Access Control Policy Substitution for Cloud Data Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

In cloud computing environments, existing access control technologies lack the flexibility to manage requests effectively, often simply allowing or denying access without capturing the nuanced intentions of customers, particularly in multitenant settings where resources are shared and sensitive data needs protection.

Innovation Solution

Implementing an access control policy that allows for specifying substitute operations, where a policy evaluation engine can return a substitute result or execute a substitute request instead of the original, based on predefined conditions, ensuring unauthorized access is mitigated without outright rejection, using a policy language that includes semantics for expressing these actions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If access control policies simply allow or deny requests, then the system is easy to implement and operate, but it cannot capture nuanced customer intentions and provides insufficient flexibility in multitenant environments

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflexibility in managing accessVSAvoidpolicy evaluation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The access control system transitions from static allow/deny decisions to dynamic request substitution. The policy evaluation engine can dynamically determine substitute requests or substitute results based on the original request characteristics, enabling flexible adaptation to nuanced customer intentions while maintaining a unified policy framework.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The policy evaluation engine acts as an intermediary between the original request and the resource access. It receives the original request, evaluates it against access control policies, and can generate substitute requests or substitute results, thereby mediating the interaction to capture nuanced intentions without exposing complexity to the user.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the system outright denies unauthorized requests, then security is simplified, but it does not protect sensitive data effectively and provides poor user experience

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata protection effectivenessVSAvoidaccess control operation

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system converts harmful unauthorized requests into beneficial outcomes by generating substitute results. Instead of simply denying access and exposing the user to error messages, the system can provide sanitized or modified data that protects sensitive information while maintaining a positive user experience and preventing data leakage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The policy evaluation engine creates substitute requests or substitute results that copy the structure and appearance of legitimate responses. These substitutes replicate the expected response format and behavior, making it difficult for attackers to detect blocked access while still preventing unauthorized data retrieval.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Measurement precision

If the system provides detailed policy evaluation capabilities, then access control precision is improved, but the processing time and system overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess control precisionVSAvoidrequest processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Access control policies are evaluated and decisions are made in advance of actual resource access. The policy evaluation engine processes requests upfront, determining whether to allow, deny, or substitute before the resource is accessed. This preliminary action reduces processing time during actual data retrieval operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system efficiently processes policy evaluations by skipping unnecessary evaluation steps. When a request clearly matches a policy condition requiring substitution, the system rapidly generates the appropriate substitute result without performing exhaustive analysis, thereby maintaining precision while reducing processing overhead.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #21Skipping (Rushing through)

Data Source

PatentUS9553757B1Substitution of requests or results in access control systems

Publication Date: 2017.01.24 AMAZON TECH INC

AI summary

Approaches are described for allowing an access control policy to specify that a substitute operation be executed when a request for access matches certain conditions specified in the access control policy (e.g., when the identity of the requestor matches a specified identity in the policy). For example, the access control may specify that a substitute result should be provided to a requestor in response to a request for access or a substitute request should be executed instead of executing the received request and the results of the substitute request should be provided to the requestor in response to the request. The substitute result or the result of the substitute request may appear to the requestor as though their original request for access succeeded but the content of the result may be different than what would have been generated if the access control policy allowed the request to proceed.