Self-Sovereign Identity for Network Element Trust Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current network systems face inefficiencies in trust management and identity verification due to centralized certificate management, leading to complex configurations, security vulnerabilities, and high costs, especially in heterogeneous 4G/5G environments with diverse stakeholders and IoT devices, lacking global trust and privacy preservation.
Innovation Solution
Implementing decentralized identity management using Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) within a Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) framework, enabling automated trust establishment and secure authentication/authorization between network elements through decentralized key management and VDRs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If centralized certificate management is used, then trust management can be established, but system complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized certificate management system into decentralized identity management units. Each network element maintains its own decentralized identifier (DID) and private key, eliminating the need for a centralized certificate authority. This segmentation reduces system complexity by distributing trust management functions across multiple independent entities rather than relying on a single complex centralized system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service through automated trust establishment mechanisms. Network elements automatically generate their own DIDs and private keys, and automated trust management systems automatically issue and verify credentials without manual configuration. This self-service approach eliminates complex manual configuration tasks while maintaining secure trust relationships between network elements.
2Reliability
If centralized certificate management infrastructure is compromised, then security is maintained, but the whole infrastructure must be rebuilt from scratch
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the monolithic centralized certificate infrastructure into distributed decentralized identifier systems. Each network element operates with its own independent DID and private key, creating isolated security units. If one segment is compromised, the compromise cannot propagate to other segments, eliminating the need to rebuild the entire infrastructure and significantly reducing recovery time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements prior cushioning by pre-establishing decentralized trust anchors and automated credential issuance mechanisms before any compromise occurs. The system includes built-in recovery mechanisms and redundant trust establishment capabilities that activate automatically upon compromise detection, preventing total infrastructure failure and reducing rebuilding requirements.
3Reliability
If traditional identity management systems are used, then authentication can be performed, but privacy protection and personal data protection are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts personal data from the authentication process by using decentralized identifiers that can authenticate network elements without revealing their real identities. The DID system separates the authentication function from personal data disclosure, allowing verification of credentials while maintaining anonymity. This extraction of personal data from the authentication mechanism directly addresses privacy protection requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials as intermediary elements between authentication needs and personal data. These intermediaries enable authentication to occur without direct exposure of personal information, acting as a buffer that protects privacy while maintaining security. The intermediary layer allows trust establishment without compromising the harmful factor of privacy violation.
4Productivity
If automated trust management is implemented, then efficiency improves, but trust establishment between unknown network elements becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-establishing decentralized trust anchors and publishing verification parameters before network elements need to interact. Trust infrastructure components are configured in advance with public verification keys and credential schemas, enabling automated trust establishment when network elements connect. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for complex real-time trust negotiation while maintaining high automation efficiency.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
Techniques to enable implementation within a network infrastructure of a network operator (550, 560) comprising the following steps: • providing and/or creating a Decentralised Identifier "DID", a private key, a public key and verifiable credentials "VC" for the network element (200, 425, 530, 810); • binding the VC to the DID resulting in a DID-bound VC (205) and add a digital signature of an issuer to the DID-bound VC (205); • providing the DID-bound VC and the private key to the network element (200, 425, 530, 810).