Secret Management Service for Secure Data Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
The management of sensitive or confidential data (referred to as 'secrets') is challenging due to hard-coding in repositories and documents, leading to security issues, inefficiencies in team collaboration, and potential leaks, especially when plaintext secrets are shared or stored in devices, and existing key management systems are not user-friendly.
Innovation Solution
A secret management service that facilitates secure storage, retrieval, and rotation of secrets across different platforms, using a distributed architecture with a simpler onboarding process, eliminating unauthorized exposure, and enabling auditing of secret usage through material sets and namespaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If secrets are hard-coded in repositories and documents for easy access, then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened due to unauthorized exposure and potential leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts secrets from hard-coded repositories and documents, storing them in a dedicated secret management service. This separation allows teams to access secrets through controlled interfaces without exposing them in version control systems or documentation, thereby maintaining ease of access while improving security.
Solution Approach 2:
The secret management service acts as an intermediary between teams and secrets. Instead of directly accessing hard-coded secrets, teams interact with the management service which handles retrieval, rotation, and access control. This intermediary layer maintains operational ease while enforcing security policies.
2Reliability
If existing key management systems are used to secure secrets, then security is improved, but ease of operation is worsened due to complex onboarding and key management knowledge requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The secret management service enables teams to autonomously manage their own secrets through simplified interfaces. Teams can register, store, retrieve, and rotate secrets without requiring deep knowledge of cryptographic key management. The system handles complex operations automatically, allowing teams to self-serve while maintaining strong security.
Solution Approach 2:
The secret management service provides a universal interface that handles multiple secret management operations (storage, retrieval, rotation, access control) through a single system. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for teams to manage different key systems separately, simplifying operations while maintaining comprehensive security.
3Ease of operation
If plaintext secrets are stored in devices for immediate use, then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened due to increased risk of leaks and unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-registering secrets in the secret management service and establishing access control policies before actual secret usage. Teams can immediately retrieve secrets through controlled interfaces without storing plaintext secrets in devices, ensuring both immediate availability and reduced leak risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of storing plaintext secrets in devices with a digital service-based approach. Instead of physically or locally storing sensitive data, the system uses encrypted storage with controlled decryption and retrieval mechanisms, eliminating the need for plaintext storage while maintaining immediate access through automated retrieval.
4Reliability
If traditional secret management approaches are used, then security control is improved, but productivity is worsened due to duplicated work and reduced team collaboration
Solution Approach 1:
The secret management service provides a universal platform that serves multiple teams and projects through a single system. Teams can share and manage secrets collaboratively with appropriate access controls, eliminating the need for each team to implement separate secret management solutions. This maintains strong security control while improving collaboration and reducing duplicated efforts.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure describes techniques for managing secret information. A material set may be created. The material set may correspond to a material set name (MSN). The material set may be configured to contain secret information and information for identifying destinations that are authorized to access the secret information. The secret information may be managed by using the MSN to identify and track the secret information and without exposing the secret information.