Private Key Protection via Data Segmentation and Scrambling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cryptographic systems face challenges in protecting private keys from brute force attacks, especially when these keys are stored on user devices that can be compromised by malicious actors.
Innovation Solution
The system obfuscates and scrambles private key data using a random key and Fisher Yates Shuffle mechanism, splits the scramble schema, and distributes portions of the schema and encrypted data to separate entities, with authentication using a symmetric key to reconstruct the data securely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If private keys are stored on user devices for cryptographic operations, then ease of operation is improved, but security against brute force attacks deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The private key is divided into multiple shares using secret sharing schemes, where each share is stored in a different location or by different entities. This segmentation prevents any single point of failure while maintaining operational availability, as multiple shares can be combined to reconstruct the key when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
A trusted intermediary system or protocol is introduced to manage key distribution and reconstruction. This intermediary coordinates between multiple storage locations, ensuring that keys can be securely reconstructed when needed while preventing unauthorized access, thus bridging the gap between availability and security.
2Reliability
If private keys are encrypted with password-derived keys for protection, then security is improved, but vulnerability to brute force attacks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The encrypted key material is split into multiple shares distributed across different entities or locations. An attacker would need to compromise multiple separate storage locations simultaneously, exponentially increasing the difficulty of brute force attacks compared to targeting a single encrypted file.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple layers of protection are nested within the key management system, including secret sharing, encryption, and distributed storage. Each layer adds additional complexity to attack vectors, making brute force attacks increasingly impractical as the attacker must succeed at multiple nested levels of security.
3Reliability
If private keys are distributed across multiple entities using secret sharing, then security against single-point compromise is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A universal key management protocol is implemented that handles multiple functions (key generation, distribution, reconstruction, revocation) through a standardized interface. This multi-functional approach manages the inherent complexity by providing a unified system that automates complex operations rather than requiring separate mechanisms for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the intermediary monitors key access requests, share distribution status, and reconstruction operations. This feedback enables automated key management decisions and alerting, reducing the operational burden of managing distributed key shares while maintaining security.
Data Source
AI summary
Securely storing data includes encrypting the data using a random key to provide obfuscated data, scrambling the obfuscated data to provide scrambled obfuscated data, generating a scramble schema indicating how to unscramble the scrambled obfuscated data, encrypting the scrambled obfuscated data to provide encrypted scrambled obfuscated data, splitting the scramble schema, and distributing separate portions of the scramble schema and separate portions of the encrypted scrambled obfuscated data to separate entities. The data may be private key data. Securely storing data may also include concatenating the random key on to the obfuscated data prior to scrambling the obfuscated data, wherein the random key is scrambled together with the obfuscated data. Scrambling the obfuscated data may use a Fisher Yates Shuffle mechanism. Securely storing data may also include generating and distributing a symmetric authentication key that is used to authenticate a first entity to a second entity.