method 1
The CPE may use its TPM to encrypt content files cached on the local storage device
Implementation Method 2
the CPE may use its TPM to decrypt the content file and may forward the content file to the requesting device
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for intercepting, by a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a request for a content file. The request may originate from a computing device in a local area network for the CPE and may be destined for a destination device external to the local area network for the CPE. In response to determining that an encrypted content file for the content file is stored by a storage device for the CPE, the CPE may decrypt, using at least one cryptographic key obtained from a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) for the CPE, the encrypted content file to obtain the content file. The CPE may send the content file to the computing device.