Decentralized Secrets Management Platform Using Blockchain Nodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IoT secret management solutions lack scalability, availability, and automation while being vulnerable to cyberattacks, and they do not facilitate open collaboration among actors due to centralized information storage, which hampers key management and access control.
Innovation Solution
A decentralized secrets management platform utilizing a blockchain-based system with a shared register for nodes and actors, enabling secure, automated, and resilient access to secrets through a smart contract that manages identities, permissions, and key generation, ensuring strong authentication and secure data transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a centralized secrets management server is used, then strong authentication and security control are achieved, but the system lacks scalability, availability, and resilience to cyberattacks
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized secrets management server is segmented into multiple distributed nodes forming a blockchain network. Each node maintains a copy of the secret registry, eliminating the single point of failure and enabling horizontal scalability. The secret management functionality is divided across multiple independent entities that collectively provide the same service with enhanced reliability and scalability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a hierarchical structure where smart contracts are nested within the blockchain protocol, which in turn is nested within the IoT ecosystem. The smart contracts encapsulate the authentication logic and secret management rules, while the blockchain provides the underlying distributed ledger infrastructure, creating nested layers of abstraction that enable both security and scalability.
2Reliability
If all secret information is centralized in a single server, then strong authentication is possible, but the system becomes vulnerable to cyberattacks and lacks resilience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the secret information from the centralized server and distributes it across multiple blockchain nodes. Each node holds a cryptographic representation of the secrets rather than the actual secret values. This extraction and distribution approach maintains authentication capabilities while eliminating the central target for cyberattacks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of distributed secret management (complexity in maintaining consistency) into a benefit by using cryptographic hashing and consensus mechanisms. The distributed nature that could lead to inconsistency is transformed into enhanced security through cryptographic verification and consensus-based state validation across nodes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a decentralized blockchain system is implemented, then scalability and availability are improved, but complex architectures with multiple technologies are required
Solution Approach 1:
The blockchain nodes perform multiple functions simultaneously: they maintain the distributed ledger, execute smart contracts for authentication, validate transactions, and provide consensus. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, simplifying the overall architecture while maintaining decentralization and scalability.
Solution Approach 2:
The smart contracts automatically execute authentication logic and secret management operations without requiring manual intervention or complex external orchestration. The system self-regulates through programmed rules that automatically verify credentials, manage access rights, and maintain security policies, reducing architectural complexity despite decentralization.
4Reliability
If centralized authentication solutions are used, then strong authentication is achieved, but the system lacks automation and requires manual management
Solution Approach 1:
Authentication rules, access policies, and secret management logic are pre-programmed into smart contracts before deployment. When authentication requests occur, the pre-configured smart contracts automatically execute the verification logic without manual intervention. This preliminary configuration enables automated authentication while maintaining strong security through cryptographic verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The smart contracts autonomously perform authentication operations by automatically verifying credentials, checking access rights, and managing secret distribution. The system serves itself by executing programmed logic without requiring human operators to manually authenticate users or manage access control, thereby achieving both strong authentication and high automation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a secret management platform (10) for at least two actors (11), each with their own identity, comprising a secret manager (12), and at least two nodes (13), each with its own identity, each node (13) managing access to the secret manager (12) by one of the actors (11). The secret manager (12) comprises a blockchain ledger (14) shared between the nodes (13). The invention further relates to a method for managing a secret (15) between at least the first and second actors (11), implemented using a secret management platform (15) according to the invention.