Proxy Server Wildcard SSL Certificate Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cloud, SaaS, and web applications face security challenges due to the need for multiple SSL certificates as remote infrastructure changes and subdomains are added, with conventional approaches requiring advance knowledge of all possible subdomains and certificates for secure communication.
Innovation Solution
A proxy server system that parses and restructures URLs to use a common wildcard designation, reducing the need for multiple SSL certificates by translating client request links into a native structure and communicating with third-party network services using a single wildcard certificate, thereby enabling secure communication without endpoint configuration on clients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional suffix proxy servers are used to secure cloud and SaaS applications, then secure communication is achieved, but the number of SSL certificates required increases extensively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a proxy server as an intermediary between clients and third-party network services. The proxy server receives client requests, restructures the URLs to use a common wildcard designation, and communicates with the third-party services using a single wildcard SSL certificate. This intermediary approach allows the system to maintain secure communication while reducing the number of certificates required from multiple to one.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes a single wildcard SSL certificate serve multiple functions by using it to secure communications with numerous different subdomains and third-party services. Instead of requiring a dedicated certificate for each service or subdomain, the universal wildcard certificate can authenticate connections to any subdomain matching its pattern, thereby reducing the total number of certificates needed while maintaining security.
2Reliability
If multiple SSL certificates are used for different subdomains, then secure communication is maintained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy server acts as a mediator that handles the complexity of certificate management internally. Clients only need to trust a single wildcard certificate installed on the proxy server, while the proxy server manages the complexity of translating between client requests and third-party service endpoints. This separates the complexity from the clients and concentrates it in the proxy server, which is designed to handle it.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the certificate management complexity from the client systems and relocates it to the proxy server. The clients are simplified to only needing a single wildcard certificate, while the proxy server takes on the responsibility of managing the relationship between multiple subdomains and the single certificate, effectively taking out the complexity from where it burdened the clients.
3Device complexity
If a single wildcard certificate is used, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to dynamic subdomains is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamics into the URL structure by using placeholder variables (e.g., {subdomain}, {service}) that can be dynamically replaced at runtime. The proxy server receives client requests with specific subdomains, restructures the URLs by substituting these placeholders with actual values, and forwards the requests to the appropriate third-party services. This dynamic substitution mechanism allows a single wildcard certificate to adapt to any number of subdomains without requiring pre-configuration for each one.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of the URL structure from static to dynamic by introducing variable placeholders. Instead of hardcoding specific subdomains in the certificate or URL patterns, the system uses parameterized URLs where subdomain values can change based on the client request. This parameter change approach allows the single wildcard certificate to remain valid while the actual subdomain values dynamically adapt to meet varying service requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A proxy computer system retrieves content requested by a client computer from a third-party network service. The proxy computer system parses the content to identify a plurality of links including a first link to a first target resource and a second link to a second target resource. The proxy computer system generates modified content comprising (i) a direct link that includes an absolute domain address of the third-party network service that enables the client computer to bypass the proxy service and directly retrieve the first target resource from the third-party network service, and (ii) a proxy link that enables the client computer to retrieve the second target resource via the proxy service implemented by the network computer system. The proxy computer system provides the modified content to the client computer.