Trust Management in Distributed Computing Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing trust management systems in distributed computing environments, such as Wireless Sensor Networks, fail to effectively determine the trustworthiness of individual nodes by not considering their behavioral patterns, particularly malicious behaviors, leading to erroneous long-term trust modeling.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that computes trustworthiness by monitoring data packet forwarding behavior, calculating a forwarding index, and updating confidence levels over time to distinguish reliable and unreliable nodes, thereby quantifying malicious behaviors and enhancing secure trust management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional authorization mechanisms are used to secure distributed systems, then implementation is simple, but they are inadequate to achieve trustworthiness of individual nodes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetrustworthiness of individual nodesVSAvoidcomplexity of trust management system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The trust management system is segmented into multiple independent components: trust value computation module, behavioral pattern exploration module, malicious node identification module, and trust threshold comparison module. Each component performs a specific function, allowing the system to achieve comprehensive trust evaluation while maintaining modularity and manageable complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring and collecting behavioral data from nodes before making trust decisions. It pre-computes trust values based on observed behaviors and maintains a record of malicious patterns, enabling proactive trust management rather than reactive responses to malicious activities

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If short-term trust value computation is used, then response speed is fast, but long-term trust modeling becomes erroneous

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of long-term trust modelingVSAvoidtime for trust evaluation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic action by continuously and periodically monitoring node behaviors, updating trust values at regular intervals, and repeatedly evaluating malicious patterns. This periodic observation over time enables accurate long-term trust modeling while maintaining timely detection of malicious activities through automated periodic assessments

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

3Measurement precision

If behavioral patterns of malicious nodes are not considered, then trust computation is simpler, but trust evaluation becomes erroneous

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprecision of trust evaluationVSAvoidcomplexity of behavior monitoring
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs feedback mechanisms where node behaviors are continuously monitored and fed back into the trust computation process. The behavioral patterns of malicious nodes are detected through feedback loops that analyze communication patterns, data transmission reliability, and interaction anomalies, with this feedback information used to dynamically adjust trust values and identify malicious activities

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary behavioral analysis layer that mediates between raw node interactions and trust evaluation. This intermediary component analyzes communication patterns, detects anomalies, and transforms complex behavioral data into meaningful trust indicators, enabling precise malicious node identification without requiring direct complex monitoring of all node interactions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2664119B1Method and system for trust management in distributed computing systems
Publication Date: 2019.05.15 TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES LTD
  • EP2664119B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2664119B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2664119B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method and system for determining trustworthiness of individual nodes in distributed computing systems by considering the various malicious behaviors of the individual nodes as trustworthiness parameters. The invention provides a method and system that explores the behavioral pattern of the malicious nodes and quantifies those patterns to realize the secure trust management modeling. The invention also provides a method and system to distinguish between malicious node, defective node and accuser node.