Secure Communication Session Establishment via Security Level Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing secure communication systems lack assurance that only authorized parties receive sensitive information, as they do not effectively verify the security clearance of participants in communication sessions.
Innovation Solution
The system establishes communication sessions by considering the security levels of participating parties, allowing only those with appropriate clearance to join, using protocols like SIP and SAML to ensure that sessions are set up at a security level that all participants are cleared for, and downgrading or denying access as necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If encryption is used to secure communication sessions, then information can be protected from eavesdropping, but there is no assurance that only authorized parties receive the sensitive information
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification of security clearance levels before establishing a communication session. Each party's security clearance is checked in advance, and only parties with appropriate authorization are allowed to join the session. This preliminary action ensures that encryption and access control mechanisms are activated only for authorized participants, preventing unauthorized parties from receiving sensitive information even if they intercept the encrypted communication.
2Reliability
If security clearance verification is implemented, then authorized access can be ensured, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a centralized security server that performs multiple functions: verifying security clearance levels, authenticating party identities, determining appropriate encryption keys, and managing access control policies. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional service, the system reduces overall complexity compared to having separate verification mechanisms for each function, while still providing comprehensive access control.
Solution Approach 2:
The security server acts as an intermediary between communicating parties, handling the complex verification and key management tasks. Instead of parties directly verifying each other's clearance (which would be complex and inefficient), the security server mediates this process by receiving clearance information from both parties, comparing it against security policies, and issuing appropriate access decisions and encryption keys.
3Reliability
If security levels of parties are considered when establishing sessions, then only authorized parties can access information, but the establishment process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where parties provide their security clearance levels during the session establishment process. The security server receives this information, verifies it against stored clearance data and security policies, and provides feedback by either approving or denying the session request. This feedback loop ensures that only parties with appropriate authorization can establish sessions, while the automated feedback process simplifies the overall complexity by handling verification decisions centrally.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method for establishing a session between a first party and a second party in a communication network comprises issuing a request to establish the session with the second party, the request containing a first security level associated with the first party. A response is received to the request from the second party, the response containing a second security level associated with the second party. A security level for the session is identified from the first security level and the second security level and the session established at the identified security level.