Policy-Based Command Routing for Secure Remote Execution
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Solution Overview
Problem
In distributed computing environments, users face challenges in executing commands remotely on production systems due to restricted access and the risk of executing potentially destructive commands, with existing methods like direct login or data metrics being inefficient or risky.
Innovation Solution
A policy-based approach is implemented using a computer system as an intermediary, applying role-based access control and policies to determine and execute user commands on remote systems, while maintaining security and minimizing destructive actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If direct login to remote system is allowed, then command execution capability is improved, but system security and risk of compromise deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a policy server as an intermediary component between the user's computing device and the remote system. This mediator receives commands from users, evaluates them against defined policies, and only forwards permitted commands to the remote system. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining command execution capability while preventing direct login, thus improving security without sacrificing operational ability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the command execution process into distinct components: a policy server that handles authentication and policy evaluation, and a remote system that executes only approved commands. This segmentation isolates the security functions from the execution functions, allowing secure command routing without requiring direct user access to the remote system.
2Reliability
If access control policies are implemented, then system security is improved, but command execution efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary policy evaluation and authentication actions before command execution occurs. The policy server pre-evaluates user credentials and command requests against defined policies, making security checks transparent and automatic. This preliminary action ensures security without requiring manual intervention or slowing down the actual command execution process.
Solution Approach 2:
The policy server automatically evaluates commands against stored policies without requiring manual review or intervention. The system serves itself by automatically determining whether to permit or block commands based on predefined rules, maintaining both security and efficiency through automated decision-making rather than manual control.
3Manufacturing precision
If policy evaluation is performed for each command, then command permission accuracy is improved, but processing time deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual or complex policy evaluation mechanisms with automated computer-based processing. The policy server uses programmed logic and data structures to automatically evaluate commands against policies, replacing what could be manual review processes. This substitution maintains high accuracy in command permission determination while significantly reducing processing time through efficient automated comparison.
Data Source
AI summary
A policy-based approach to execution of commands in a distributed environment involves applying policies to determine permissions for executing commands. In some implementations, a user inputs a command at a web portal, causing a request to be sent to a computer system. The web portal also sends an indication of one or more machine components of a remote system to which the command is to be applied. After identifying a policy associated with the user, the computer system evaluates a rule in the policy to determine whether the user is permitted to execute the command with respect to the one or more machine components. The computer system routes the command to the remote system for execution based on determining that the rule is satisfied. This enables the command to be executed without providing the user with direct or unrestricted access to the remote system.