Intermediary Device Header Protection Against CSRF
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network systems are vulnerable to malicious requests and Cross Site Forgery Request (CSFR) attacks, as bad actors can exploit the REFERER header to access resources or perform fraudulent activities by bypassing firewalls and protections.
Innovation Solution
A device intermediary to clients and servers tracks and monitors requests by creating a session with clients, generating unique identifiers for resources, and maintaining access and mapping lists to verify the legitimacy of subsequent requests, denying access if the requests do not originate from authorized sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a device implements header protection by tracking and monitoring requests through session identifiers and mapping lists, then security against malicious requests and CSFR attacks is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device positioned between clients and servers that acts as a mediator to enforce header protection. This device intercepts requests, validates REFERER headers against mapping lists, and determines whether to forward requests to servers. By placing this security enforcement layer in the network path, the patent improves security without requiring modifications to existing client or server applications, effectively resolving the contradiction between enhanced security and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing mapping lists that contain valid resource address combinations before malicious attacks occur. When a client legitimately accesses a resource, the device proactively creates an entry in the mapping list linking the REFERER header to the requested resource. This preliminary mapping enables rapid validation of subsequent requests without complex real-time analysis, improving security enforcement efficiency while maintaining manageable device complexity.
2Reliability
If a device monitors all client requests and maintains access lists for every session, then protection against bad actors accessing resources is improved, but loss of time for processing requests increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the security validation process selective rather than uniformly applying complex checks to all requests. The device examines the REFERER header and requested resource combination to determine if validation is needed. For requests that match existing mapping list entries, validation is rapid. For new legitimate requests, the device efficiently creates new mappings. This localized, context-aware validation approach provides strong protection while minimizing processing time overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating simplified representations of valid request patterns in the mapping list. Instead of maintaining complex state information for every session, the device copies essential validation data (REFERER header and resource address pairs) into a structured mapping list. This copied data structure enables fast lookup and validation decisions, reducing processing time while maintaining comprehensive protection against unauthorized access attempts.
3Reliability
If a device verifies mapping between requested resource and referring resource for every request, then prevention of cross site forgery requests is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the complex security verification problem into a simpler parameter matching task. Instead of analyzing the semantic content or structure of requests to determine legitimacy, the device changes the approach to comparing specific parameters: the REFERER header value and the requested resource address. By mapping these parameters in advance and comparing them for each request, the device achieves effective CSFR protection with reduced computational complexity, resolving the contradiction between protection effectiveness and device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Described embodiments provide systems and methods performing header protection. A device can receive from a client, a request relating to a first resource, for a second resource. The device can determine, using an identifier for the session, whether an address of the first resource has been previously accessed by the client during the session. The device can verify, using an address of the second resource, whether the address of the second resource is mapped to the address of the first resource for the session between the client and the device. The device can determine whether to provide access to the second resource responsive to the address of the first resource being previously accessed by the client during the session and the address of the second resource being mapped to the address of the first resource for the session.