White-Box Cryptographic Microservices for Low-Latency Distributed CaaS

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Centralized Cryptography as a Service (CaaS) systems are expensive, limited in scalability, and suffer from network latency issues, making them impractical for high-throughput applications, particularly in the financial industry.

Innovation Solution

A decentralized and distributed Cryptography as a Service (D-CaaS) system is implemented, where cryptographic microservices are instantiated on application servers as white-box enclaves, enabling local cryptographic operations and reducing reliance on centralized servers, thus eliminating network latency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a centralized CaaS system is implemented with large servers and multiple nodes, then cryptographic services can be provided, but the system becomes prohibitively expensive and suffers from network latency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecryptographic service availabilityVSAvoidsystem cost and structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The centralized CaaS system is segmented into distributed cryptographic agents deployed on individual application servers. Each agent operates independently to provide cryptographic services locally, eliminating the need for a large centralized infrastructure while maintaining service availability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cryptographic agents are designed to be self-configuring and self-authenticating. They automatically register with the authentication service, obtain authorization grants, and configure their own cryptographic operations without requiring manual setup or centralized management overhead.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Ease of operation

If cryptographic operations are performed remotely through centralized CaaS, then key management is simplified, but network latency limits throughput for high-performance applications

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvekey managementVSAvoidcryptographic operation throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Cryptographic operations are moved from remote centralized servers to local application servers where the cryptographic agents reside. This local execution eliminates network latency for cryptographic operations while the agents maintain secure key management through automated authentication and authorization mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Productivity

If a decentralized D-CaaS system is implemented with local cryptographic agents, then network latency is eliminated and throughput improves, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecryptographic operation throughputVSAvoiddistribution architecture

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cryptographic agents are designed as universal components that can be deployed on any application server regardless of the specific cryptographic operations required. They provide multiple functions including key generation, encryption, decryption, and authentication, reducing the need for specialized components across the distributed system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The authentication service acts as an intermediary that manages the complexity of the distributed architecture. It handles agent registration, authorization grant issuance, and certificate validation, allowing individual agents to operate independently while maintaining system-wide security and coordination.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Reliability

If centralized CaaS systems are used, then cryptographic services can be managed centrally, but the systems are prohibitively expensive to deploy and maintain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecryptographic service securityVSAvoidhardware resources required

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using expensive centralized hardware resources, the system creates software-based cryptographic agents that can be copied and deployed across multiple application servers. Each agent provides the same cryptographic functionality locally, eliminating the need for expensive centralized hardware infrastructure while maintaining security through software-based cryptographic operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS12388658B2Systems and methods for initializing a distributed cryptography as a service application

Publication Date: 2025.08.12 MASTERCARD INT INC

AI summary

An application server has a custodian application running thereon. The custodian application instantiates a cryptographic microservice. The cryptographic microservice application builds a white-box cryptographic enclave. The custodian application transmits a request for an authorization grant to an authentication computing system. In response, the authentication computing system returns the authorization grant. The custodian application transmits the authorization grant to the cryptographic microservice application. The cryptographic microservice application transmits the authorization grant to the authentication computing system and then receives a digitally signed certificate therefrom. The cryptographic microservice application receives a data encryption key from the custodian application. The cryptographic microservice application transmits a request to the authentication computing system. The request includes the digitally signed certificate, the data encryption key, and a request to decrypt the data encryption key. The cryptographic microservice application then receives the decrypted data encryption key from the authentication computing system.