Deterministic Certificate Expiration in Distributed Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
In distributed systems, the intermittent connectivity between certificate issuers and data processing systems poses a challenge in verifying the revocation status of certificates, leading to uncertainty about their validity, which can compromise security and operational reliability.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method where data processing systems manage certificates by establishing validity verification periods and performing checks to determine whether certificates are valid or invalid, even in the absence of direct communication with the certificate issuer, by presuming validity unless revoked and taking remedial actions when checks fail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If certificates are used in distributed systems with intermittent connectivity, then operational continuity is improved, but certificate validity verification becomes unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing validity verification periods and checking certificate status during periods of connectivity. Certificate validity is determined in advance by comparing the current time against the validity verification period and expiration date, allowing the system to operate reliably even when connectivity is later interrupted.
2Reliability
If certificate validity checks are performed frequently to ensure security, then system security is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous verification, the system implements periodic action by establishing validity verification periods with specific start and end times. The certificate authority performs checks at defined intervals, and the data processing system applies deterministic rules based on whether the current time falls within the verification period, simplifying the management complexity while maintaining security.
3Reliability
If certificates are invalidated when connectivity is lost, then security is maintained, but operational reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies dynamic logic by evaluating multiple conditions in a specific sequence: first checking if the current time is within the validity verification period, then checking if the certificate expiration date has been reached. This dynamic, multi-condition approach allows the system to maintain certificates as valid during intermittent connectivity while still enforcing security through deterministic expiration checks.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for certificate management in a distributed system are disclosed. The distributed system may include data processing systems that utilize certificates issued by a certificate issuer. The data processing systems may be intermittently connected to the certificate issuer. The certificate issuer may, at any point in time, revoke any issued certificate. The certificate issuer may not notify other entities of the revocation. To determine whether a certificate should be treated as being valid, the data processing systems may apply a set of rules to the certificate that compensate for intermittent connectivity to the certificate issuer that may prevent determining whether a certificate has been revoked, while limiting risk due to the potential for a certificate to have been revoked but the revocation not being known.