Capability Access Management via Signed Descriptors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing operating systems lack a centralized method to manage and control access to custom capabilities defined by third-party developers, such as independent hardware and software vendors, which can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive resources.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes a signed custom capability description (SCCD) to authorize access to custom capabilities, allowing third-party developers to define and control access to their capabilities without inserting their code into the operating system, using a trusted development center to verify and manage authorization listings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the OS has prior knowledge of resources and entities to make policy decisions, then access control reliability is improved, but adaptability to third-party vendor resources deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The capability description is segmented into multiple components including capability identifier, authorization listing, and vendor information. This segmentation allows the OS to verify individual elements independently while maintaining overall access control integrity, resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
A capability description structure acts as an intermediary between third-party vendors and the OS access control mechanism. This intermediary carries authorization information from vendors without requiring the OS to have prior knowledge of vendor-specific resources, enabling both reliable control and broad adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If third-party vendors define custom capabilities, then adaptability is improved, but system security deteriorates due to lack of centralized control
Solution Approach 1:
Vendors perform preliminary actions by creating signed capability descriptions with embedded authorization listings before distributing their resources. This preliminary authorization ensures that when the OS encounters these resources, security verification can occur automatically without compromising system security, while maintaining high adaptability to third-party capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of capability verification from requiring OS-level trust to using vendor-signed capability descriptors with authorization listings. This parameter change enables third-party vendors to define custom capabilities with built-in security credentials, achieving both adaptability and security.
3Reliability
If the OS manages access to all resources centrally, then security control is improved, but device complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The complex task of capability definition and authorization management is extracted from the OS and placed with the resource-owning vendors. Vendors create and sign capability descriptions that contain their own authorization policies. The OS only needs to verify these pre-created descriptors, significantly reducing OS complexity while maintaining centralized security control through verification.
Data Source
AI summary
Various systems and methods for capability access management are disclosed herein. In one example, a system includes a memory and a processor to send a signed custom capability description (SCCD) received from a first vendor to the memory for storage. The system may send an application received from a second vendor to the memory for storage. The system attempts to match the application to an authorization listing of the SCCD, where the application can be modified to allow access to a previously inaccessible custom capability in response to the application matching the authorization listing of the SCCD.