Ephemeral Key Exchange for Secure Storage Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large-scale data storage systems with numerous clients and storage devices, the security of data exchange is compromised by the complexity and overhead of cryptographic key management, particularly in dynamic network environments where key generation, distribution, storage, and revocation become cumbersome and vulnerable to intrusions.
Innovation Solution
A method using Diffie-Hellman components to generate a symmetric data exchange key, where a long-term component is pre-distributed to a server and short-term components are exchanged between clients and devices with a limited expiration time, allowing for efficient key calculation and deletion, thereby simplifying key management and enhancing security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cryptographic techniques are used to encrypt and decrypt data, then security of data exchange is improved, but key management complexity and overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments key management into two distinct components: long-term keys stored securely on the server, and short-term ephemeral keys used for actual data exchange. This segmentation allows the system to maintain strong security while reducing the complexity of managing numerous cryptographic keys across the network, as ephemeral keys are automatically generated and discarded after use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-distributing long-term cryptographic keys to storage devices during system initialization, before any data exchange occurs. This allows the server to authenticate devices in advance and establish trust relationships, reducing the complexity of key management during dynamic data exchange operations.
2Productivity
If the number of clients and storage devices increases, then system scalability is improved, but the number of cryptographic keys required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by using a single long-term key on the server to authenticate and manage communications with multiple storage devices. Instead of requiring unique key pairs for each device-client interaction, the server's long-term key serves multiple authentication purposes, allowing the system to scale to numerous devices without proportionally increasing the number of cryptographic keys that must be managed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs ephemeral (short-lived) keys for data exchange that are automatically generated and discarded after use. These disposable keys replace the need for persistent key management for each communication session, allowing the system to handle a large number of clients and devices without accumulating a corresponding large number of long-term cryptographic keys.
3Reliability
If keys are frequently generated and revoked in dynamic networks, then security is improved, but the key cycle process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by making the key system adaptive to network conditions: long-term keys provide stable, persistent authentication relationships, while short-term ephemeral keys are dynamically generated for each data exchange session and automatically revoked after use. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain strong security without requiring complex manual key cycle management, as the ephemeral keys are automatically handled by the system.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3
AI summary
Method, system and computer program for exchanging data between a client computer and a storage device, in that the storage device is sending a long-term DH-component to an intermediate server, the client computer is sending a first short-term DH-component to the storage device through the intermediate server that adds a communication expiration time, the storage device is sending a second short-term DH-component to the client computer, the client computer and the storage device are calculating a symmetric key from the long-term component and from both short-term DH-components to exchange data and are deleting the short-term DH-components upon reaching the expiration time.