Self-Signed Certificates for Virtual Server Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual servers face challenges in securing data connections due to shorter certificate lifespans and lack of secure key storage, leading to increased management and costs in large server environments, especially when compared to hardware servers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing self-signed or self-issued certificates for virtual servers, which can be processed and used to establish secure data connections, either directly with clients or through gateways, leveraging previously-established security mechanisms to ensure confidentiality and integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If digital certificates from third-party CAs are used to secure virtual server connections, then security is improved, but management complexity and costs increase due to shorter certificate lifespans and larger numbers of virtual servers
Solution Approach 1:
Virtual servers generate their own self-signed certificates autonomously without requiring third-party CA involvement. The server creates cryptographic key pairs and certificates itself, eliminating the need for external certificate issuance and management infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the certificate authority function from the system by removing the dependency on third-party CAs. Instead of relying on external entities to issue and manage certificates, the virtual server environment handles certificate generation and validation internally through self-signed mechanisms.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If digital certificates with standard lifespans are issued for virtual servers, then certificate validity is improved, but the short operational lifetime of virtual servers renders certificates obsolete quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The certificate system adapts dynamically to the virtual server's operational lifetime. Self-signed certificates are generated on-demand and remain valid for the duration of the server's operation, automatically expiring when the server is decommissioned without requiring renewal or reissuance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent treats certificates as disposable, short-lived objects that are generated quickly and discarded when the virtual server ends its operation. This approach accepts short certificate lifespans as acceptable since self-signed certificates incur no renewal costs and can be regenerated instantly.
3Reliability
If conventional certificate management processes are applied to virtual servers, then security certification is improved, but costs increase due to the large number of virtual servers requiring individual certificates
Solution Approach 1:
Each virtual server autonomously generates and manages its own self-signed certificate, eliminating the need for centralized certificate issuance processes. This self-service approach allows unlimited virtual servers to have security credentials without requiring proportional increases in CA infrastructure or management resources.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for securing a data connection for communicating between two end-points are described herein. One of the end-points may be a server and the other of the end-points may be a client that wants to communicate with the server. The data connection may be secured based on a previously-established secure connection and/or a self-signed or self-issued certificate. In some variations, by using the previously-established secure connection and/or a self-signed or self-issued certificate, the secure communication between the server and the client may be conducted without using a third-party authentication service and without requiring a third-party CA to issue a certificate for the server.