Escrow Agent Key Segmentation for Secret Encryption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Computing devices face challenges in securely storing sensitive data, as existing security measures are inadequate in preventing unauthorized access to secrets, especially when malicious entities attempt to intercept data in transit or storage.
Innovation Solution
A method involving an escrow agent system where a client initiates enrollment to generate a public key and private key pair, encrypts secrets with the public key, and stores them securely, requiring both the client and escrow agent for decryption, with additional blinding operations to further secure access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing security measures are used to store sensitive data, then data can be stored with basic protection, but unauthorized access cannot be effectively prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The encryption key is segmented into two parts: a public key stored on the client device and a private key stored on the escrow agent server. This segmentation ensures that neither party alone can decrypt the sensitive data, providing robust security against unauthorized access while enabling reliable storage.
2Loss of information
If public key encryption is used to protect secrets, then data confidentiality is improved, but the system complexity increases due to key management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
An escrow agent server is introduced as an intermediary to manage the private key. This mediator handles key generation, storage, and decryption operations, simplifying the client device's role to only encryption and storage. The intermediary approach maintains confidentiality while reducing the complexity burden on individual components.
3Ease of operation
If the escrow agent stores the private key, then decryption capability is preserved, but the risk of key compromise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cryptographic key is segmented into public and private components stored at different locations. The private key is further protected through secure storage mechanisms on the escrow agent server, including potential additional segmentation into multiple key shares. This segmentation preserves decryption capability while mitigating key compromise risk through distributed security.
4Reliability
If additional blinding operations are implemented, then security against malicious entities is enhanced, but the encryption process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Blinding operations are performed preliminarily on the sensitive data before encryption. This preliminary action transforms the data into a blinded form that cannot be reverse-engineered even if the encryption key is compromised. The blinding step is executed once during the encryption process, enhancing security while adding manageable complexity through a single preparatory operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for securing a secret of a client using an escrow agent operatively connected to the client includes initiating enrollment of the client with the escrow agent, wherein the enrollment results the escrow agent generating a key pair comprising a public key and a private key, obtaining the public key from the escrow agent, wherein the private key is not shared with the client, encrypting the secret with the public key to obtain an encrypted secret, and storing the encrypted secret on the client.