Service Selector for Cryptographic Protocol Composition

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cryptographic network protocols lack a method to retain security properties while maintaining flexibility, as current systems require examination of the entire protocol and its components for security analysis, which conflicts with the flexibility provided by polymorphism.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method that selects a service to provide a service operation by receiving service requirements, identifying suitable services with preconditions, and providing disclosures to ensure security verification, allowing for secure caller-service communication through a trusted selector component.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the entire protocol is specified before security analysis, then security verification can be performed, but flexibility is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecurity verificationVSAvoidflexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The protocol is segmented into independent services with clearly defined interfaces and security contracts. Each service can be analyzed separately for security properties while maintaining the ability to compose them flexibly. The security analysis is divided into analyzing individual service contracts rather than requiring complete protocol specification upfront.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Security contracts and interfaces are defined in advance for each service, establishing security guarantees before the services are composed into a complete protocol. This preliminary definition of security properties allows verification without requiring the entire protocol to be specified upfront, enabling both security assurance and flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If polymorphism is used to provide flexibility in service composition, then adaptability improves, but security analysis becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveflexibilityVSAvoidsecurity analysis

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

A service contract acts as an intermediary layer between the caller and the actual service implementation. The contract defines security guarantees and interfaces that abstract away the implementation details, allowing security analysis to focus on the contract rather than the specific service implementation. This enables polymorphic service composition while maintaining tractable security analysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If services are independently designed with interfaces, then flexibility and reusability improve, but security properties cannot be guaranteed

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveflexibilityVSAvoidsecurity properties

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically selects appropriate services based on security contracts and caller requirements. Services are not statically bound but can be selected at runtime based on whether their security contracts match the required guarantees. This dynamic selection process ensures that only services providing the required security properties are composed into the final protocol.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS8300788B2Registry of modular services and a method for automatically selecting an appropriate service to provide particular logical guarantees

Publication Date: 2012.10.30 THE MITRE CORPORATION

AI summary

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for selecting a service to provide a service operation.