# US 2022/0286283 A1 · Secure Recovery of Security Credential Information > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0286283 A1 - Document ID: US20220286283A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/688,205 - Filed: 2022-03-07 - Published: 2022-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2021-03-08 - Assignees: Softiron Limited - Applicants: Softiron Limited - Inventors: Charles C. Ruffino; Stephen Hardwick; Mark Chen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220286283A1 ## CPC - H04L 9/0894: {Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage} - H04L 9/0825: {using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates} - H04L 9/085: {Secret sharing or secret splitting, e.g. threshold schemes} - H04L 9/0891: {Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying} - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A system includes a shard generation circuit configured to create shards from a security credential, and to recreate the security credential from the shards. The system includes a secret generation circuit configured to create secrets from a shard and to recreate the shard from a subset of the secrets, and store at least one of secrets in a location. The system includes another secret generation circuit configured to create secrets from another shard, recreate the other shard of the shards, and store at least one the shards in another, different location. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system, comprising: a shard generation circuit configured to: create a plurality of shards from a security credential; and recreate the security credential from the plurality of shards; a first secret generation circuit configured to: create a plurality of first secrets from a first shard of the plurality of shards; recreate the first shard of the plurality of shards from a subset of the plurality of secrets; and store at least one of the plurality of first secrets in a first location; and a second secret generation circuit configured to: create a plurality of second secrets from a second shard of the plurality of shards; recreate the second shard of the plurality of shards from a subset of the plurality of second secrets; and store at least one of the plurality of second secrets in a second location, the second location in a different machine than the first location. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the shard generation circuit is configured to destroy the security credential after creation of the plurality of shards as part of a secure erase of data protected by the security credential. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein: the second location is a remote location to the system; and the second secret generation circuit is further configured to: store at least a second one of the plurality of second secrets in a third location, the third location a remote location to the system and in a different machine than the second location. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first location is local to the system. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first secrets are independent of a machine on which the secrets reside. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of second secrets are dependent upon a machine on which the secrets reside. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising an encryption circuit configured to encrypt the plurality of first secrets. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein: the first secret generation circuit is configured to store the plurality of first secrets as encrypted on the system; and the second secret generation circuit is configured to provide the plurality of second secrets to the second location and a third location. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the encryption circuit is further configured to apply a different asymmetric encryption credential to each of the plurality of first secrets to encrypt each of the plurality of first secrets. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein a private asymmetric encryption credential corresponding to a public asymmetric encryption credential used to encrypt at least one of the plurality of the first secrets is stored on a remote machine. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein: the encryption circuit is further configured to: apply a first asymmetric encryption credential to a first one of the first secrets to encrypt the first one of the first secrets; and apply a second asymmetric encryption credential to a second one of the first secrets to encrypt the second one of the first secrets; a first private key corresponding to the first asymmetric encryption credential is stored on a first remote location; a second private key corresponding to the second asymmetric encryption credential is stored on a second remote location, the second remote location different than the first remote location. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the asymmetric encryption credentials to encrypt the first secrets are stored internally. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the security credential is not stored remotely outside of the system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the shard generation circuit is further configured to require regeneration of the first shard created as a server-independent shard and regeneration of the second shard created as a server-independent shard in order to recreate the security of shards from a security credential. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first secret generation circuit is further configured to recreate the first shard of the plurality of shards only when a minimum number of the subset of the plurality of secrets are presented. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first secrets are to be stored internally to the system and are device or server-independent. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the second secrets are to be stored externally to the system and are device or server-dependent. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein internally stored secrets are only decryptable with a locally provided device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the shard generation circuit is configured to erase the security credential after creating the plurality of shards. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the shard generation circuit is configured to erase plurality of shards after recreating the security credential. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first secret generation circuit is configured to erase the first shard after creating the plurality of first secrets. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first secret generation circuit is configured to erase the plurality of first secrets after recreating the first shard. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the second secret generation circuit is configured to erase the plurality of second secrets after storing the plurality of second secrets in the second location. ### Claim 24 A method, comprising, on a server: creating a plurality of shards from a security credential; creating a plurality of first secrets from a first shard of the plurality of shards; creating a plurality of second secrets from a second shard of the plurality of shards; storing at least one of the plurality of first secrets in a first location; storing at least one of the plurality of second secrets in a second location, the second location in a different machine than the first location; recreating the first shard of the plurality of shards from a subset of the plurality of secrets after retrieval of the at least one of the plurality of first secrets from the first location; recreating the second shard of the plurality of shards from a subset of the plurality of second secrets after retrieval of the at least one of the plurality of second secrets from the second location; and recreating the security credential from the plurality of shards as recreated from the first and second secrets. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising destroying the security credential after creation of the plurality of shards as part of a secure erase of data protected by the security credential. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein: the second location is a remote location to the system; and the method further comprises storing at least a second one of the plurality of second secrets in a third location, the third location a remote location to the system and in a different machine than the second location. ### Claim 27 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the first location is local to the system. ### Claim 28 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the plurality of first secrets are independent of a machine on which the secrets reside. ### Claim 29 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the plurality of second secrets are dependent upon a machine on which the secrets reside. ### Claim 30 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising encrypting the plurality of first secrets. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The method of claim 30, further comprising: storing the plurality of first secrets as encrypted on the system; and providing the plurality of second secrets to the second location and a third location. ### Claim 32 (depends on 30) The method of claim 30, further comprising applying a different asymmetric encryption credential to each of the plurality of first secrets to encrypt each of the plurality of first secrets. ### Claim 33 (depends on 30) The method of claim 30, further comprising using a private asymmetric encryption credential, the private asymmetric encryption credential stored on a remote machine, the private asymmetric encryption credential corresponding to a public asymmetric encryption credential, to encrypt at least one of the plurality of the first secrets. ### Claim 34 (depends on 30) The method of claim 30, further comprising: applying a first asymmetric encryption credential to a first one of the first secrets to encrypt the first one of the first secrets; applying a second asymmetric encryption credential to a second one of the first secrets to encrypt the second one of the first secrets; storing a first private key corresponding to the first asymmetric encryption credential in a first remote location; and storing a second private key corresponding to the second asymmetric encryption credential in a second remote location, the second remote location different than the first remote location. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The method of claim 34, further comprising storing the asymmetric encryption credentials to encrypt the first secrets internally in the server. ### Claim 36 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the security credential is not stored remotely outside of the system. ### Claim 37 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising requiring regeneration of the first shard created as a server-independent shard and regeneration of the second shard created as a server-independent shard in order to recreate the security of shards from a security credential. ### Claim 38 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising recreating the first shard of the plurality of shards only when a minimum number of the subset of the plurality of secrets are presented. ### Claim 39 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising storing the first secrets are internally to the system, wherein the first secrets are device or server-independent. ### Claim 40 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising storing the second secrets externally to the system, wherein the second secrets are device or server-dependent. ### Claim 41 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising requiring internally stored secrets to be decrypted with a locally provided device, the device separate from the system. ### Claim 42 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising erasing the security credential after creating the plurality of shards. ### Claim 43 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising erasing plurality of shards after recreating the security credential. ### Claim 44 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising erasing the first shard after creating the plurality of first secrets. ### Claim 45 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising erasing the plurality of first secrets after recreating the first shard. ### Claim 46 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, further comprising erasing the plurality of second secrets after storing the plurality of second secrets in the second location.