Automated Privilege Delegation via Cryptographic Verification
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for granting privileges to lower-privileged entities on devices require physical access and administrative intervention, resulting in increased costs due to travel, transportation, and working hours.
Innovation Solution
Automating the introduction of privileges by pre-providing devices with necessary privileges, allowing a higher-privileged entity to remotely or pre-install a higher-privileged instance that can set up lower privileges using cryptographic verification, eliminating the need for administrative intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an administrator manually configures privileges on a device by physical access, then privilege delegation can be performed with full control and verification, but travel costs, time costs, and administrative effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring trust relationships and cryptographic verification mechanisms on the device before administrative intervention is needed. The device is pre-provisioned with ability to autonomously verify administrator identity and execute privilege delegation commands remotely, eliminating the need for physical presence while maintaining security control.
2Reliability
If an administrator manually configures privileges on a device by physical access, then privilege delegation can be performed with full control and verification, but transportation costs and device downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the device to autonomously handle privilege delegation operations. The device can independently verify administrator credentials through cryptographic methods and execute privilege configuration commands without requiring physical administrator presence, thereby eliminating device transport needs and minimizing downtime while maintaining secure control.
3Productivity
If automated privilege delegation is implemented without physical access, then time costs and transportation costs are reduced, but security verification and authorization control become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical physical verification methods with cryptographic electronic verification systems. Instead of requiring physical presence for identity verification and authorization, the system uses digital signatures, public key infrastructure, and secure communication protocols to authenticate administrators and verify privilege delegation commands remotely, maintaining security while enabling automated efficient operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Reduces the effort and costs associated with setting up privileges by enabling automated privilege delegation without requiring physical presence or administrative intervention, allowing authorized entities to access necessary functions.
Implementation Method 1
Whether an instance possesses the necessary privilege could be verified, for example, by means of a cryptographic signature with which the instance is secured.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for a higher level privilege instance to delegate privileges to a lower level privilege instance, through which the granting of privileges, P1, to a lower level privilege instance in a data processing device is automatically carried out. The device is provided with functions for setting up required privileges before distribution to a user or by long distance data transmission and, hence, privileges, P1, can be provided to the lower level privilege instance with the help of a higher level privilege instance which has special privileges, P2, which authorize the assignment of privileges.