Security Metadata Service for Decoupled Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current information systems face challenges in securely authenticating and authorizing users across diverse enterprise applications, requiring efficient management of authentication and authorization metadata to ensure access control without modifying application source code.
Innovation Solution
A security metadata service and middleware system that processes authentication and authorization requests, utilizing authentication servers and authorization databases to provide metadata-based access control, allowing decoupling of authentication and authorization processes from specific applications and enabling role-based access management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If authentication and authorization processes are integrated into each application, then access control can be implemented, but system complexity increases and maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts authentication and authorization functionality from individual applications and consolidates them into a separate security metadata service. This service independently manages authentication metadata (user identities, credentials) and authorization metadata (roles, permissions, access policies), allowing applications to access secured entities without embedded security logic, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining security reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The security metadata service acts as an intermediary between users and applications. It receives authentication requests, validates credentials against stored metadata, determines authorization based on roles and permissions, and returns access decisions. This mediator pattern isolates security complexity from applications while ensuring consistent access control across the enterprise
2Reliability
If authentication and authorization logic is embedded in application source code, then access control can be enforced, but modifying security policies requires code changes and recompilation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic security policies through metadata stored in the security metadata service. Authorization rules, roles, and permissions are stored as configurable metadata that can be modified at runtime without application code changes. When policies need updating, administrators simply update the metadata in the service, which then enforces new rules immediately for all applications consuming the service
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary authentication and authorization checks before applications access secured entities. The security metadata service pre-validates user credentials and determines authorization status based on current metadata, returning authentication tokens and permission sets that applications use throughout operation. This preliminary action separates security decision-making from application execution flow
3Reliability
If each application implements its own authentication and authorization, then access control can be maintained, but security management becomes inconsistent across applications
Solution Approach 1:
The security metadata service provides universal authentication and authorization functionality that serves multiple applications through a common interface. It maintains a centralized repository of authentication metadata (user profiles, credentials) and authorization metadata (roles, permissions, access control lists) that all applications access consistently. This universal service ensures uniform security enforcement across the enterprise while reducing redundant security implementation in each application
Data Source
AI summary
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to authenticating an identity of users desiring access to an application program and determining whether an authenticated user is authorized to access one or more aspects of the application program.