Container Privileged Operation Execution via Auxiliary Container
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container virtualization systems face challenges in temporarily granting and retracting execution privileges for privileged operations, leading to potential security vulnerabilities and inefficient resource usage.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that involve creating a privilege rule to start a secondary container with extended execution authorization only when needed, allowing privileged operations to be executed as a proxy for the main container, and ending the secondary container after the operation, thereby maintaining non-extended execution authorization in the main container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If extended execution authorizations are permanently assigned to the container for privileged operations, then the container can execute privileged operations at any time, but security is compromised because the container retains excessive privileges during non-privileged operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts execution privileges by transitioning the container between two operational states: a first state with extended execution authorizations for privileged operations, and a second state with minimized execution rights for normal operations. This dynamic state management ensures the container only possesses elevated privileges when absolutely necessary, resolving the contradiction between operational versatility and security.
2Reliability
If execution privileges are minimized in the container for security, then security is improved, but the container cannot execute privileged operations when needed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring the container with the capability to transition between privilege states. Before executing privileged operations, the system proactively switches the container to the first state with extended authorizations. This preliminary state preparation ensures the container can execute privileged operations when needed while maintaining security during normal operations.
3Reliability
If the container switches between privileged and non-privileged states frequently, then security is optimized, but system complexity and overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a privilege management intermediary that handles state transitions between privileged and non-privileged modes. This intermediary component abstracts the complexity of frequent state switches, managing the transitions automatically based on operation requirements. By delegating state management to a specialized intermediary, the system achieves security optimization without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for executing privileged operations of an application program executed in a container on a host computer is provided, in which an extended execution permission to execute the container on a host computer is required in order to execute the privileged operation over non-privileged operations of the application program, including receiving a privilege policy monitoring called operations of the application program that are executed in the main container by way of a runtime environment of the host computer, launching a separate auxiliary container including the extended execution permission when a privileged operation contained in the privilege policy is called within the main container, executing the privileged operation in the auxiliary container on behalf of the main container, terminating the auxiliary container after the privileged operation has been executed, and continuing with the main container depending on feedback from the auxiliary container and/or the privilege policy.