Automated Privileged Account Association via Robot Exploration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing and visualizing privileged accounts in IT systems is tedious and inefficient, especially when dealing with multiple accounts and varying access levels, as existing methods require manual intervention and lack automation for associating machines with the most appropriate privileged accounts.
Innovation Solution
A process involving a robot program to explore domains, filter privileged accounts based on criteria, and supply an access security proxy with gathered data, including extracting account characteristics and analyzing activity logs to automatically associate remote machines with the most relevant privileged accounts, either storing data in a file or providing it through an API.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual intervention is used to associate privileged accounts with machines, then the association can be created with human judgment, but the process becomes tedious and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically discovering privileged accounts through robot programs that explore domains and extract account characteristics, then autonomously associates these accounts with target machines based on filtering criteria and activity log analysis, eliminating the need for manual operator intervention in the association process
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-discovering and storing privileged account information in a database before the actual association is needed. The robot program proactively explores domains, identifies accounts, extracts characteristics, and prepares the data structure in advance, so that when association is required, the work is already substantially complete
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple privileged accounts are managed manually, then each account can be individually configured, but the management complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the account management process into distinct automated components: robot program for domain exploration, characteristic extraction module, filtering criteria application, activity log analysis, and association engine. Each component handles a specific aspect of the process, making the overall complex task manageable and maintainable through modular automation
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary database that stores discovered privileged account information and an intermediary robot program that acts as a mediator between domain exploration and account association. This intermediary layer automates the complex coordination required to manage multiple accounts, reducing the apparent complexity for operators
3Productivity
If automated robot programs are used to discover and associate privileged accounts, then manual effort is reduced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot program is designed as a universal multi-functional tool that can explore multiple domains, identify various types of privileged accounts, extract different characteristics, apply filtering criteria, and perform associations across diverse target machines. This universal approach consolidates what would otherwise require multiple specialized tools into a single automated system
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where activity logs are continuously monitored and analyzed to refine the association process. The robot program uses feedback from discovered accounts and their characteristics to automatically adjust filtering criteria and improve future associations, enabling the system to self-optimize while maintaining automation
Data Source
AI summary
A method for automatically supplying a secure connection proxy with remote targets on the basis of privileged account data, includes a step of exploring, by a robot program, at least one domain for identifying the privileged accounts; a step of filtering the privileged accounts on the basis of criteria; steps of extracting characteristics from identified privileged accounts; and a step of supplying the proxy with the gathered data.