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AmazonGranted patentSecurity & privacyInterest 3/10

Amazon patents secure network login for data center servers

Amazon has patented a method to secure how servers in data centers connect to the network. The system uses unique hardware keys to verify that a server is genuine before it receives an internet address.

Why it mattersThis improves the security of large-scale data centers by ensuring only authorized hardware can join the network.

In the filing’s own words

Techniques for securing DHCP communications between DHCP servers and client devices in a network to authenticate the devices before providing IP addresses. A client device may store one-time programmable (OTP) seed parameters, and use the OTP seed parameters to derive a unique private key. The private key is used to sign payloads of each DHCP packet sent to the DHCP server. The DHCP server is provided with a public key that verifies signatures made using the private key, and is also provided a list of unique identifiers for client devices that are permitted into the network. The DHCP server uses the public key to verify signatures on DHCP packets, and further verifies that the unique identifier in the DHCP packets is included in the list of expected unique identifiers. Firmware code measurements can be sent in the DHCP packets for the DHCP server to authenticate firmware of the client device.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A system associated with a data center network, the system comprising: a server; a network interface card (NIC) connected to the server that performs first operations to cryptographically verify itself to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, the first operations comprising: generating a private key using one-time programmable (OTP) seed parameters stored in a secure hardware component of a System-on-a-Chip (SoC) of the NIC; populating a first DHCP Packet with authentication data comprising a hardware identifier (ID) associated with the SoC, and a public key ID (PuK ID) that indicates a public key corresponding to the private key; signing the first DHCP packet with the private key to result in a first signed DHCP packet; sending the first signed DHCP packet to the DHCP server; and receiving a second DHCP packet from the DHCP server, the second DHCP packet proposing an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the NIC; and the DHCP server configured to perform second operations comprising: storing a list of hardware IDs that correspond to SoCs of NICs that are permitted to be connected to the data center network; identifying the public key using the PuK ID from the first signed DHCP Packet; verifying the first signed DHCP packet using the public key; authenticating the SoC of the NIC by determining that the hardware ID is included in the list of hardware IDs; and sending the second DHCP packet to the NIC.

Facts

Company
Amazon (Amazon Technologies, Inc.)
Official title
Securing dynamic host control protocol
Patent number
US12744676B1
Application number
18622331
Filed
Mar 29, 2024
Granted
Sep 22, 2026
Inventors
6
Claims
20

Classified under

H04L 9/3247 Electricity & electronicsH04L 9/0877 Electricity & electronicsH04L 63/0876 Electricity & electronicsH04L 9/0866 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.