Provisioning Service Asymmetric Encryption Mobile Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional data storage and communication techniques on mobile communication devices leave data vulnerable to malicious access, compromising device functionality and security.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a provisioning service that uses asymmetric encryption with a public key stored by the service and a corresponding private key in hardware on the mobile device, allowing secure communication without exposing data 'in the clear', with the provisioning service acting as an intermediary to protect credentials and cryptographic keys.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional data storage and communication techniques are used on mobile communication devices, then data can be stored and transmitted, but data becomes vulnerable to malicious access and is exposed 'in the clear'
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a provisioning service as an intermediary that manages cryptographic key pairs. The service stores public keys and provides them to mobile devices, while private keys remain securely stored in hardware on the devices. This intermediary structure enables secure communication without exposing sensitive data 'in the clear' during transmission or storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements asymmetric encryption using cryptographic key pairs (public keys and private keys). The public key is stored by the provisioning service and used to encrypt data, while the corresponding private key is stored in hardware on the mobile device and used to decrypt data. This asymmetric approach ensures that even if data is intercepted, it cannot be decrypted without the private key, eliminating the vulnerability of data being exposed 'in the clear'.
2Reliability
If asymmetric encryption with public and private keys is implemented, then data security is improved, but system complexity increases due to key management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex key management functionality from individual mobile devices and centralizes it in a provisioning service. The service handles public key storage, key pair generation coordination, and key distribution, while mobile devices only need to store their private keys in hardware and use them for decryption. This extraction reduces the complexity burden on individual devices while maintaining strong security.
Solution Approach 2:
The provisioning service acts as a universal key management system that serves multiple mobile devices and multiple cryptographic key pairs. Instead of each device independently managing its own key infrastructure, the single provisioning service provides key management services to all devices in the system, reducing overall system complexity through consolidation and reuse of infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
Provisioning techniques are described. In implementations, a particular one of a plurality of public keys are located using an identifier included in a request received via a network. The located public key is communicated via the network, the public key configured to encrypt data that is to be decrypted by a secure element of a mobile communication device, the secure element implemented using hardware and including a private key that is configured to decrypt the data that was encrypted using the public key.