Distributed Application Component Deployment Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for deploying components of a distributed application to runtime environments face challenges in establishing network security trust, as Pre Shared Key (PSK), Certificate Authority (CA), and Trust on First Use (TOFU) protocols are either domain-limited, prone to attacks, or lack identity distinction, leading to vulnerabilities in network security.
Innovation Solution
The method involves providing public key fingerprints between components, with each having its own public and private key, allowing secure migration and deployment across destination runtime environments, combining the strengths of CA, PSK, and TOFU protocols while mitigating their weaknesses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If Pre Shared Key (PSK) protocol is used for establishing network security trust, then deployment simplicity is improved, but security reliability deteriorates because any holder of shared keys can manipulate data from any other component and identities are not distinguished
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single shared PSK into individual component-specific keys. Each component receives its own unique key material during deployment, allowing the system to maintain deployment simplicity while establishing distinct identities for each component. This segmentation enables the runtime environment to track and manage individual component security credentials separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different security credentials to different components based on their specific identities and deployment contexts. Instead of a uniform PSK for all components, each component receives tailored key material that reflects its local security requirements and identity, enabling differentiated access control and security policies.
2Adaptability or versatility
If Trust on First Use (TOFU) protocol is used for establishing network security trust, then deployment flexibility is improved, but security reliability deteriorates due to vulnerability to man in the middle attacks on the first connection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-provisioning key material to components during the deployment phase, before the components establish their first operational connection. The runtime environment distributes public keys and fingerprints to components in advance, creating a trusted foundation that prevents man-in-the-middle attacks during initial connections while maintaining deployment flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the runtime environment as an intermediary that mediates the distribution of security credentials. This intermediary component verifies and distributes public keys and fingerprints to components, creating a trusted chain of custody that eliminates the vulnerability to man-in-the-middle attacks inherent in direct TOFU protocols.
3Measurement precision
If Certificate Authority (CA) protocol is used for establishing network security trust, then identity verification is improved, but security reliability deteriorates when a CA is compromised by an attacker signing overlapping or false certificates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the critical security verification function from a centralized CA and distributes it to individual components. Each component stores and verifies public keys and fingerprints locally, eliminating the single point of failure represented by a compromised CA. This extraction maintains precise identity verification while removing the systemic risk of centralized CA compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables components to perform self-verification of identities using locally stored public keys and fingerprints. Each component can independently verify the identity of other components without relying on an external CA, providing autonomous security verification that is resistant to centralized compromise while maintaining accurate identity validation.
4Reliability
If domain-specific security protocols are used for deploying components, then security reliability is improved within a single domain, but adaptability deteriorates when deploying across multiple network domains
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal security credential distribution mechanism that functions across multiple network domains. The runtime environment's method of distributing and verifying public keys and fingerprints is domain-agnostic, allowing the same security framework to operate reliably whether components are deployed within a single domain or across multiple interconnected domains, providing both reliability and adaptability.
Data Source
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Figure 2~3
Figure 4(a)~4(b)
AI summary
There is provided mechanisms for deployment of components of a distributed application on destination runtime environments. A method is performed by a source runtime environment. The method comprises providing, with the components residing on the source runtime environment, public key fingerprints between the components, such that each component has its own public key and its own private key and is provided with a public key fingerprint of at least one other of the components. The method comprises providing migrating each of the components from the source runtime environment to its destination runtime environment for deployment of each component on its destination runtime environment.