Hypervisor Key Deletion During Serialization
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Solution Overview
Problem
In distributed computing environments, ensuring the secure storage and transmission of cryptographic keys is challenging, as serialization processes can lead to persistent storage of plaintext keys, exposing sensitive information to risks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing techniques that prevent plaintext cryptographic keys from being written to persistent memory by using hypervisors to manage key deletion and encryption, along with security modules like TPM or HSM, to ensure secure storage and transmission, and employing signaling methods to protect keys during serialization events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If serialization processes are used for computing resources, then data transmission and storage efficiency is improved, but cryptographic keys may be exposed through persistent storage
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting serialization events before they occur and preemptively deleting cryptographic keys from memory. The hypervisor monitors for serialization events and triggers key deletion functions before the actual serialization takes place, ensuring keys are removed in advance to prevent any potential exposure during the serialization process.
Solution Approach 2:
The hypervisor acts as an intermediary layer between the virtual machine instance and the serialization process. It intercepts serialization events, triggers key deletion functions, and manages the coordination between the instance's cryptographic operations and the serialization process, thereby protecting keys without disrupting the overall system functionality.
2Reliability
If cryptographic keys are deleted from memory to prevent exposure, then security is improved, but key functionality may be disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic action by temporarily deleting cryptographic keys from memory at specific intervals triggered by serialization events. The keys are deleted, the serialization process occurs securely, and then the instance is restored with keys reloaded from secure storage. This periodic deletion pattern maintains security while preserving key functionality when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards cryptographic keys from volatile memory temporarily during serialization events, then recovers them by reloading from secure storage after the serialization is complete. This process involves deleting keys from the instance's memory, performing the secure serialization, and then restoring the instance with keys重新loaded, thereby maintaining both security and operational functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
Organizations maintain and generate large amounts of sensitive information using computer hardware resources and services of a service provider. Furthermore, there is a need to be able to delete large amounts of data securely and quickly by encrypting the data with a key and destroying the key. To ensure that information stored remotely is secure and capable of secure deletion, cryptographic keys used by the organization should be prevented from being persistently stored during serialization operations. A variety of methods may be used to protect access to keying material and prevent the keying material from being stored persistently.