Cloud Access Manager for IP Filtering and Domain Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for managing IP address-based access in geographically distributed computing services are error-prone and difficult to maintain, particularly in complex landscapes with multiple services and applications, leading to potential legal and liability issues due to incorrect access configurations.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes a cloud-based access manager to dynamically manage blocked IP addresses and target domains, allowing exceptions and integrating with lifecycle management, which includes a request inspector to deny or forward requests based on IP address and domain lists, and generates logs for monitoring and updating these lists periodically.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual management of IP address lists and target domains is used, then flexibility in configuration is maintained, but error rate increases and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically retrieves updated IP address ranges from regional internet registries and maintains target domain lists without manual intervention. The access manager self-updates blocked IP addresses and exception domains, eliminating manual configuration errors while maintaining operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors and updates IP address lists by comparing current configurations against authoritative sources. Automatic feedback loops detect and correct configuration drift, ensuring high reliability without requiring manual verification or adjustment of access control lists.
2Productivity
If automatic updates of IP address lists are implemented, then maintenance effort is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The access manager acts as an intermediary between external IP address registry sources and internal access control decisions. It automatically fetches, parses, and applies updates from regional internet registries, shielding the core system from complexity while maintaining high update efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-fetches and validates IP address range data from authoritative sources before it is needed for access decisions. By maintaining updated lists in advance, the system reduces real-time processing complexity while improving configuration update efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If comprehensive exception lists are maintained, then access flexibility is improved, but management difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The access manager handles multiple functions including blocked IP address filtering, target domain validation, exception list management, and automatic updates through a single unified system. This consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate management processes into one versatile component.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the management of blocked IP addresses, target domains, and exception lists into a single integrated access control mechanism. By combining these separate lists under unified automatic management, the system improves adaptability without proportionally increasing management complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods include reception of a request for access to a target domain, the request including a source Internet Protocol (IP) address, determination of whether the source IP address is one of a plurality of IP addresses indicated within stored first data, determination, if it is determined that the source IP address is one of the plurality of stored IP addresses, of whether the target domain is one of a plurality of domains indicated within stored second data, and forwarding, if it is determined that the source IP address is one of the plurality of stored IP addresses and the target domain is one of a plurality of domains indicated within stored second data, of the request to the target domain.