Trusted Execution Circuitry for Secure Data Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Providers of data face challenges in maintaining control over how their data is used after it is shared with third parties, as existing technologies lack effective mechanisms to securely manage and enforce access policies, leading to potential tampering and unauthorized usage.
Innovation Solution
A data processing system utilizing trusted execution circuitry to create a secure environment that stores policies and acquires keys associated with encrypted data, allowing controlled access based on predefined policies and requester characteristics, while preventing tampering through immutable storage and attestation protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If data is shared with third parties, then data accessibility and utility are improved, but control over data usage and security deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
A trusted execution environment (TEE) acts as an intermediary between data storage and data processing. The TEE securely stores encryption keys and policies, controlling data access without requiring data movement. This mediator enables third-party access while maintaining provider control through cryptographic mechanisms and policy enforcement within the TEE.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments data into encrypted form stored externally and encryption keys stored securely within the TEE. This separation allows data to be accessible to authorized parties while keeping control mechanisms (keys and policies) isolated and protected within the trusted execution environment.
2Reliability
If data is encrypted and stored externally, then data security is improved, but access control and policy enforcement become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The TEE serves as a simplified intermediary that handles complex cryptographic operations and policy enforcement internally. External systems only need to interact with the TEE through standardized interfaces, reducing the apparent complexity while maintaining robust security and access control capabilities.
3Reliability
If trusted execution environment is used, then data control and security are improved, but system complexity and computational overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The trusted execution environment performs multiple functions including key storage, policy enforcement, decryption operations, and access control validation. By consolidating these diverse security functions into a single multi-functional TEE, the system reduces overall architectural complexity compared to having separate components for each security function.
Data Source
AI summary
A data processing system is provided, which comprises receiving circuitry for receiving, from a requester, a request to use decrypted data obtained by decrypting encrypted data. Trusted execution circuitry provides a trusted execution environment. The trusted execution circuitry is configured to: securely store a policy, acquire a key within the trusted execution environment, where the key is associated with the decrypted or encrypted data, and respond to the request based on the policy and one or more characteristics of the requester.