Distributed Endpoint Authentication via Multi-Source Certificate Comparison
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital certificate verification processes are vulnerable to counterfeit certificates, making it difficult for client computing devices to ensure the trustworthiness of digital certificates received for accessing computing resources.
Innovation Solution
A method where a client computing device sends a request and simultaneously triggers additional requests from geographically diverse locations to obtain multiple digital certificates, which are then compared to determine if the initial certificate is trustworthy, using a threshold validation process to ensure consistency and authenticity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a client computing device receives a digital certificate to access a computing resource, then the device can establish network communication, but the certificate may be counterfeit and untrustworthy
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification by proactively sending requests to multiple certificate authorities before establishing the actual connection. This advance action allows the client to obtain and compare multiple certificates beforehand, identifying potential counterfeit certificates before they can compromise the communication security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system obtains multiple copies of the same digital certificate from different certificate authorities or through different verification methods. By comparing these copies, the system can detect discrepancies that indicate a counterfeit certificate, thereby verifying the authenticity of the certificate without relying on a single potentially compromised source.
2Reliability
If robust verification processes are used to ensure certificate authenticity, then certificate security is improved, but significant resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The verification process is segmented into multiple independent requests sent to different certificate authorities or verification services. Each request performs a portion of the verification workload, distributing the computational burden across multiple parallel operations rather than one resource-intensive sequential verification process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs more verification actions than traditionally required by sending multiple requests to multiple certificate authorities. This excessive action approach ensures that even if some verification attempts fail or return counterfeit certificates, the additional verification attempts provide redundant security checks that maintain overall system security while distributing the resource cost across multiple operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A system sends a request for access to a resource and receives a digital certificate in response to the request. The system simultaneously causes one or more computing devices located in different geographical locations to send a plurality of requests to also access the resource. In response to the plurality of requests, digital certificates are received. The digital certificate is then compared to the plurality of digital certificates received from the plurality of requests sent by the computing devices in different geographical locations. The result of the comparison indicates whether the digital certificate is trustworthy.