Secure time service
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsThomas Charles Stickle, Eric Jason Brandwine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for a secure time service are disclosed. A time server including a time source, a cryptographic key and a cryptographic engine is instantiated within a provider network. A time service endpoint receives a timestamp request from a client. The endpoint transmits a representation of the request to the time server, and receives, from the time server, an encryption of at least a timestamp generated using the time source. A response comprising the encryption of at least the timestamp is transmitted to the requesting client.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- a time server;
- and
- a service endpoint to respond to requests formatted according to one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) supported by a service implemented at a provider network, the service endpoint configured to:
- receive a client request for a secure timestamp from a client of the service, the request comprising an indication of one or more timestamp properties and a data object for encryption by the time server, wherein the one or more timestamp properties comprise at least one of a requested timestamp precision, accuracy, or latency requirement;
- send, to the time server, a timestamp request comprising a representation of at least a portion of the request, the representation comprising the one or more timestamp properties and the data object;
- receive, from the time server, an encrypted response comprising an encryption of (a) the data object included in the request and (b) a timestamp value from the time server generated in accordance with the one or more timestamp properties;
- and
- transmit, to the client, the encrypted response.
A method, comprising:
- instantiating (a) a time server and (b) a service endpoint to respond to requests formatted according to one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) supported by a service implemented at a provider network;
- receiving a client request for a secure timestamp from a client of the service, the request comprising an indication of one or more timestamp properties and a data object for encryption by the time server, wherein the one or more timestamp properties comprise at least one of a requested timestamp precision, accuracy, or latency requirement;
- sending, to the time server, a timestamp request comprising a representation of at least a portion of the request, the representation comprising the one or more timestamp properties and the data object;
- receive, from the time server, an encrypted response comprising an encryption of (a) the data object included in the request and (b) a timestamp value from the time server generated in accordance with the one or more timestamp properties;
- and
- transmitting, to the client, the encrypted response.
A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
- implement an application programmatic interface defined by a service implemented at a provider network;
- receive, via the application programmatic interface, a client request for a secure timestamp from a client of the service, the request comprising an indication of one or more timestamp properties and a data object for encryption by the time server, wherein the one or more timestamp properties comprise at least one of a requested timestamp precision, accuracy, or latency requirement;
- send, to the time server, a timestamp request comprising a representation of at least a portion of the request, the representation comprising the one or more timestamp properties and the data object;
- and
- in response to receiving, from the time server, an encrypted response comprising an encryption of (a) the data object indicated in the request and (b) a timestamp value from a time server of the service generated in accordance with the one or more timestamp properties, transmit, to the client, the encrypted response.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.