Privileged Agent for Controlled User Operations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thin clients restrict non-administrator users from performing certain operations, requiring administrator intervention, which leads to downtime and potential security risks due to the need for physical or remote access and the possibility of forgotten privilege revocations.
Innovation Solution
An agent with admin privileges is executed on the user's device, allowing users to request and perform operations that require elevated privileges, with automated approval and revocation policies to manage access temporarily.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If administrator credentials are shared with non-administrator users to allow them to perform restricted operations, then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
An agent is introduced as an intermediary component that runs with administrator privileges on the user's device. This agent acts as a mediator between the non-administrator user and the restricted system resources, allowing users to perform privileged operations without directly sharing administrator credentials. The agent authenticates user requests and executes them with appropriate privileges while maintaining security controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service capabilities by allowing non-administrator users to request and execute privileged operations independently through the agent, without requiring physical or remote administrator intervention. Users can submit requests through a user interface, and the agent handles the privileged operations automatically based on predefined policies or approved requests.
2Reliability
If administrator intervention is required for privileged operations, then security is improved, but productivity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The agent is pre-configured with administrator credentials and authorized to perform privileged operations on behalf of users. Administrator policies and permissions are pre-established, allowing the agent to automatically execute approved operations without requiring real-time administrator intervention. This preliminary setup enables rapid execution of privileged tasks while maintaining security through predefined authorization rules.
Solution Approach 2:
Non-administrator users can independently request and execute privileged operations through the agent without requiring administrator intervention. The system provides self-service capabilities where users submit requests through a user interface, and the agent automatically processes these requests according to established policies, eliminating the need for administrators to physically visit or remotely connect to user devices.
3Ease of operation
If temporary elevated privileges are granted to users, then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened due to potential forgotten revocation
Solution Approach 1:
The agent implements periodic monitoring and automatic revocation of elevated privileges granted to users. When a user receives temporary elevated privileges to perform a specific operation, the agent automatically revokes these privileges after the operation completes or after a predetermined time period expires. This periodic action ensures that elevated privileges are never retained indefinitely, eliminating the security risk of forgotten revocation while maintaining ease of operation during the authorized time window.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the agent continuously monitors the status of granted privileges and user actions. When a privileged operation is completed or the authorization period expires, the agent receives feedback and automatically revokes the elevated privileges. This feedback loop ensures that temporary elevated privileges are properly managed and revoked, maintaining security while allowing users to perform necessary operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Users can be enabled to perform operations that require elevated privileges in a controlled manner. An agent can be executed on a user's computing device with admin privileges. When the user desires to perform an operation that user's privileges do not allow, the user can submit a request to an administrator. If the administrator approves the request, the agent can be notified that an operation needs to be performed. The agent can then obtain the necessary information for performing the operation and either perform the requested operation directly or perform one or more other operations to enable the user to perform the requested operation. In cases where the agent's actions grant elevated privileges to the user, the agent can be further configured to revoke the elevated privileges at a subsequent time to thereby prevent the user from retaining elevated privileges indefinitely.