Remote Crypto Service for Secure IoT Key Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing private keys in public key encryption systems, particularly in IoT networks, is challenging due to the difficulty in updating keys and ensuring security, as existing systems often require direct communication and storage of private keys on each device, making it cumbersome and insecure.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a remote crypto service that manages private keys through a 'fake' private key system, where a crypto service generates and stores actual private keys and provides 'fake' keys to applications, allowing secure decryption and key updates without exposing the actual keys, thus maintaining security and ease of management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If private keys are stored locally on each application device, then encryption/decryption can be performed directly, but key management becomes difficult and insecure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the private key storage and management function from the local application environment and places it in a remote key management service. The actual private keys are generated and stored on the remote server, while only public keys and encrypted data are stored locally on devices. This extraction resolves the contradiction by centralizing sensitive key management while maintaining local decryption capability through the use of public keys and encrypted key material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a remote key management service as an intermediary between the application and the private keys. This intermediary service generates, stores, and manages private keys remotely, and provides public keys and encrypted key material to applications. The intermediary resolves the contradiction by enabling secure key management without requiring applications to directly handle or store sensitive private keys.
2Ease of manufacture
If private keys are stored in application key storage, then decryption can be performed, but updating keys is very difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts private key storage from the application's local key storage to a remote key management service. Applications store only public keys and encrypted key material locally, while the remote service stores and manages the actual private keys. This extraction enables easy key updates because the remote service can generate new key pairs and distribute updated public keys and encrypted key material without requiring changes to application storage structures or manual intervention on each device.
3Reliability
If private keys are communicated from key storage to crypto library, then encryption/decryption works, but security is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a remote key management service as an intermediary that provides public keys and encrypted key material to applications, which then uses the crypto library to perform decryption. The private keys never leave the remote service, eliminating the security risk of key communication. The system maintains productivity by efficiently transmitting only the necessary public keys and encrypted data, and the crypto library operates on this secure input without requiring direct access to private keys.
4Adaptability or versatility
If private keys are stored on each device, then local decryption is possible, but the system is not feasible for IoT networks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts private key management from individual IoT devices to a centralized remote key management service. Each IoT device stores only public keys and encrypted key material locally, while the remote service generates, stores, and manages all private keys. This extraction makes the system feasible for IoT networks by enabling centralized key management that can serve multiple devices, simplify key updates across the network, and reduce the security burden on resource-constrained IoT devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal remote key management service that can serve multiple IoT devices and applications through a single system. The service generates key pairs for multiple devices, stores all private keys centrally, and provides public keys and encrypted key material to any requesting device or application. This multi-functional approach resolves the contradiction by enabling a single key management infrastructure to support the entire IoT network, making key management scalable and device-agnostic.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for private key management in a public key encryption system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system and method may utilize a “fake” private key to provide the private key management.