Identity-Based Digital Certificate Management via Directory Service
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional digital certificate management systems, such as Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) and Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP), are inefficient and costly, particularly in large-scale environments, as they do not account for changes in user access permissions and can lead to unauthorized access due to the lack of real-time revocation and validation processes.
Innovation Solution
An identity-based certificate management method that involves issuing, validating, and revoking digital certificates using a directory service to manage issuance counts and validity times, eliminating the need for CRLs and OCSP by querying a directory service for attributes associated with client identities to determine certificate validity and revocation status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional CRL and OCSP systems are used for certificate revocation, then certificate validation can be performed, but processing and network resources are heavily burdened and real-time revocation is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the certificate validation function from the heavy CRL/OCSP infrastructure and integrates it directly into the authentication server's directory service. By pulling the validation logic into the existing authentication framework, the system eliminates the need for separate CRL distribution points and OCSP responders, thereby reducing processing overhead while maintaining validation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges certificate validation with the existing authentication process by querying the directory service for certificate attributes during normal authentication operations. This consolidation eliminates redundant processing steps and network communications, achieving real-time validation without the performance penalty of separate CRL/OCSP mechanisms.
2Reliability
If CRLs and OCSP are deployed in large-scale environments, then certificate revocation can be managed, but system cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the directory service multi-functional by using it both for user authentication and certificate validation. The same directory service that stores user credentials also stores certificate attributes and handles validation queries, eliminating the need for separate CRL infrastructure and simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining revocation management capabilities.
3Ease of operation
If traditional certificate issuance processes are used, then digital certificates can be issued, but real-time control over issuance limits and validity periods cannot be enforced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control by having the authentication server query the directory service for current certificate issuance counts and validity period information during each authentication attempt. This real-time feedback mechanism allows the system to enforce issuance limits and validity periods dynamically, preventing unauthorized access while maintaining ease of certificate issuance through the existing authentication framework.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for managing digital certificates, including issuance, validation, and revocation are disclosed. Various embodiments involve querying a directory service with entries that correspond to a particular client identity and have attributes including certificate issuance limits and certificate validity time values. The validity time values are adjustable to revoke selectively the certificates based upon time intervals set forth in validity identifiers included therein.