Multi-party Cryptographic Key Segmentation for Secure Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Content services face challenges in securely distributing content keys to license services without revealing the unencrypted content keys, which is a security concern.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of multi-party cryptographic methods allows a content service to split a content key into shares, which are then distributed to separate license services. These services use multi-party computation techniques to generate a protected content key without revealing the unencrypted content key to any single service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a content service shares content keys with a license service in unencrypted form, then the license service can easily manage and distribute content keys, but the security of the content key is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The content key is segmented into multiple key shares using secret sharing schemes. Each license service receives only a portion of the key material, making it impossible to reconstruct the full content key from any single service. This segmentation enables distributed key management while maintaining security, as the complete key never exists in unencrypted form at any single location.
Solution Approach 2:
A trusted execution environment (TEE) acts as an intermediary between the content service and license services. The TEE securely holds the content key and performs cryptographic operations without exposing the key material to external services. This intermediary mechanism enables license services to manage key distribution while the actual key remains protected within the TEE boundary.
2Reliability
If a content service uses multiple license services to distribute content keys, then the system achieves better security distribution, but the complexity of key management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the content key into multiple shares and distributes them to different license services. Each service manages its own key share independently, which simplifies individual service operations while achieving collective security. The segmentation approach naturally handles the multi-service architecture by giving each service a discrete, manageable portion of the key material.
Solution Approach 2:
The secret sharing mechanism provides universal functionality across multiple license services. The same cryptographic protocols and key management procedures can be applied uniformly to any number of license services, making the system scalable. This multi-functional approach allows the architecture to handle both security distribution and simplified operations through standardized processes.
3Reliability
If a content key is encrypted using a device public key before distribution, then the security of the content key is improved, but the computational overhead and time required for key distribution increases
Solution Approach 1:
Device public keys are obtained and cached in advance before content key distribution is needed. The content service maintains a repository of device public keys, eliminating the need for time-consuming key exchange protocols during actual content distribution. This preliminary preparation of cryptographic materials significantly reduces the time required for secure key distribution while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The content key is segmented into shares that are encrypted with different device public keys. This segmentation allows parallel encryption operations to be performed on smaller key portions rather than encrypting the entire key as a single unit. The divided encryption process reduces computational overhead and distributes the processing load, thereby reducing the time required for secure key distribution.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to systems and methods for performing cryptographic operations in connection with the management of electronic content using multiple license services. In some circumstances, a content service may not wish to share unencrypted content keys with a single license service for a variety of security reasons. Embodiments of the disclosed systems and methods may use multi-party cryptographic methods in connection with the management of protected content keys and/or associated licenses and/or the distribution of content keys and/or licenses to authorized users and/or devices. In various embodiments, a content service may split a content key into a plurality of key shares and may transmit the key shares to a plurality of different license services. The license services may coordinate operations to generate a protected content key without revealing unencrypted content key to any of the participating license services.