Encrypted Connection-Key Transfer for Third-Party Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for archiving and inspecting encrypted data communication fail to maintain end-to-end encryption while allowing third-party access for logging and malware detection, leading to reduced security and compliance issues.
Innovation Solution
A method where a connection key is encrypted with an additional key known to a third party, allowing the third party to decrypt and archive or inspect data without disrupting the end-to-end encryption, using a transparent communication protocol to include the third party in the data connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If end-to-end encryption is used for data communication, then security is improved, but third-party archiving and inspection capabilities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a key distribution mechanism where the connection key is encrypted with a third party's public key and transmitted through them. The third party acts as an intermediary that can decrypt and archive the key without being able to decrypt the actual communication data, thus enabling archiving while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent separates the encryption key (connection key) from the encrypted data. The connection key is extracted, encrypted with the third party's public key, and transmitted separately through the third party's infrastructure. This segmentation allows the third party to access the key for archiving purposes while the main communication remains secure.
2Ease of operation
If a separate communication channel is used to transmit the encryption key to the third party, then archiving capability is improved, but device complexity and bandwidth consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the connection key transmission with the existing encrypted communication channel. The key is embedded within the encrypted data stream as a separate encrypted segment, allowing it to be transmitted through the same infrastructure without requiring additional separate communication channels.
3Ease of operation
If the connection key is transmitted in unencrypted form, then third-party access is improved, but security deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different encryption properties to different parts of the data stream. The connection key segment is encrypted with the third party's public key, making it accessible to them, while the rest of the communication data remains encrypted with the original end-to-end keys, maintaining security for the actual communication content.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes: A) establishing a data connection between a first communication partner and a second communication partner by use of a connection key, B) the first communication partner and/or the second communication partner encrypts the connection key for the data connection by use of an additional key, and C) the first communication partner transmits a message, which contains an unencrypted part and a part encrypted by use of the connection key, to the second communication partner. The unencrypted part of the message contains the connection key encrypted by means of the additional key.