Mobile Data Security via Segmented Key Storage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for storing sensitive data, such as credit card information, are vulnerable to hacking as decryption keys are often stored centrally, making it easy for thieves to access multiple records by targeting a single database.
Innovation Solution
A mobile communication system where sensitive data is double-encrypted using a device-specific key and a server key, with the device key stored only on the mobile device and not in the central database, and erased from the server soon after use, forcing hackers to target both the device and the server to access the data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If decryption keys are stored centrally in a database, then data access is convenient and fast, but the system becomes vulnerable to hacking and single-point failures
Solution Approach 1:
The decryption key is segmented into two parts: a device-specific key stored on the mobile device and a server key stored on the server. Both parts are required to decrypt sensitive data, eliminating the single-point vulnerability of centralized key storage while maintaining access functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The device-specific key is extracted from the central database and stored locally on the mobile device. This removes the critical security vulnerability from the centralized storage system while preserving the ability to access encrypted data through distributed key management.
2Reliability
If decryption keys are distributed to multiple devices, then system security is improved, but key management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The key management system is segmented into device-specific keys managed by individual mobile devices and a server key managed by the server. This segmentation distributes security responsibilities while maintaining manageable complexity through clear separation of duties.
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary that facilitates key management by storing encrypted data with the server key and coordinating with mobile devices that hold device-specific keys. This intermediary role simplifies the overall key management complexity by providing a centralized coordination point.
3Reliability
If sensitive data is encrypted with device-specific keys, then hacking motivation is reduced, but encryption/decryption overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The encryption system uses segmented keys (device-specific and server keys) to encrypt data. While this increases security, the overhead is managed by performing encryption once during data storage and only requiring decryption during authorized access, minimizing repeated processing overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile communication system comprising a multiplicity of mobile devices, and a server communicating with the mobile devices via a communication network, and a central database which is in data communication with the server and which is operative for storing sensitive data encrypted using at least one key, at least a portion of which is provided, only on certain occasions, by an individual one of the mobile devices and is not retained between the occasions by the central database.