Server Node Energy Reduction via Request Message Integrity Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing number of servers in communications networks, particularly wireless servers with limited energy storage, are vulnerable to malicious energy drainage attacks, leading to reduced operational time and potential energy overloads, which can cause cooling issues and disrupt communication.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that verify request messages by calculating a relation key using a master key and authorization engine, excluding predictable message fields, to determine message integrity and authorize or suppress unauthorized requests, thereby reducing energy consumption and mitigating Denial-of-Service attacks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the server node processes all incoming request messages without verification, then communication with all clients is maintained, but energy consumption increases due to malicious requests
Solution Approach 1:
The server node performs preliminary verification of incoming request messages by checking integrity indications before processing the full message content. This early verification filters out malicious requests before they consume significant energy resources, while still maintaining communication with legitimate clients.
Solution Approach 2:
An integrity indication mechanism acts as an intermediary layer between the communication channel and the server processing logic. This intermediary verifies message authenticity using relation keys derived from master keys, allowing the server to quickly identify and reject unauthorized requests without full processing.
2Reliability
If the server node verifies message integrity for all requests, then malicious requests are blocked, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The verification process is segmented into two stages: a quick integrity indication check using relation keys for all messages, and a more thorough verification only for messages that pass the initial check. This segmentation reduces the average processing time while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the verification parameter from full message authentication to a simplified integrity indication check based on relation keys. This parameter change allows rapid filtering of malicious requests while preserving security for legitimate communications.
3Reliability
If the server node uses complex authentication mechanisms, then security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex authentication logic is extracted from the server node and replaced with a simpler verification mechanism that checks integrity indications using pre-derived relation keys. The heavy computational burden of key generation is performed in advance by authorized clients, not during server processing.
Solution Approach 2:
Authorized clients self-generate their own relation keys from master keys before sending requests. This self-service approach eliminates the need for the server to maintain complex authentication state or perform heavy cryptographic operations, simplifying the server's authentication system.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method, computer program and a server node (100) in a communications network (50) for reduction of undesired energy consumption of the server node (100), the method comprising: receiving a request message from a client (120), the request message containing message fields comprising at least a message ID field and an integrity indication field containing a first integrity indication, determining a relation key by performing a calculation by usage of a master key commonly known by the server node (100) and an authorization engine (110) and at least data comprised in the message ID field,calculating a second integrity indication based on a subset of the message fields by usage of the relation key, wherein the subset excludes at least one message field that is predictable by a trusted client (120),verifying the subset of the message fields by comparing the first and second integrity indications, and determining the message to be authorized when the comparison indicates equality, and wherein when the message is not authorized, suppressing reception of the message.