Dynamic Security Token Retrieval for Multi-Cloud Contexts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in providing secure access to multiple cloud systems, as they lack the ability to dynamically identify and authenticate with different cloud contexts, leading to complexities in managing resources across distributed systems.
Innovation Solution
The system configures applications with multiple cloud contexts, enabling them to identify the appropriate cloud environment and retrieve tokens dynamically, allowing seamless communication and security token management across various cloud systems, thereby facilitating secure access and interoperability between different cloud services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If applications use a single authentication model for all cloud systems, then authentication complexity is reduced, but the ability to securely access multiple different cloud systems with their own authentication models is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud context as an intermediary layer between the application and multiple cloud identity systems. This cloud context contains configuration information about different cloud environments (Azure, AWS, GCP, etc.), allowing the application to dynamically select and switch between different authentication models without hardcoding multiple authentication mechanisms. The cloud context acts as a mediator that translates application requests into cloud-specific authentication operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically determines which cloud identity system to use based on the cloud context associated with each UI component or resource. Instead of using a static authentication model, the application can switch between different cloud providers' authentication mechanisms at runtime depending on which cloud system the user is currently interacting with. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the authentication system flexible enough to handle multiple cloud environments.
2Reliability
If applications dynamically retrieve security tokens from multiple cloud identity systems, then secure access to multiple cloud systems is enabled, but the complexity of managing multiple authentication models increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cloud context configuration provides a universal interface for managing multiple cloud identity systems. By configuring cloud contexts with provider-specific settings (Azure AD, AWS Cognito, Google Identity Platform, etc.), the application can use a single unified authentication flow that adapts to different cloud providers. This universal configuration approach reduces complexity by abstracting away provider-specific details while maintaining the ability to securely access multiple cloud systems.
3Ease of operation
If users share security credentials across multiple cloud systems, then authentication simplicity is improved, but security isolation between different cloud contexts is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments security credentials and authentication contexts by creating separate cloud contexts for each cloud provider. Each cloud context maintains its own security tokens and authentication state, preventing credential sharing across different cloud systems. This segmentation is achieved by configuring distinct cloud contexts with their own identity system parameters, allowing users to authenticate to each cloud system independently while maintaining security isolation. The system manages multiple authentication states simultaneously without requiring users to manually share or manage credentials across clouds.
Data Source
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AI summary
An application may be configured with two or more cloud contexts and one or more identity Systems. Using this information, the application has the ability to identify the remote cloud environment that a particular subsystem needs to interact with. The application communicates with the appropriate identity system to retrieve tokens dynamically for targeting that remote cloud.