Interzone CA Certificate Aggregation for Cross-Trust Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cloud computing systems face challenges in authenticating network entities across different trust zones, as they rely on separate certificate authority (CA) certificates that are not easily integrated or aggregated, leading to difficulties in establishing trust and managing communications across trust zone boundaries.
Innovation Solution
A system aggregates and distributes CA certificates from multiple trust zones, enabling network entities to authenticate across different trust zones by using an interzone CA service that combines these certificates, allowing trust establishment and authentication of entity certificates from various CAs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate CA certificates are used for each trust zone, then each trust zone can maintain its own trust relationships, but authentication across different trust zones becomes difficult and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate CA certificates from different trust zones into a single aggregated certificate structure. This aggregation allows network entities to access and verify certificates from multiple trust zones through a unified interface, reducing authentication complexity while preserving the distinct trust relationships of each zone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism that facilitates communication between different trust zones. This intermediary aggregates CA certificates and enables authentication requests to traverse multiple trust zones seamlessly, acting as a mediator that simplifies the authentication process without compromising the reliability of individual trust relationships.
2Ease of operation
If CA certificates are aggregated from multiple trust zones, then authentication across trust zones is simplified, but the system must manage and distribute aggregated certificates efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal certificate aggregation mechanism that serves multiple functions: it aggregates CA certificates from various trust zones, enables cross-zone authentication, and provides a standardized interface for certificate verification. This multi-functional approach simplifies authentication operations while managing the complexity of certificate aggregation through a unified system.
3Reliability
If network entities authenticate using separate CA certificates for each trust zone, then trust validation is straightforward within zones, but communication across trust zone boundaries is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the trust validation capabilities of multiple separate CA certificates into a single aggregated certificate structure. This allows network entities to validate trust across different trust zones using the same authentication mechanism, enabling seamless communication while maintaining reliable trust validation for each zone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary aggregation layer that mediates between different trust zones. This intermediary collects and manages CA certificates from multiple zones, enabling network entities to authenticate across zone boundaries while preserving the trust validation integrity of each individual zone.
Data Source
AI summary
Operations of a certificate authority (CA) service may include aggregating in a certificate repository, a plurality of sets of CA certificates, in which each set of CA certificates is issued by a particular CA that is associated with a particular trust zone and that is trusted by a particular set of network entities located in the particular trust zone. The operations may further include distributing for access by an additional set of network entities, an aggregate set of CA certificates that includes the plurality of sets of CA certificates. The additional set of network entities may utilize the plurality of sets of CA certificates to authenticate network entities located in different trust zones.