Virtual Machine Data Key Segmentation for Cloud Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual machine security in cloud computing lacks effective mechanisms for secure data access and authorization, as attackers can compromise virtualization hosts to access VM guests without physical access, and existing solutions do not adequately address the need for fine-grained, data-centric security and key management.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for a virtual machine instance that includes an instance authorization unit, data key unit, and decryption unit, which utilize instance and user credentials to securely request and decrypt data keys, with a key server system that issues keys based on attributes specific to the virtual machine instance, ensuring secure authentication and authorization, and logging for abuse detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If virtual machine instances run on shared physical servers in cloud computing, then resource utilization and productivity are improved, but security and data protection deteriorate because attackers can compromise the virtualization host to access VM guests
Solution Approach 1:
The encryption key is segmented into two separate parts: a data encryption key (DEK) stored by the virtual machine instance and a key encryption key (KEK) stored by the key management service. This segmentation ensures that even if the virtualization host is compromised, attackers cannot access both key parts needed to decrypt data, thus maintaining security while allowing shared physical infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
A key management service acts as an intermediary between virtual machine instances and encrypted data. The service manages key encryption keys and controls key distribution, enabling secure data access without requiring virtual machine instances to have direct access to encryption keys or physical server administrators to have key access, thus resolving the security conflict in shared cloud environments
2Reliability
If disk-image encryption is used to protect virtual machines, then data protection is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates because an encryption passphrase or key is required to start the virtual machine
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual machine instance automatically manages its own data encryption key and can independently request key encryption keys from the key management service when needed. This self-service approach eliminates the need for manual passphrase entry by system administrators while maintaining strong encryption, thus improving ease of operation without sacrificing data protection
3Ease of operation
If a single key management service manages all encryption keys, then ease of operation is improved, but security deteriorates due to a single point of failure and potential data compromise
Solution Approach 1:
The key management system is segmented so that no single entity possesses both the key encryption key and the data encryption key simultaneously. The key management service holds the KEK while virtual machine instances hold their respective DEKs, creating a distributed trust model that eliminates single points of failure while maintaining operational simplicity through automated key management
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for executing a virtual machine instance is provided. An executing environment (11) is arranged for creating a virtual machine instance (10). The virtual machine instance (10) comprises an instance authorization unit (1) for receiving an instance authorization credential, wherein the instance authorization credential is uniquely associated with the virtual machine instance (10). A data key unit (2) is arranged for generating a request for a data key, based on the instance authorization credential associated with the virtual machine instance (10). A decryption unit (3) is arranged for decrypting a data item (7) based on the data key. A key server system (6) is arranged for issuing keys to a virtual machine instance (10). An instance authorization providing unit (22) is arranged for providing the instance authorization credential to the virtual machine instance (10).