Intermediary Data Validation Service for Web Server Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current web server applications often fail to validate data properly, leading to vulnerabilities due to improper handling of data type and length, which can result in security issues and require costly, time-consuming custom solutions that are not adaptable to dynamic applications.
Innovation Solution
A method where a computer system identifies and applies data validation rules based on a data format specification within the request, determining the validity of the data before forwarding it to the server application, thereby enhancing security and flexibility across different applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data validation is not performed by the server application, then the server application can process requests more quickly and with less complexity, but security vulnerabilities increase due to improper handling of data type and length
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a data validation service as an intermediary component between the client and the server application. This service receives data from the client, validates it according to predefined rules, and only forwards valid data to the server application. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by centralizing validation logic outside the server application, improving security without increasing the complexity of the server application itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The validation functionality is segmented into a separate, dedicated service that operates independently from the server application. This segmentation allows the validation logic to be maintained, updated, and enforced without affecting the server application's core processing logic, thereby improving security while keeping the server application simple and maintainable.
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom validation solutions are implemented for each application, then data validation can be tailored to specific application requirements, but development time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The data validation service is designed as a universal platform that can serve multiple applications with different validation requirements. It provides a common infrastructure with reusable validation rules and mechanisms that can be configured for different data types and formats. This universality eliminates the need to build custom validation solutions from scratch for each application, significantly reducing development time while maintaining adaptability to specific application needs through configuration rather than coding.
Solution Approach 2:
The validation service uses parameter-based configuration to adapt to different application requirements. Instead of hardcoding validation logic for each application, the system allows dynamic adjustment of validation parameters such as data types, length constraints, and format patterns. This enables the same validation service to be adapted to various applications by changing parameters rather than rewriting code, reducing development time while maintaining versatility.
3Ease of operation
If the server application performs data validation internally, then validation logic can be integrated with the application flow, but the server application becomes more complex and slower
Solution Approach 1:
The data validation service performs validation as a preliminary action before the server application receives the data. By validating data upfront in a dedicated service, the server application only processes data that is already known to be valid, eliminating the need for validation logic within the application flow. This preliminary validation approach maintains ease of operation through centralized validation while improving request processing speed by preventing invalid data from reaching the server application.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, computer system, and computer program product for validating data contained in a request sent by a requestor to a server application. A computer receives the request from the requestor before receipt of the request by the server application. The computer identifies a set of data validation rules to apply to the data in the request based on a data format specification contained in the request sent by the requestor. The computer determines whether the data is valid based on the identified set of data validation rules. The computer forwards the request to the server application in response to the computer determining that the data is valid based on the identified set of data validation rules.