Server-Side Cryptographic Object Management for Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Client-server computer network systems face challenges in protecting user-specific information and enhancing cookie security, particularly in ensuring that user data is accessible only to the intended user while maintaining privacy and security.
Innovation Solution
A server system creates a cryptographic object to protect user-specific information, sends it to the client, and then irreversibly modifies the object on the server, ensuring that only the client can access the protected data, with mechanisms for version management and remedial actions to prevent unauthorized access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If user-specific information is stored on the server to improve user experience, then the service can be better tailored to user needs, but security and privacy concerns arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments user data into two parts: a cryptographic object (including key and identifier) stored on the client, and encrypted user-specific information stored on the server. This segmentation allows the server to store and process personalized data while the client retains control through the cryptographic object, resolving the contradiction between personalization capability and data security.
Solution Approach 2:
The cryptographic object acts as an intermediary between the client and server data storage systems. It enables the client to access and control their personalized information on the server without exposing the actual data or requiring the server to have unencrypted access to user-specific information, thus maintaining both personalization and security.
2Ease of operation
If the server stores cryptographic objects to enable data access, then user-specific information can be retrieved, but the cryptographic object may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the critical cryptographic key component from the server environment and places it exclusively on the client system within the cryptographic object. The server only stores encrypted data and metadata, eliminating the risk of server-side cryptographic object compromise while maintaining data accessibility through client-initiated retrieval operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cryptographic object is created and configured on the client side before any server interactions occur. This preliminary action ensures that the client has full control over their cryptographic materials and can securely retrieve and manipulate their personalized data without requiring the server to store or manage sensitive cryptographic objects.
Data Source
AI summary
A server system receives requests from client systems and sends responses back to the client systems. For a subset of the requests, in addition to responding to a request from a client system, the method includes creating a cryptographic object at the server system. The cryptographic object is used to cryptographically protect information related to the request, and the cryptographically protected information associated with the cryptographic object is stored at the server system. The server system then sends the cryptographic object to the client system, and in conjunction with sending the cryptographic object to the client system, irreversibly modifies the cryptographic object on the server system. For example, in some embodiments the cryptographic object includes an cryptographic key, and the server system deletes or truncates the only instances of the cryptographic object on the server system when the server system finishes responding to the request from the client system.