Container Authentication via Hypervisor Security Database
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Solution Overview
Problem
In a cloud computing environment, managing security artifacts for authentication in a virtualized container environment is complex, especially when dealing with multiple instances of guest OS, requiring active management to ensure artifacts remain current, and involves duplication and translation of certificates and keys across different formats.
Innovation Solution
Integrating authentication operations directly with the underlying host OS security database, using an authentication module and handler to access and convert security artifacts in real-time, eliminating the need for duplication within the virtualized container environment, and allowing direct communication between guest and host OS without network access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If security artifacts are duplicated and translated across multiple guest OS instances, then authentication can be performed in each instance, but management complexity increases and artifacts must be actively managed to remain current
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the security artifact storage function into the host OS security database, eliminating the need for separate artifact duplication in each guest OS instance. The hypervisor acts as an intermediary that provides unified access to security artifacts across all container instances, reducing management complexity while maintaining authentication capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The hypervisor serves as an intermediary between guest OS instances and the centralized security database. It manages the translation and retrieval of security artifacts, allowing guest instances to access artifacts without directly managing them, thus reducing the burden on individual instances while ensuring artifact currency.
2Reliability
If security artifacts are statically exported and stored in container environments, then authentication can be performed, but the artifacts become stale and require active management to remain current
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static artifact storage to dynamic artifact retrieval. Security artifacts are fetched on-demand from the host OS security database through the hypervisor, allowing artifacts to be updated in real-time across all container instances without requiring static exports or active management of copied artifacts.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple instances of guest OS require security artifacts, then authentication can be performed across instances, but duplication and translation of certificates and keys is required
Solution Approach 1:
The host OS security database serves as a universal artifact repository that provides security artifacts to multiple different guest OS instances through the hypervisor. This eliminates the need for separate artifact duplication and translation processes, as the centralized database can serve all instances with appropriate translation handled by the hypervisor.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for integrated authentication for a container-based environment are described herein. An aspect includes accessing, by an application that is running in a container in a container environment that is hosted by a hypervisor on a host system, an authentication module that is located in the container environment. Another aspect includes invoking an authentication handler in the container environment based on the accessing of the authentication module. Another aspect includes passing control to the hypervisor from the authentication handler. Another aspect includes retrieving a security artifact from a security database of the host system by the hypervisor. Another aspect includes providing the retrieved security artifact to the application via the authentication handler. Another aspect includes performing an authentication operation by the application using the security artifact.