Encrypted Build Images for Security-Sensitive Feature Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for restricting access to security-sensitive features in storage systems are either easily compromised, require complex processes, or result in inconsistent software testing environments, making them unfriendly for DevOps engineers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing unique encryption keys for development and release build images to encrypt security-sensitive scripts, storing these keys securely, and deleting them after use, ensuring only authorized execution in trusted environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If undocumented or hidden arguments are used to toggle access to security-sensitive features, then ease of implementation is improved, but security is worsened because it can be easily leaked to attackers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the build process into development build images and release build images with different security configurations. Development images include access to security-sensitive features while release images restrict access, allowing different security levels for different purposes without compromising overall system security
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality attributes to different parts of the system by providing DevOps engineers with development build images that have security-sensitive features enabled locally for testing, while the production release build images maintain restricted access locally for security, thus allowing tailored security configurations for different user groups
2Ease of operation
If DevOps engineers are provided with a development build image that has security-sensitive features enabled, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability is worsened because software problems may not be detected until after release
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures homogeneity between development and release build images by using the same base image and configuration processes, differing only in the encryption key provisioning. This allows DevOps engineers to test on development images that are substantially identical to release images, improving reliability of software quality assurance while maintaining ease of operation
3Reliability
If privilege-injected processes are used to obtain root access and toggle security-sensitive features, then security is improved, but device complexity is worsened due to complex implementation and automation difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring encryption keys during the build image creation process. Development build images are pre-configured with encryption keys that enable access to security-sensitive features, while release build images are pre-configured without such keys. This eliminates the need for complex runtime privilege injection and automation, reducing implementation complexity while maintaining security
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for hiding security-sensitive features in untrusted environments. The techniques include inserting, in a development build image, one or more security-sensitive scripts encrypted with a unique encryption key for the development build image, and inserting, in a release build image, the security-sensitive scripts encrypted with a different unique encryption key for the release build image. The techniques further include saving the unique encryption key for the development build image in an artifact repository, and securely deleting the different unique encryption key for the release build image. In this way, user access to certain software code or scripts, device files, and/or other security-sensitive features can be restricted in a manner that is more user friendly to software development and/or information technology (or “DevOps”) engineers.