Self-Signed Certificate Authority for Device Process Authentication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing certificate authority systems require external third-party involvement for certificate issuance and verification, which can be cumbersome and inefficient, especially in peer-to-peer device interactions where self-certification capabilities are not available.
Innovation Solution
A device can act as its own certificate authority by issuing a self-signed root certificate and using it to verify derived certificates, allowing processes to request and authenticate capabilities without external involvement, enabling peer-to-peer secure connections and capability sharing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If external certificate authority involvement is used for certificate issuance and verification, then security and trust are ensured, but system complexity and operational efficiency deteriorate due to third-party dependencies
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs certificate authority functions autonomously by generating self-signed certificates and verifying certificates from other devices using their public keys, eliminating the need for external certificate authorities and reducing system complexity while maintaining security
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the certificate authority functionality from external third parties and embeds it within the device itself, allowing the device to issue and verify certificates independently without relying on external infrastructure
2Reliability
If external certificate authority involvement is used for certificate issuance and verification, then certificate trust is established, but operational efficiency and speed deteriorate due to additional verification steps
Solution Approach 1:
Devices autonomously verify certificates using embedded public keys without contacting external certificate authorities, eliminating network latency and additional verification steps while maintaining cryptographic trust, thus improving operational efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
Public keys are pre-loaded into devices during manufacturing or initial setup, enabling immediate certificate verification without requiring real-time communication with external certificate authorities, thus improving operational speed
3Adaptability or versatility
If self-signed root certificates are issued by devices, then external authority dependencies are eliminated, but certificate verification complexity increases due to peer-to-peer verification requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The device implements a universal public key infrastructure where the same cryptographic mechanisms (public key encryption, digital signatures) are used for both issuing self-signed certificates and verifying certificates from other devices, simplifying the verification process through consistent cryptographic principles
Data Source
AI summary
A device certificate binds an identity of a first device to a public key of the first device. The first device comprises a certificate authority service that creates for a process on the first device a process certificate certifying one or more capabilities of the process on the first device. The process certificate is presented to the second device. Upon validating the process certificate using the device certificate, the second device permits the process on the first device to have on the second device one or more of the verified certified capabilities.