Role-Based Web Application Slicing for Active Defense
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Solution Overview
Problem
Web applications are vulnerable to security breaches due to large attack surfaces, with attackers gaining access via stolen credentials to exploit vulnerabilities and elevate privileges, leading to data leaks and unauthorized code execution.
Innovation Solution
Implement role-status-based web application slicing, creating multiple application slices corresponding to different user roles, where each slice includes only endpoints and functionality permitted for that role, and using a reverse proxy to direct requests to the appropriate slice based on user authentication status, with counter-intrusion actions for unauthorized access attempts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If role-status-based web application slicing is implemented, then security vulnerability reduction is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The web application is divided into multiple slices, each corresponding to a specific user role status. Each slice contains only the endpoints and functionality permitted for that role, reducing the attack surface for each user type while maintaining overall system functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
A reverse proxy is introduced as an intermediary component that receives requests, determines the user's role status, and directs requests to the appropriate application slice. This mediator handles the complexity of role-based routing, keeping the slicing logic external to the application itself.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple application slices are created for different user roles, then access control precision is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Application slices are generated in advance through automated slicing based on role-status mappings before deployment. The reverse proxy is pre-configured with the mapping between roles and slices, enabling precise access control to be established beforehand rather than configured manually for each deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple slices are created as copies of the application, each tailored to specific role requirements. These slices are generated automatically through the slicing process, reducing manual configuration effort while maintaining precise access control for each role type.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the attack surface is reduced through slicing, then security against phishing and credential theft is improved, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts to different user roles by routing requests to appropriate slices based on the user's authentication status. The reverse proxy determines the user's role and directs traffic to the corresponding slice, allowing the system to adapt its behavior and exposed functionality based on the requesting user's credentials.
Solution Approach 2:
Each application slice has different local qualities tailored to specific role requirements. Each slice exposes only the endpoints and functionality appropriate for its designated role, creating localized security zones with different access characteristics while maintaining overall system versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
Application slicing can be applied to a web application with web application endpoints so that only the endpoints accessible by a given role are present in a given slice. Thus, role-based application slicing can be implemented. Subsequently, when requests for access to endpoints are received, the requests can be directed to a slice associated with a role of the user identifier making the request. Vulnerability chaining can thus be avoided because functionality in the slice is limited to that appropriate for the role of the user. The technologies can also be leveraged by extracting removed endpoints that can be used to detect intrusion in an active defense scenario.