High Assurance Virtual Encryptor for Cloud Datacenter Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current high assurance (HA) network systems used in commercial and government sectors have limited capabilities and are difficult to maintain and integrate into cloud datacenter processing fabrics, relying on specialized hardware encryptors that are physically constrained.
Innovation Solution
The development of a high assurance virtual encryptor (VE) system that can replace hardware encryptors, embedded into secure virtualized processing fabrics of datacenters, utilizing virtual machines to provide cryptographic services, key management, and secure communication, aligned with zero trust principles and supporting quantum-resistant algorithms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hardware encryptors (HWEs) are used to provide cryptographic services, then security and cryptographic capabilities are ensured, but device complexity and integration difficulty into cloud datacenters increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the hardware encryptor's cryptographic functions by implementing a virtual encryptor (VE) that replicates HWE capabilities in software form. The VE emulates the cryptographic processing, key management, and security services of physical HWEs within virtualized datacenter environments, eliminating the need for specialized hardware while maintaining functional equivalence and security standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical hardware encryptor system with a software-based virtual encryptor implementation. By substituting the physical HWE device with a virtualized software component, the system eliminates hardware constraints, physical integration challenges, and device complexity while preserving cryptographic security through software-based encryption, decryption, and key management operations.
2Reliability
If specialized hardware encryptors are deployed, then cryptographic services are provided, but ease of operation and maintenance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual encryptor is designed to perform multiple cryptographic functions and services within a single software platform, including encryption, decryption, key management, and authentication. This universal virtualized component can serve multiple applications and workloads simultaneously, providing HWE-level cryptographic services while enabling centralized management, monitoring, and maintenance through standard virtualization interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual encryptor system incorporates automated self-management capabilities including self-provisioning, self-configuration, and automated key lifecycle management. The system can automatically provision cryptographic services, manage key rotation and updates, and handle security policy enforcement without requiring specialized manual intervention, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining high availability.
3Reliability
If hardware encryptors are used, then cryptographic capabilities are maintained, but adaptability to different environments and scalability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual encryptor is implemented as a dynamic, software-based solution that can be dynamically provisioned, configured, and migrated across different virtualized environments. Unlike static hardware encryptors, the VE can adapt to changing workload requirements, be moved between physical hosts, and scaled elastically based on demand while maintaining cryptographic integrity through consistent security policies and validated software implementations.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual encryptor provides universal cryptographic services that can operate across diverse environments including cloud datacenters, hybrid infrastructure, and multi-cloud deployments. The software-based VE can be deployed on standard virtualized platforms, integrated with various orchestration systems, and adapted to different security policies and cryptographic standards, thereby achieving environment-agnostic adaptability while preserving cryptographic service integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments regard secure virtual encryptor provisioning. A method can include deriving, by a key management system (KMS), virtual encryptor (VE) token data that associates a VE with a user token, signing, by the KMS, a VE executable file, verifying the signature, by a system root of trust (RoT) of a virtual encryptor system (VES), the VE, responsive to verifying signature, loading, by the VES, the executable file on a virtual machine (VM), receiving the user token data from the user device, and executing the VE responsive to determining an operation on a combination of the user token and the token data associated with the VE returns a specified value.