Secure Circuit Key Policy Enforcement for Internal Threats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network security measures are inadequate in preventing internal threats and unauthorized communications, as they primarily focus on external threats and lack effective mechanisms to restrict compromised nodes within the network.
Innovation Solution
Implementing hardware security modules (HSMs) that encrypt and decrypt traffic, coupled with policy-based key management to restrict unauthorized communications, ensuring that only authorized nodes can encrypt and decrypt data based on predefined usage criteria, thereby preventing malicious activities from compromised nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional firewall appliances are used to restrict network traffic flow, then external threat protection is improved, but internal threat detection and prevention capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments network communication into multiple layers: traditional firewall filtering at the network layer, and cryptographic policy enforcement at the application layer. Each layer handles specific security functions, allowing the system to maintain external threat protection while adding internal threat prevention capabilities through separate, specialized mechanisms rather than relying on a single firewall appliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cryptographic policy modules and key management systems as intermediary components between communicating devices. These intermediaries enforce usage criteria and monitor communication patterns, enabling the detection and prevention of internal threats while maintaining the existing firewall architecture for external threat protection.
2Reliability
If comprehensive encryption and key management systems are implemented to prevent internal threats, then network security is improved, but device complexity and computational overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring usage criteria, key usage policies, and cryptographic parameters before communication occurs. Key pairs are generated in advance, and access policies are established beforehand, reducing the need for complex real-time decision-making and minimizing runtime computational overhead while maintaining strong security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by implementing cryptographic protection selectively based on usage criteria rather than uniformly across all communications. Only communications that meet specific policy conditions trigger cryptographic enforcement, reducing overall system complexity and computational burden while maintaining security where most needed.
3Reliability
If usage criteria and key policies are enforced to restrict compromised nodes, then unauthorized communication prevention is improved, but communication throughput and system performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary verification of usage criteria and key permissions before cryptographic operations are initiated. By checking policies in advance and caching authentication results, the system minimizes the performance impact during actual communication, allowing unauthorized communication prevention without significantly degrading throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The cryptographic policy modules operate autonomously using pre-configured rules and cached authentication data, making self-service decisions about whether to permit or block communications. This reduces the need for continuous external validation and minimizes processing delays, maintaining higher throughput while still enforcing security policies.
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques are disclosed relating to securely communicating traffic. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a secure circuit storing keys usable to encrypt data communications between devices over a network. The secure circuit is configured to store information that defines a set of usage criteria for the keys. The set of usage criteria specifies that a first key is dedicated to encrypting data being communicated from a first device to a second device. The secure circuit is configured to receive a request to encrypt a portion of a message with the first key, the request indicating that the message is being sent from the first device to the second device, and to encrypt the portion of the message with the first key in response to determining that the set of usage criteria permits encryption with the first key for a message being sent from the first device to the second device.