Automated Threat Modeling for Network Services

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Solution Overview

Problem

Network-based services face challenges in maintaining accurate and up-to-date threat models due to their complexity and frequent changes, leading to exposure to security threats like side-channel attacks and SQL injection attacks, as manual text-based threat models become outdated and difficult to monitor.

Innovation Solution

An automated system-security service generates and continuously updates machine-readable threat models by scanning network-based services, identifying changes, and detecting violations of system-level security constraints, enabling automatic notification and mitigation of security threats.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual text-based threat models are used, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision and reliability deteriorate due to outdated information and difficulty in monitoring

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of operationVSAvoidaccuracy of threat modeling

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual text-based threat modeling with an automated machine-readable threat modeling system. The system automatically generates and updates threat models by scanning network-based services, detecting changes, and identifying security threats without requiring manual intervention. This substitution of mechanical manual processes with automated computational processes resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of operation through automation while significantly improving measurement precision through continuous, accurate monitoring.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-service by automatically scanning network-based services, detecting changes, updating threat models, and identifying security threats without requiring manual security analysis. The automated system serves itself by continuously monitoring and maintaining accurate threat models, eliminating the need for manual updates while ensuring high accuracy and reliability in threat detection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Adaptability or versatility

If frequent changes are made to network-based services, then adaptability is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to increased security threats and difficulty in maintaining accurate threat models

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveadaptabilityVSAvoidsecurity reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements continuous feedback by automatically scanning network-based services, detecting changes, updating threat models, and identifying security threats in real-time. This feedback loop ensures that threat models remain accurate and up-to-date despite frequent service changes, maintaining security reliability while allowing high adaptability. The system continuously adapts to service modifications and provides immediate security assessments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The automated system provides continuous monitoring and updating of threat models without interruption. The continuous scanning and analysis process ensures that security threats are identified immediately upon service changes, maintaining reliable security posture even during periods of frequent adaptation and modification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Measurement precision

If automated machine-readable threat models are implemented, then measurement precision and reliability are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of threat modelingVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system achieves multi-functionality by using a single automated scanning mechanism to perform multiple tasks: detecting changes in network-based services, updating threat models, identifying security threats, and providing continuous monitoring. This universal approach consolidates multiple security functions into one system, improving measurement precision while managing complexity through functional integration rather than multiple separate systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS11750642B1Automated threat modeling using machine-readable threat models

Publication Date: 2023.09.05 AMAZON TECH INC

AI summary

This disclosure describes techniques for automating a system-level security review of a network-based service. The techniques may include generating and utilizing a machine-readable threat model to identify system-level security threats to the network-based service. The network-based service may be scanned upon being provisioned in a service-provider network, and the machine-readable threat model may be generated based on results of the scan. The machine-readable threat model may represent components of the network-based service, system-level security constraints configured to identify system-level security threats to the service, and mitigations to remedy violations to the system-level security constraints. The network-based service may be continuously, or periodically, scanned to identify changes in the network-based service. The techniques further include updating the machine-readable threat model to account for the detected changes to the network-based service, and analyzing the updated machine-readable threat model to determine whether the changes to the network-based service violate a system-level security constraint.