Key Management Service API for Cryptographic Key Pair Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern computing systems face challenges in maintaining data security as cryptographic keys evolve over time, requiring frequent updates and management, which is resource-intensive and complex, especially in multi-tenant environments where data is encrypted using various key types.
Innovation Solution
A key management service provides a web service API for customers to manage cryptographic keys, allowing for reencryption of data from one key to another, pregeneration of key pairs, and secure storage within a hardware security module (HSM) or outside its boundaries, enabling efficient key updates and secure data migration across different encryption protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cryptographic keys are frequently updated and managed in complex multi-tenant environments, then data security is improved, but system complexity and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a key management service as an intermediary between customers and cryptographic key operations. This service provides a web service API that mediates key generation, storage, and reencryption operations, simplifying the complexity of direct key management while maintaining security. The service acts as a mediator that handles the burden of key lifecycle management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts key management functionality from individual customer systems and consolidates it into a dedicated key management service. By taking out the complex key management operations from distributed customer environments and centralizing them in a specialized service, the system reduces overall complexity while improving security through standardized, controlled key handling procedures.
2Reliability
If cryptographic keys are frequently updated and managed, then data security is improved, but resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements pregeneration of key pairs by the key management service before they are needed for data encryption. By performing key generation in advance and storing them securely in HSMs or external storage, the system avoids the computational overhead of generating keys on-demand during data protection operations, thereby reducing resource consumption while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The key management service provides self-service capabilities through its web service API, allowing customers to autonomously manage their cryptographic keys without requiring intensive manual intervention or complex orchestration. This automated self-service approach reduces the human and computational resources needed for key management operations.
3Speed
If key pairs are pregenerated and stored, then network latency is reduced, but security requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pregenerates key pairs and stores them securely in HSMs or external storage systems before they are needed for data encryption. This preliminary action eliminates the need for real-time key generation during data protection operations, significantly reducing network latency and improving operational speed while the keys remain securely stored for rapid retrieval when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The key management service acts as a secure intermediary that manages pregenerated key pairs, providing controlled access to these keys when needed for data encryption or reencryption operations. This intermediary layer ensures that while keys are pregenerated for speed, their security is maintained through centralized, controlled access mechanisms that verify customer authorization before key usage.
4Adaptability or versatility
If data is reencrypted from one key to another, then cryptographic flexibility is improved, but operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The key management service provides universal reencryption capabilities that work across different key types and cryptographic algorithms through a single web service API. This multi-functional approach allows customers to reencrypt data from one key to another, or between different cryptographic systems, without needing separate mechanisms for each scenario, thereby improving cryptographic flexibility while simplifying operations through a unified interface.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for providing cryptographic services, including providing key pairs. A key management service receives a web service application programming interface or other such request to generate a key pair. To respond to the request, the key management service obtains a pregenerated key pair that is securely stored and provides the key pair in response to the request.