Tamper-Evident Data Management Using Digital Signatures
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Solution Overview
Problem
In secure logging and measuring of computer system metrics data, especially in pay-per-use and Instant Capacity On Demand systems, existing technologies face challenges in preventing data tampering by untrusted administrators, which compromises data integrity and billing accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A tamper-evident data management system that uses digital signatures and public-private key pairs to securely collect, store, and validate metrics data, ensuring that only authorized entities can modify or access the data, with the application private key stored on a smart card to prevent tampering and ensure data integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If CPU usage data is transmitted over the network to the vendor, then billing accuracy is improved, but data security is worsened due to potential network intrusions and data tampering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by digitally signing the CPU usage data with a private key before transmission. This pre-processing step creates a cryptographic hash that binds the data to its source, preventing tampering during network transmission. The digital signature is generated in advance and attached to the data packet, ensuring integrity before the data leaves the isolated network environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a digital signature as an intermediary mechanism between the data source and the vendor. This cryptographic intermediary verifies data authenticity without requiring direct trust between the isolated network and the vendor. The signature acts as a mediator that proves the data's origin and integrity, allowing secure verification over untrusted networks.
2Ease of operation
If the application private key is stored on the computer system, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability is worsened due to potential key compromise and tampering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the security function by separating the private key storage from the general computer system. The private key is stored in a dedicated smart card or hardware security module, isolating it from the main system's potential vulnerabilities. This segmentation ensures that even if the computer system is compromised, the private key remains protected in its secure enclave.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs disposable or replaceable security tokens in the form of smart cards. These can be easily replaced if compromised, and the system can regenerate keys as needed. The smart card acts as a temporary, replaceable security object that can be discarded and replaced without affecting the core system, providing a cost-effective security solution.
3Reliability
If digital signatures are implemented for all data log entries, then data integrity is improved, but device complexity is worsened due to additional cryptographic operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex cryptographic operations into a separate validation application that the vendor controls. The client system only needs to perform simple digital signing operations, while the complex verification, hash validation, and integrity checking are performed externally by the vendor's validation application. This extraction reduces the complexity burden on the client device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service by automatically generating digital signatures for each data log entry without requiring manual intervention. The cryptographic operations are performed automatically as part of the data collection process, and the validation application automatically verifies signatures upon receipt, eliminating the need for manual security management and reducing operational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A tamper-evident data management system uses public-private digital signature keys to control use of data and to ensure the fidelity of data that is stored on a customer's system for later collection by a computer vendor or that is sent to the vendor over a network. A computer system includes an application for collecting usage or metrics data from the computer system, for example. The metering application uses an application private key to digitally sign all metrics data prior to optionally storing the data in a data log file. The vendor can then use an application public key to validate the digitally signed entries. The digitally signed data entries may also be encrypted using a vendor public key prior to storage in the data log and may be decrypted using a vendor private key prior to validating the digitally signed data. The application and application private key may be stored on a smart card to discourage and detect tampering or may be stored on the computer system itself.