Access Control System for Data Security

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems do not adequately evaluate access permissions for network-accessible resources, potentially allowing unauthorized access to data, as they do not verify if a requestor has permission to access outbound data before it is returned, leading to potential security breaches.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that evaluates access authorizations for both requested and outbound data, approving access to the requested data while providing alerts and filtering or denying access to outbound data if permissions are not met, ensuring secure data access management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If access authorization is only evaluated for requested data before retrieval, then the access control process is simple and fast, but unauthorized outbound data may be returned to requestors

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata access securityVSAvoidaccess control process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary authorization evaluation for both requested data and outbound data before data is returned to the requestor. The access control module evaluates the requestor's authorization for the requested data, retrieves the data, then performs a second evaluation on the outbound data before return, ensuring unauthorized data is blocked in advance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

An access control module is introduced as an intermediary component between the data repository and the requestor. This module acts as a mediator that intercepts data retrieval operations, performs authorization evaluations, and controls whether outbound data is returned to requestors, adding security without requiring changes to the underlying data storage system

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If access authorization is evaluated for both requested and outbound data, then data security is improved, but the access control process becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata access securityVSAvoiddata access processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary authorization evaluation for both requested data and outbound data before data is returned to the requestor. The access control module evaluates the requestor's authorization for the requested data, retrieves the data, then performs a second evaluation on the outbound data before return, ensuring unauthorized data is blocked in advance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The access control process operates continuously through two sequential evaluation stages without interrupting the overall data access flow. The first evaluation occurs when the requestor requests data, and the second evaluation occurs when the data is prepared for return, ensuring continuous security monitoring with minimal disruption to legitimate access operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentUS8627072B1Method and system for controlling access to data

Publication Date: 2014.01.07 INTUIT INC

AI summary

A method for controlling access to data, involves evaluating an access authorization associated with a requestor for approving access to requested data, where access to the requested data by the requestor is approved, obtaining, responsive to access approval, outbound data for the requested data, evaluating the access authorization associated with a requestor for approving access to outbound data, where access to the outbound data by the requestor is not approved, and providing an alert based on non-approval of access to the outbound data based on the access authorization.