Air-Gap Proxy Patching for Isolated Recovery Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cyber recovery solutions struggle to maintain an air-gapped environment while ensuring secure patching of software applications, as conventional methods fail to isolate the cyber recovery environment from backend infrastructure, leading to potential security vulnerabilities.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that queries a centralized patch repository, spins up a proxy in an isolated environment, disables the air-gap temporarily to receive patch data, and re-enables the air-gap after successful synchronization, using automated firewall rules to manage network communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the air-gap is maintained to ensure isolation and security, then system security is improved, but patch update capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The air-gap configuration is made dynamic rather than static. The system automatically adjusts the air-gap state between isolated and connected modes based on patch update requirements, allowing temporary connectivity when needed while maintaining isolation during normal operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by querying the centralized patch repository before disabling the air-gap. This ensures that patch availability is verified in advance, and the isolated computing environment is prepared with necessary proxy configurations before actual patch retrieval begins
2Productivity
If the air-gap is disabled to receive patch data, then patch update capability is improved, but system isolation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The air-gap is disabled only periodically and temporarily during patch retrieval operations, then re-enabled to restore isolation. This periodic disruption minimizes the impact on system security while enabling necessary patch updates
Solution Approach 2:
A proxy server is introduced as an intermediary component in the isolated computing environment. The proxy handles all external communications with the centralized patch repository, allowing patch retrieval without requiring direct connectivity between the isolated environment and the external network
3Productivity
If a proxy is spun up in isolated environment to enable patching, then patch update capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service automation where the proxy server automatically queries patch availability, disables the air-gap when needed, retrieves patches, and re-enables isolation without requiring manual intervention. This automation reduces operational complexity despite adding computational components
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method may include querying a centralized patch repository for new patch data; receiving a confirmation that there is new patch data in the centralized patch repository; spinning-up a proxy in an isolated computing environment in response to the receiving the confirmation; disabling an air-gap of the isolated computing environment configured to receive the new patch data; and receiving the new patch data at the isolated computing environment from the centralized patch repository.