Zero-Knowledge Secret Indexing for Secure Identifier Correlation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computing environments face challenges in securely managing secrets due to the lack of visibility into correlations between secrets and non-secret identifiers, leading to difficulties in verifying secure storage and usage, and enforcing policies effectively.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of zero-knowledge secret indexing techniques that correlate secrets with non-secret identifiers using hashed tokenized data, allowing for secure management and policy enforcement without exposing the underlying secrets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If secrets are stored and managed in computing environments, then authentication functionality is enabled, but visibility into correlations between secrets and identifiers is lost, making policy enforcement difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces secret indices as an intermediary mechanism that enables external systems to correlate secrets with identifiers without exposing the actual secrets. The secret indices contain hashed representations of secrets and associated metadata, allowing policy enforcement and visibility while maintaining security boundaries. This mediator resolves the contradiction by providing controlled information access.
2Ease of operation
If external systems are deployed to manage and correlate secrets, then policy enforcement capability is improved, but security risk increases due to potential exposure of secrets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sensitive secret data from the external system by storing only secret indices containing hashed representations in the external environment. The actual secrets remain securely stored within the computing environment boundaries. This extraction allows the external system to perform correlation and policy enforcement operations without having access to or exposure of the actual secret values, thus resolving the security risk.
3Measurement precision
If secret indices are transmitted to external systems for correlation, then policy enforcement and vulnerability detection are enabled, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the secret management system into distinct components: the computing environment that stores actual secrets, the secret index generation mechanism that creates hashed representations, and the external system that performs correlation operations. This segmentation allows each component to have a specific, simplified function while collectively achieving precise vulnerability detection and policy enforcement, resolving the complexity issue.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for secure secrets correlation. A method includes transmitting a plurality of secret indices from a first system to a second system, wherein the plurality of secret indices correspond to a plurality of secrets stored within a computing environment, wherein the second system is deployed externally to the computing environment; receiving a plurality of non-secret identifiers from the second system; comparing the plurality of non-secret identifiers to the plurality of secret indices in order to determine comparison results; and transmitting the comparison results to the second system.