Adversarial Query Defense via Policy Enforcement Hypergraph

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current database security systems are inflexible and static, making them vulnerable to adversarial queries that can disclose unintended and sensitive information, while strict security measures limit data accessibility for legitimate users.

Innovation Solution

A method using a policy enforcement hypergraph to express security policies, with machine learning models to analyze user behavior over time, generating a suspicion score and taking enforcement actions, such as revoking access privileges, to adaptively defend against adversarial queries.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If strict security measures are implemented to protect against adversarial queries, then data security is improved, but data accessibility for legitimate users deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoiddata accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a dynamic security system that adapts to user behavior patterns. The system uses machine learning models to continuously analyze query sequences and adjust security measures in real-time, transitioning from static access control to dynamic risk-based authentication. This allows the system to be strict against adversarial queries while remaining accessible to legitimate users with normal behavior patterns.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes security parameters based on detected behavior patterns. When adversarial patterns are detected, the system adjusts parameters such as query rate limits, authentication requirements, and access restrictions. For legitimate users, parameters remain permissive, maintaining ease of operation. This parameter adaptation resolves the contradiction by making security measures context-dependent rather than uniformly strict.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Device complexity

If static security policies are used to simplify enforcement, then system complexity is reduced, but adaptability to changing threats deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity policy complexityVSAvoidadaptability to threats
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The security system performs self-analysis and self-adjustment through automated machine learning models that detect adversarial patterns and generate appropriate countermeasures without requiring manual policy updates. The system serves itself by continuously learning from new threat patterns and automatically adapting security enforcement, reducing the need for complex manually-configured policies while maintaining high adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements continuous feedback loops where query patterns are analyzed, adversarial behavior is detected, and security policies are adjusted based on this feedback. The machine learning models process security outcomes and use them to refine future detection and response strategies. This feedback mechanism enables simple base policies to become highly adaptive over time without increasing structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If machine learning models are deployed to detect adversarial behavior, then detection precision is improved, but computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadversarial behavior detection precisionVSAvoidcomputational resource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies machine learning models selectively rather than uniformly to all queries. It uses lightweight detection methods for normal traffic and deploys more computationally intensive analysis only when suspicious patterns are detected. This partial application of heavy computational resources maintains high detection precision while avoiding unnecessary energy consumption during normal operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The security analysis is segmented into multiple layers: basic rule-based filtering for all queries, intermediate pattern recognition for suspicious activity, and advanced machine learning analysis only for confirmed adversarial candidates. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high detection precision through layered analysis while minimizing overall computational resource consumption by applying heavy processing only where necessary.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12056236B2Defending against adversarial queries in a data governance system
Publication Date: 2024.08.06 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION
  • US12056236B2 patent drawing
  • US12056236B2 patent drawing
  • US12056236B2 patent drawing

AI summary

An apparatus and related method defend against adversarial queries. A policy enforcement hypergraph is constructed to express a set of security policies. Then, the hypergraph is repeatedly traversed to determine whether a user behavior is changing over time. The user behavior is measured by reference to a vertex or an edge in the hypergraph. If it is determined that the user behavior has changed over time an enforcement action is taken based on a security policy.