HSM Key Fragment Segmentation for Secure Data Encryption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data encryption methods in multi-tenant database environments face performance issues with asymmetric key cryptography, particularly when encrypting and decrypting customer data, as they are slow and require secure management of decryption keys.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves generating and managing two key fragments using a hardware security module (HSM), where each fragment is encrypted and stored in separate, mutually exclusive storage areas, and a master key is derived from these fragments for secure encryption and decryption of customer data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If asymmetric key cryptography is used to encrypt customer data, then security is improved, but encryption and decryption speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The private key is divided into multiple key fragments (first key fragment, second key fragment, third key fragment) that are stored in separate storage areas. Each fragment alone cannot decrypt the customer data; all fragments must be combined to reconstruct the private key for decryption. This segmentation maintains security while enabling faster decryption operations compared to storing and managing a single private key.
2Ease of operation
If a single private key is stored for decryption, then decryption capability is maintained, but security against key compromise deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The private key is segmented into multiple key fragments stored in different locations (first storage area, second storage area, third storage area). This ensures that even if one storage area is compromised, the entire private key cannot be reconstructed, thereby maintaining security against key compromise while preserving decryption capability through the combination of all fragments.
Solution Approach 2:
A key combining module acts as an intermediary that securely combines the key fragments in memory to reconstruct the private key only when needed for decryption. This intermediary mechanism ensures that the fragments themselves never expose the complete key, maintaining security while enabling decryption operations.
3Reliability
If key fragments are stored in separate storage areas, then security is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the private key into multiple fragments stored in separate storage areas, which inherently increases security. The associated increase in complexity is managed through automated key combination processes and clear separation of duties between different modules (encryption module, decryption module, key combining module), making the complex system manageable and maintainable.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments include an apparatus for securing customer data and include a processor, and one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to store an encrypted first key fragment in a first storage area, store an encrypted second key fragment in a separate second storage area, wherein access to the first storage area and to the second storage area is mutually exclusive. The instructions further cause the processor to decrypt the encrypted first key fragment and the encrypted second key fragment using a key set and keys associated with a hardware security module based on receiving a request to derive a master key. The master key is derived using the decrypted first key fragment and the decrypted second key fragment and stored in an in-memory cache. The master key is used to encrypt or to decrypt encrypted customer data.