API Gateway Request Filtering and Data Redaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
In shared-resource environments, the presence of a root user with broad access can pose a security risk, and existing security measures are reactive, only alerting after a potential breach has occurred, failing to preemptively protect against unwanted conditions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a multi-account architecture with cross-account permissions and using an API gateway to filter requests and automatically redact sensitive data, ensuring preemptive protection by comparing request attributes to a blacklist and executing registered functions for filtering and data protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a root user with broad access is provided in a shared-resource environment, then users can perform tasks with full control over the account, but security risks increase due to the ability to override most controls
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the account system into multiple accounts with different permission levels. Instead of a single root user with full control, the system creates a hierarchy of accounts where each has specific, limited permissions. This segmentation allows users to perform tasks with appropriate access while preventing any single account from having unrestricted control, thereby reducing security risks while maintaining operational capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary access control system that sits between the user and the resources. This intermediary layer enforces permission policies and prevents direct access to sensitive resources, even for accounts with elevated privileges. The intermediary mechanism ensures that no single account can override all controls, mitigating security risks while preserving user ability to perform authorized tasks.
2Reliability
If reactive rules are used to detect unwanted conditions, then alerts can be generated after a breach occurs, but preemptive protection against security breaches is not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by establishing access control policies and permission frameworks before security breaches can occur. Instead of waiting for reactive detection, the system proactively prevents unauthorized access through pre-configured permission rules, account hierarchies, and access restrictions. This preliminary protective measure eliminates the need for time-consuming reactive responses while maintaining reliable security monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
Approaches provide for mandatory access controls and account identification masking controls in an electronic environment. For example, a customer can configure a client device to access an API gateway which acts as a proxy for a resource in a resource provider environment. Requests for resources or services can be redirected to the API gateway. A registered function may be triggered when the request is received and may filter the request. After filtering, the request can be forwarded on to the actual API endpoint to access the requested resource. From the client's perspective, the resource is being accessed directly, and from the resource's perspective, it is being accessed by the proxy. This layer of indirection enables data to be protected preemptively, rather than waiting for an undesirable condition to exist and then reactively attending to the issue. Additionally, log data may be redacted and/or masked automatically as it is created, protecting sensitive data before it is accessible to administrators or other users.