Federated Key Management Across Distributed Cryptography Services
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing distributed computing environments lack effective mechanisms for securely managing cryptographic keys across multiple tenants and services, leading to potential unauthorized access and breaches.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a cryptography service that manages keys securely, enforces policies, and employs federated key management techniques, including automatic key rotation and annotation-based access control, to ensure authorized use and prevent unauthorized access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If centralized key management is used, then key security and control are improved, but system complexity and single point of failure risk worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the centralized key management system into multiple distributed key management nodes across different tenants and services. Each node manages keys independently while maintaining security through federated trust relationships, eliminating the single point of failure risk associated with centralized management while preserving security benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a policy enforcement point as an intermediary between key management nodes and data access points. This intermediary enforces access policies and manages key usage without requiring direct centralized control, reducing system complexity while maintaining security through layered authorization.
2Reliability
If automatic key rotation is implemented, then key security and breach response are improved, but operational complexity and downtime risk worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-configures key rotation policies and establishes backup keys before actual rotation events occur. When rotation is triggered, the system automatically activates pre-prepared procedures, eliminating the need for manual intervention and reducing operational complexity while maintaining rapid breach response capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements monitoring and feedback mechanisms that track key usage patterns and trigger automatic rotation based on predefined conditions. This automated feedback loop eliminates manual operational complexity while ensuring timely key rotation in response to security events or usage thresholds.
3Reliability
If access control policies are enforced, then unauthorized access prevention is improved, but access speed and productivity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-establishes access control policies and authorizations before data access requests occur. By having policies pre-configured and authentication tokens pre-issued, the system can rapidly evaluate and enforce access control without manual intervention, maintaining both security and access speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual access control mechanisms with automated cryptographic verification and policy evaluation systems. Using hardware security modules and automated key management, the system achieves faster access control decisions compared to traditional manual processes, maintaining productivity while enhancing security.
Data Source
AI summary
A system uses information submitted in connection with a request to determine if and how to process the request. The information may be electronically signed by a requestor using a key such that the system processing the request can verify that the requestor has the key and that the information is authentic. The information may include information that identifies a holder of a key needed for processing the request, where the holder of the key can be the system or another, possibly third party, system. Requests to decrypt data may be processed to ensure that a certain amount of time passes before access to the decrypted data is provided, thereby providing an opportunity to cancel such requests and/or otherwise mitigate potential security breaches.