Server Attestation via Trusted Credential Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing public key infrastructure systems lack a method to verify the integrity of servers after certificate issuance, allowing compromised servers to potentially exchange private data with client devices, as there is no way to determine if a server has been compromised post-certificate issuance.
Innovation Solution
A secure server utilizes a trusted third party, such as an attestation service, to securely establish communication with a client device by presenting a signed trusted credential, which is protected within a hardware secure module, ensuring the server's trustworthiness and preventing malware access, and the client device verifies this credential to ensure secure communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a server uses public key infrastructure with certificates to enable client access, then communication capability is expanded, but security reliability deteriorates because there is no way to verify server integrity after certificate issuance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the server prove its clean state before receiving the certificate. The server executes clean boot components that measure and verify the integrity of operating system components during boot, and only then is the certificate issued. This pre-verification ensures that when the certificate is later presented to clients, the server has already demonstrated its integrity, resolving the contradiction by establishing reliability before communication capability is fully utilized
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary - a trusted third party authority - that issues certificates only after verifying the server's clean state through measured boot processes. This intermediary acts as a mediator between the server and clients, providing cryptographic proof that the server is trustworthy. The intermediary's verification process and certificate issuance resolve the reliability issue while maintaining the communication capability expansion enabled by public key infrastructure
2Productivity
If a server is compromised after certificate issuance, then security is breached, but there is no detection mechanism to identify the compromise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by having the server continuously provide cryptographic measurements of its operating system components to clients during communication. The server presents these measurements alongside its certificate, allowing clients to verify that the server's current state matches the state verified during certificate issuance. This ongoing feedback mechanism enables real-time detection of compromises, resolving the contradiction by making compromise detection feasible while maintaining efficient data exchange
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing a baseline of trusted server state during the certificate issuance process. The trusted third party measures and records the server's clean state, creating a reference against which future server states can be compared. This preliminary establishment of trust criteria enables later detection of any deviations or compromises, solving the detection difficulty problem while preserving productive data exchange
3Measurement precision
If traditional certificate verification is used, then server identity is authenticated, but integrity verification of the server state is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by separating identity verification from integrity verification. The certificate handles identity authentication while additional cryptographic measurements and attestation data handle integrity verification of the server's operating state. This segmentation allows both functions to be performed independently and combined, resolving the contradiction by preserving identity verification accuracy while preventing loss of integrity information through the addition of separate integrity proof mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds another dimension to certificate verification by incorporating cryptographic measurements of operating system components and boot process states. Instead of relying solely on traditional certificate-based identity verification, the system adds a dimensional layer of integrity verification through measured boot attestations and runtime measurements. This dimensional expansion enables simultaneous verification of both identity and state integrity, resolving the contradiction between precise identity verification and integrity information preservation
Data Source
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AI summary
In one embodiment, a client device 110 may use an attestation service 140 to verify a secure server 120. The secure server 120 may receive a signed trusted credential 310 from an attestation service 140 validating the secure server 120 as trustworthy to a client device 110 seeking access. The secure server 120 may protect the signed trusted credential 310 in a server secure module 280.