Decryption Server Intermediary for Secure Key Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Authorized recipients face challenges in accessing encrypted electronic information when the decryption key is not available or not preferable to use due to reasons such as lack of a smart-card reader or insufficient computing resources, leading to an inability to decrypt the information without compromising security.
Innovation Solution
A decryption server is utilized to receive requests for decryption, authenticate the requesting entity using a secondary credential, retrieve the decryption key, and decrypt the encrypted information, with the option to re-encrypt and transmit the unencrypted information over a secure channel, allowing the authorized recipient to access the information without needing the primary decryption key.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If asymmetric encryption is used to provide robust protection and ease of use, then security and convenience are improved, but the decryption key may become unavailable or unusable due to device constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a decryption server as an intermediary between the encrypted information and the recipient's device. The server holds the decryption key and performs decryption on behalf of recipients, eliminating the need for them to possess or manage the decryption key directly. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining security (the key remains protected on the server) while improving accessibility (recipients can decrypt information using only their public key and the server's assistance).
2Reliability
If the decryption key is stored on a smart-card for security, then security is improved, but accessibility deteriorates when the device lacks a smart-card reader
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the decryption key from the smart-card environment and relocates it to a decryption server. This allows the key to remain securely stored (effectively 'taken out' from the constrained smart-card reader scenario) while making it accessible to multiple recipients through the server, resolving the contradiction between secure storage and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The decryption server provides universal access to the decryption key for multiple recipients across different devices. Instead of requiring each device to have smart-card reading capability, the server acts as a universal decryption point that any device can access, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining the security of the key.
3Speed
If decryption is performed locally on the electronic device, then speed of access is improved, but device complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The decryption server acts as an intermediary that offloads the computational burden of decryption from the recipient's device. The device only needs to communicate with the server and perform minimal local operations, while the server handles the resource-intensive decryption process, resolving the contradiction between decryption speed and device resource requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are methods of and systems for facilitating decryption of encrypted electronic information to obtain unencrypted electronic information for consumption by an authorized recipient. A decryption server receives a request for decryption sent by a requesting entity. Subsequently, prior to fulfilling the request for decryption, authentication of the requesting entity may be performed based on a secondary credential. The secondary credential may be issued based on the primary credential. Thereafter, the decryption server retrieves the decryption key by communicating with a source entity, such as a certificate authority, that issued the decryption key. Subsequently, the decryption server decrypts the encrypted electronic information utilizing the decryption key. Thereafter, in an embodiment, the decryption server may transmit the unencrypted electronic information to the requesting entity. In another embodiment, the decryption server may re-encrypt the unencrypted electronic information based on the secondary credential, in order to obtain a secondary encrypted electronic information.