Dock Port Access Control via User Authentication Policies
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to provide a docking station that can differentiate between various user types (employees, contractors, visitors) and their devices, ensuring appropriate access to resources while preventing unauthorized access to confidential information, particularly in shared workspaces where security risks are high due to the potential for malicious software uploads and data breaches.
Innovation Solution
The docking station authenticates connected devices and users, applies policies based on user type and device ownership, configuring ports to enable or disable access, monitor data, and restrict speeds or locations, using stored policies or updating them from a policy server to ensure secure resource allocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a dock provides universal access to all resources for any connected device, then ease of operation is improved, but security and reliability deteriorate due to unauthorized access risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different access permissions to different users based on their authentication credentials. Each user receives a tailored access profile that grants appropriate resources based on their role (employee, contractor, visitor), ensuring that security requirements are met while maintaining ease of operation for authorized users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts access permissions based on user authentication results. The dock controller modifies resource availability in real-time according to the authenticated user's policy profile, allowing the system to transition from a static open-access mode to a dynamic security-controlled mode without requiring physical reconfiguration.
2Reliability
If a dock restricts access to resources for security purposes, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation worsens due to limited resource availability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication and policy assignment before resource access is granted. By pre-configuring access profiles for different user types and automatically applying the appropriate profile upon authentication, the system ensures security restrictions are in place before any resource interaction occurs, maintaining both security and ease of operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a dock provides full network access to all connected devices, then adaptability is improved, but harmful factors increase due to potential malicious software uploads and data breaches
Solution Approach 1:
The dock controller acts as an intermediary between the connected computing device and the network resources. It mediates all data flows by enforcing policy-based access controls, monitoring communications, and blocking potentially harmful transactions while allowing legitimate network operations to proceed, thus enabling adaptability while preventing harmful factors.
4Reliability
If a dock implements authentication and policy-based access control, then security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically performing authentication, policy selection, and resource configuration based on the user's credentials and pre-configured policy profiles. The dock controller autonomously manages the complex security operations without requiring manual intervention from users or administrators during the access process, thereby improving security while minimizing the perceived complexity for end users.
Data Source
AI summary
In some examples, a dock may determine that computing device is connected to the dock. The dock may authenticate the computing device, a user of the computing device, or both. The dock may select a policy based on the type (e.g., provided by a corporation or by the user) of the computing device, the type of user (e.g., employee, contractor, or visitor), or both. The dock may configure the dock to enforce the policy. For example, for one or more of the ports of the dock, the dock may enable a port, disable the port, monitor data sent and received using the port, restrict an upload and/or download speed of the port, prevent the port from accessing one or more locations (e.g., addresses or paths), or any combination thereof.