Encoded ACL Tokens for Scalable Client Service Authorization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in scaling access control verification due to the high volume of access requests, making it difficult to manage and maintain access permissions efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates and distributes authorization tokens with encoded access control lists (ACLs) using cryptographic operations, allowing for secure and efficient verification of client permissions without retaining a copy of the ACL.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional access control verification systems are used to handle access requests, then access permissions can be verified, but the system cannot scale to handle high volumes of access requests efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The access control system is segmented into multiple independent authorization services distributed across different electronic devices. Each device maintains its own access control list and can independently verify authorization tokens, eliminating the single-point bottleneck and enabling parallel processing of access requests across the network.
Solution Approach 2:
Authorization tokens serve as intermediaries that encapsulate access control information. Instead of direct communication between clients and the central system for each access request, clients present self-contained tokens that can be verified by any authorized electronic device, reducing system complexity and improving scalability.
2Speed
If access control lists are distributed to clients, then verification speed improves, but security risks increase if ACLs are exposed
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of distributing the actual access control lists to clients, the system creates and distributes cryptographic copies in the form of authorization tokens. These tokens contain encoded representations of ACL permissions that can be verified without exposing the original ACL data, maintaining security while enabling fast verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms the ACL data into a different parameter form through cryptographic encoding. The authorization tokens contain transformed representations of permissions that preserve verification functionality while changing the data format to prevent exposure of sensitive ACL information.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables scalable and secure access control management by ensuring authorized clients can access services while preventing unauthorized access, reducing the computational burden on data centers.
Implementation Method 1
The first electronic device may encode the ACL into each of the authorization tokens by applying a cryptographic operation on the ACL to generate an encrypted ACL, and incorporate the encrypted ACL into each of the authorized tokens. In some implementations, the system may apply the cryptographic operation by applying a hash function to the ACL. In some implementations the system may apply the cryptographic operation by encrypting the ACL using a private key associated with the customer.
Implementation Method 2
The second electronic device may receive a service request for the service from a requesting client, or from another entity on behalf of a client, that includes a submitted authorization token, decode the submitted authorization token to identify a received ACL in the submitted authorization token, analyze the received ACL to determine whether the client is an authorized client and the permissions in the received ACL grant the client permission to access the service
Data Source
AI summary
A method of authorizing a client device to a service includes, by an electronic device: defining an access control list that includes permissions for authorized clients of a customer, creating authorization tokens and encoding the ACL into each of the authorization tokens, and distributing the authorization tokens to the authorized clients. The method includes, by a data center that provides a service to one or more of the authorized clients: receiving a service request to provide the service to a first client in which the request includes a submitted authorization token, decoding the submitted authorization token to identify a received ACL in the submitted authorization token, analyzing the received ACL to determine whether the first client is an authorized client and the permissions in the received ACL grant the first client permission to access the service, and if so, providing the service to the first client.