Command-Level Privilege Delegation via Agent Proxy Interception
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing privilege management systems face scalability issues, administrative burdens, and security vulnerabilities when granting temporary elevated privileges, particularly in large organizations with thousands of users, lacking flexibility and dynamic control over command execution.
Innovation Solution
A computer device and method that intercepts user commands on files, determining whether to execute them with second, elevated privileges through an agent proxy process, reducing administrative burden and enhancing security by selectively applying elevated privileges on a per-command basis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If temporary elevated privileges are granted to users, then access requirements for applications are met, but security vulnerabilities increase and scalability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments privilege elevation from user account level to command-level. Instead of elevating the entire user account, it intercepts individual command requests and selectively elevates only those specific commands that require elevated privileges. This is achieved through an agent that monitors command execution requests and a privilege delegation system that evaluates each command individually, thereby reducing the attack surface while maintaining necessary access flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary agent process between the user and the command execution system. This agent intercepts command requests, evaluates whether elevated privileges are needed based on predefined policies, and only then allows execution with elevated privileges. The agent acts as a mediator that prevents direct grant of elevated privileges, thereby reducing security vulnerabilities while maintaining adaptability.
2Ease of operation
If temporary elevated privileges are granted to users, then command execution is enabled, but administrative burden increases and scalability worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by allowing the system to automatically evaluate and grant elevated privileges based on predefined policies. The agent monitors command requests and automatically determines whether elevation is needed according to organizational policies, eliminating the need for manual administrator intervention for each privilege grant. This maintains ease of operation while reducing administrative complexity and improving scalability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining privilege delegation policies before commands are executed. These policies specify which commands or operations require elevated privileges, allowing the system to make automated decisions in advance. This eliminates the need for real-time administrative decisions, thereby maintaining ease of operation while reducing administrative burden and improving scalability.
3Reliability
If elevated privileges are assigned to user accounts, then access permissions are granted, but flexibility is reduced due to pre-configuration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static privilege assignment model into a dynamic one. Instead of pre-configuring elevated privileges for user accounts or groups, the system dynamically evaluates each command request in real-time and decides whether to grant elevated privileges based on current policies and context. This provides both reliable access control and flexible, adaptive privilege assignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of privilege assignment from account-level (static) to command-level (dynamic). By evaluating and assigning privileges at the command execution level rather than at the user account level, the system can adapt to different scenarios and policies in real-time, providing both reliable access control and flexible dynamic assignment.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer device that manages privilege delegation is disclosed. The computing device can modify a virtual method table to point to a hooking function associated with an agent plugin. The agent plugin can be configured to intercept requests relating to a file using the hooking function. The computing device can intercept a request in a user account of a logged-in user to execute therein a command on the file according to first privileges assigned thereto. The computing device can obtain information related to the request and forward the information to an agent service cooperating with an operating system. The computing device can determine whether to execute the command on the file in the user account according to second privileges different from the first privileges. The computing device can cause the command to be executed on the file in the user account according to the second privileges.