Microservice Security Risk Reduction via Service Mesh Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Applications with distributed microservices in a cloud-based architecture face increased security risks due to data communication across multiple networks, including those under third-party control, making it difficult to ensure security without specific security functions provided by the cloud environment.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a security management framework that analyzes the security risks of distributed microservices and adds security services to the application package, deploying them on the cloud platform to reduce security risks, independent of the cloud environment's security features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If distributed microservices architecture is used to enable scalable data utilization, then productivity and adaptability are improved, but security risk increases due to network communication between services
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the application into multiple microservices that can be independently deployed and managed. Each microservice is a self-contained unit that communicates through standardized interfaces, enabling scalable data utilization while maintaining security boundaries between services. The segmentation allows security risks to be isolated to specific services rather than affecting the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a service mesh as an intermediary layer between microservices. The service mesh handles security concerns such as authentication, authorization, and encryption for inter-service communication, allowing the microservices to focus on business logic while the intermediary manages security risks associated with network communication.
2Adaptability or versatility
If cloud platform deployment is used to achieve flexible infrastructure, then adaptability is improved, but security control deteriorates when relying on third-party network environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements security configurations and policies before deploying microservices to the cloud platform. Security templates, authentication mechanisms, and network policies are pre-configured in the service mesh, ensuring that security controls are in place before the application encounters third-party network environments, thus maintaining security control while enjoying cloud deployment flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The service mesh creates a controlled, secure communication environment between microservices, isolating them from external third-party network risks. This 'inert environment' encrypts and secures inter-service communication, protecting the application from harmful factors in the external cloud network while maintaining the benefits of cloud platform deployment.
3Reliability
If more security services are added to reduce security risk, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple security services into a unified service mesh architecture. Instead of implementing separate security components for each microservice, the service mesh consolidates authentication, authorization, encryption, and monitoring functions into a single integrated layer, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive security coverage across all microservices.
Solution Approach 2:
The service mesh provides universal security functionality that can be applied to any microservice without requiring service-specific security implementations. The same security policies and mechanisms work across all services in the system, simplifying security management and reducing complexity by eliminating the need for multiple specialized security components.
Data Source
AI summary
A system performs an application update process based on security management information that is information including meta information for each of a plurality of security services. The application update process is a process for adding one or more security services including a security service that reduces the security risk of an application having a plurality of distributed microservices having a graph structure relationship to the application.