Cross-region Session Credentials with Asymmetric Keys
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing session credential systems using symmetric keys are vulnerable to unauthorized access and misuse when used across regions, as any service that can decrypt session credentials can access and misuse the secret key, leading to increased security risks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing asymmetric session credentials, where session tokens are encrypted with a session encryption key only accessible to the service provider, and using a combination of account keys and global session keys to generate session credentials, ensuring secure access and limiting key usage to trusted regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If symmetric session credentials are used across regions, then service access is simplified, but security vulnerabilities increase as any service that can decrypt credentials can access and misuse the secret key
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from symmetric key cryptography to asymmetric key cryptography for session credentials. The session encryption key is generated as an asymmetric key pair where the private key remains secure in the client device and the public key is used by services for decryption. This asymmetric approach allows services to verify credentials without having access to the secret key, thereby maintaining security while enabling cross-region access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the session credential system into multiple independent components: session encryption keys (asymmetric key pairs), session tokens (encrypted payloads), and verification mechanisms. Each service receives only the public key portion for verification, while the private key remains segmented and secured in the client device. This segmentation prevents any single service from accessing the complete secret key.
2Measurement precision
If session credentials are decrypted to verify requests, then authentication is enabled, but the secret key can be extracted and misused to generate unauthorized requests
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses asymmetric cryptography where the session encryption key consists of a private key (kept secret in the client device) and a public key (distributed to services). Services can verify request signatures using the public key without ever having access to the private key. This mathematical asymmetry ensures that verification is possible while key extraction and misuse remain computationally infeasible.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces session tokens as an intermediary mechanism. The session token contains an encrypted payload with session information that is verified through cryptographic signatures. Services verify the authenticity of requests by checking signatures against the public key in the session token, without needing to decrypt or access the private key. This intermediary structure separates verification capabilities from key access.
3Reliability
If asymmetric session credentials are implemented, then security is enhanced by preventing key access, but computational overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs computationally intensive operations in advance: asymmetric key pairs are generated beforehand, session tokens are pre-encoded with encrypted payloads containing public keys, and cryptographic signatures are prepared in advance. This preliminary action reduces the computational burden during actual request verification, as services only need to perform signature verification rather than full decryption operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses public keys as readable copies that can be freely distributed to multiple services without security risks. Instead of sharing secret keys, the system creates and distributes public key copies to each service that needs to verify credentials. This copying approach eliminates the need for secure key distribution while maintaining verification capabilities across multiple services.
4Reliability
If session credentials are made region-specific, then security is improved by limiting access, but cross-region service access becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates session tokens with universal structure that can be verified by any service in any region. The session token contains an encrypted payload with a public key that can be used for verification anywhere in the system. This universal design allows the same session credential structure to function across multiple regions without requiring region-specific credential formats or complex regional verification systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses session tokens as intermediary objects that mediate between the client device and various regional services. The session token encapsulates the necessary verification information (public key, encrypted payload, expiration data) in a self-contained format that can be presented to any service. This intermediary structure simplifies cross-region access by providing a single verification mechanism that works universally across different regions.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for using short-term session credentials across regions are described herein. A first request for resources generated using a short-term session credentials and digitally signed with a digital signature. The request is generated in a first region and received in a second region. In response to the request, a second request is generated in the second region to validate the first request. A new session token that is usable in the second region is generated and returned to the second region. The new session token can then be used in the second region to fulfill the first request.