Contribution Signatures for Tag Authorization
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cloud computing environments, there is a lack of effective authorization and identification of individual elements within request chains, leading to issues with tag management and verification, as services may have differing authorization information based on the request path, and there is no way to ensure that tags are accurately applied and authorized by the appropriate entities.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of digitally signed key-value pairs and metadata tags across request chains, where each service in the chain signs the request, allowing the tagging service to verify the authenticity and integrity of tags, ensuring they were added by authorized entities and not modified or omitted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional credential-based authentication is used in request chains, then user-level authorization is achieved, but individual element authorization and contributor identification within requests cannot be verified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the request chain into discrete signed components, where each service signs specific elements (tags, parameters) it contributes to the request. This segmentation enables precise tracking of contributor identity for each element while maintaining overall request integrity through cryptographic signatures.
2Reliability
If services in the request chain add tags without digital signatures, then tag management is simplified, but authorization and integrity verification of tags cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having each service sign its contributed tags and request elements before forwarding the request downstream. This pre-signing ensures that authorization and integrity verification can be performed later without adding complexity to the tag management process itself.
3Measurement precision
If digital signatures are applied to all request elements, then complete authorization verification is achieved, but processing overhead and computational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by having services sign only the specific elements they contribute to the request (such as tags they add or parameters they modify) rather than signing the entire request. This selective signing reduces computational overhead while maintaining precise contributor identification for each element.
4Adaptability or versatility
If authorization information varies based on request path, then flexible access control is achieved, but consistent verification across different paths becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback through cryptographic signatures that provide verifiable proof of authorization for each request element. The signature mechanism creates a feedback loop where the contributor's identity and authorization are cryptographically bound to the element, ensuring consistent verification regardless of the request path taken.
Data Source
AI summary
A request to add tags (e.g., labels, key-value pairs, or metadata) to resources can be digitally signed by the entity making the request, such that the source can be verified and an authorization determination made for each tag. For a request involving multiple services (or entities) that can each add tags, any tag added by a service can be included in the request and digitally signed by that service. Each service processing the request can also digitally sign the request before forwarding, so that each service signs a version of the request, which includes elements signed by other services earlier in the request chain. When the request is received to a tagging service, the service ensures that every tag was digitally signed by the appropriate authorized entity or service, and validates the signatures to ensure that no data was modified or omitted, before adding the tags to the designated resource(s).