Cloud Object Locking and Replication for Ransomware Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing security systems in cloud storage environments are ineffective in detecting vulnerabilities and threats as they are designed to check for vulnerabilities on the local device, allowing malicious objects to move between systems without detection, potentially leading to ransomware attacks.
Innovation Solution
A cloud storage security system that scans and analyzes incoming and stored objects for vulnerabilities, locks them during analysis, and takes proactive measures such as quarantining or encrypting objects to prevent propagation and provides ransomware protection by replicating valuable objects across secure locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If security systems check for vulnerabilities on local devices only, then the security system is simple to implement, but malicious objects can move between systems without detection
Solution Approach 1:
The security system performs multi-platform scanning capabilities within a single system architecture, allowing it to detect vulnerabilities across different operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS) without requiring separate systems for each platform. This universal scanning capability resolves the contradiction by enabling comprehensive detection while maintaining a unified system structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces cloud-based infrastructure as an intermediary between local devices and security analysis. The cloud platform receives files from multiple sources, performs standardized scanning using platform-agnostic agents, and returns results to users. This intermediary approach enables cross-system detection capability while keeping individual client devices simple.
2Reliability
If files are locked during security analysis, then false positives are reduced, but user access to files is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs security scanning as a preliminary action before files are made accessible to users. Files are locked and scanned in advance, and only after successful completion of the security check are they unlocked and made available for user access. This preliminary security verification ensures high reliability while minimizing access delays through efficient parallel processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic scanning where files are locked only for the duration necessary to complete the security analysis, then unlocked for user access. This periodic locking mechanism balances security requirements with user accessibility, allowing files to be available most of the time while undergoing intermittent security verification.
3Reliability
If valuable objects are encrypted and stored in secure locations with redundancy, then ransomware protection is improved, but storage complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates encrypted copies of valuable files and stores them in secure cloud locations with redundancy. Multiple copies are maintained across different storage locations, ensuring that if one copy is compromised by ransomware, other copies remain accessible. This copying strategy provides robust ransomware protection while using standardized cloud storage mechanisms to manage complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the state of files by encrypting them before storage in secure locations. This parameter change (from plaintext to encrypted state) protects files from ransomware while maintaining accessibility through proper decryption keys. The encryption parameter is managed automatically by the system, reducing the burden of manual storage management.
Data Source
AI summary
A newly created or modified object is sent to a networked local or remote server for analysis. While the object is being analyzed for vulnerabilities, the object is locked and made inaccessible to users, devices, and networks. If the object is identified as malicious, it may be marked for review, deleted, placed in quarantine, or have its permissions changed so that it cannot cause harm by propagating through the environment. Conversely, if the object is identified as safe, the risk of ransomware attacks may also be mitigated by replicating the object across multiple cloud storage platforms.