Crypto-Service Mediation for Legacy App Protocol Agility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing security protocols are not robust against attacks, require reconfiguration for protocol changes, and are vulnerable to quantum computing, with legacy applications tied to specific implementations.
Innovation Solution
A cryptographic service (CryptoService) decouples cryptographic management from applications, allowing dynamic policy control and seamless switching between cryptographic protocols, including quantum-resistant algorithms, to ensure secure communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If legacy applications are tied to a specific security protocol implementation, then the application can maintain simple integration with the protocol, but the application cannot adapt to protocol updates or security improvements without reconfiguration or recompilation
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the security protocol functionality into a separate protocol handler component that is independent of the legacy application. The application interface remains simple while the protocol handler manages protocol-specific complexity, allowing protocol updates without application reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
A protocol handler acts as an intermediary layer between the legacy application and the security protocol. This mediator absorbs protocol changes and presents a stable interface to the application, enabling protocol adaptability without increasing application complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If security protocols are tightly bundled together, then the protocol implementation is simple and unified, but the system cannot dynamically switch between different cryptographic algorithms or protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The security protocol is segmented into distinct functional components: a protocol handler that manages algorithm selection and a record layer that handles data encryption. This separation enables dynamic cryptographic algorithm changes while maintaining a clean architectural structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The protocol handler is designed to dynamically select and switch between different cryptographic algorithms based on policy or security requirements, while the underlying record layer remains stable. This dynamic capability is achieved without permanently increasing architectural complexity.
3Ease of operation
If cryptographic management is integrated within each application, then each application has direct control over its security, but cryptographic updates require reconfiguring each application individually
Solution Approach 1:
A centralized protocol handler serves as an intermediary that manages cryptographic operations for multiple applications. This allows centralized cryptographic updates and policy changes to be propagated to all applications without individual reconfiguration, reducing update time while maintaining ease of management.
Solution Approach 2:
The protocol handler is designed as a universal component that can serve multiple legacy applications with different cryptographic needs. It provides a single point of control for cryptographic management, enabling efficient updates across the entire system.
4Reliability
If existing security protocols are used without modification, then the implementation is straightforward and compatible with legacy systems, but the protocols are vulnerable to attacks and quantum computing
Solution Approach 1:
The protocol handler acts as a secure intermediary that implements modern, quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms while maintaining compatibility with legacy applications. It translates between legacy protocol requirements and contemporary security standards, improving security robustness without complicating implementation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes cryptographic parameters (algorithms, key lengths, protocols) at the protocol handler level rather than requiring changes to legacy applications. This allows implementation of quantum-resistant cryptography while maintaining ease of integration with existing systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A method applies secure cryptographic communication between legacy applications and corresponding external services. A user device has one or more processors and memory, and runs a legacy application. The application receives input (e.g., from a user). In response to the input, the application initiates communication over a secure communication protocol to an external service not running on the user device. A client crypto-service encapsulates the communication and provides a secure encrypted tunnel to a server crypto-service, at a server system, in communication with the external service. The server system has one or more processors and memory. The server system receives the encapsulated communication at the server crypto-service and sends the communication to the external service. The server system then receives a response to the communication from the external service and returns the response, through the secure encrypted tunnel, to the user device.