Keystore Access Control via Authorization Policies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional software systems burden software application components with the responsibility of storing and managing passwords for keystores, leading to insecure password storage, inconsistent security policies, and increased overhead, as well as the risk of data loss if passwords are forgotten or compromised.
Innovation Solution
A keystore access control system that employs fine-grained authorization policies to control access to keystores, eliminating the need for password management by software application components, using a policy store to determine access rights based on environmental and contextual factors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional password-based protection is used for keystores, then access control is implemented, but software application components must store and manage passwords, increasing security risks and operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
A keystore access control system is introduced as an intermediary between software application components and keystores. This system uses authorization policies stored in a policy store to determine access rights, eliminating the need for application components to manage passwords directly. The access control system acts as a mediator that centrally manages authentication and authorization decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The password management responsibility is extracted from the software application components and transferred to the centralized keystore access control system. By removing the burden of storing and managing passwords from application components, the system reduces security risks associated with password storage while maintaining access control functionality.
2Reliability
If password-based access control is implemented, then keystore protection is achieved, but inconsistent security policies and increased overhead occur across multiple application components
Solution Approach 1:
The keystore access control system provides universal access control functionality that can be applied consistently across multiple software application components. The centralized policy store stores authorization policies that can be uniformly enforced, ensuring consistent security policies regardless of which application component is accessing the keystore.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where access requests are evaluated against stored authorization policies, and decisions are centrally coordinated. This feedback loop ensures that security policies are consistently applied and can be updated centrally without affecting individual application components.
3Ease of operation
If application components store passwords for keystores, then access is enabled, but the risk of data loss increases if passwords are forgotten or compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The keystore access control system serves as an intermediary that handles authentication and authorization centrally. Application components do not need to store passwords themselves; instead, they make access requests to the control system, which evaluates policies and grants or denies access. This eliminates the risk of password compromise at the application level.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service access control where the centralized access control system automatically evaluates authorization policies and makes access decisions without requiring application components to manage credentials. This self-service mechanism reduces human error and eliminates the risk of forgotten or compromised passwords.
Data Source
AI summary
A keystore access system is provided that controls access to a keystore. The keystore access control system receives a request to access content of the keystore from a software application component. The keystore access control system applies a stored authorization policy to the request to determine whether access to the content of the keystore is granted. The keystore access system further grants the software application component access to the content of the keystore when it is determined that access to the content of the keystore is granted. The keystore access system further denies the software application component access to the content of the keystore when it is determined that access to the content of the keystore is not granted.