Security Zone Policy Enforcement for Cloud Resource Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cloud-based security solutions are limited in providing a robust and secure framework for managing and enforcing security policies, often tied to user identity and requiring manual management of user identities, which can compromise security and privacy.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based security solution that employs security zone policy enforcement, allowing access to resources based on predefined security zone policies rather than user identity, with a system that manages and enforces security zones and policies to govern resource access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If security policies are tied to user identity and require manual management of user identities, then access control can be implemented, but security and privacy are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces security zones as an intermediary layer between user identities and resource access. Instead of directly tying security policies to user identities, the system uses security zones that contain resources and define access rules at the zone level. This intermediary structure eliminates the need for manual user identity management while maintaining strong security controls, as the security zone acts as a mediator that manages access without requiring direct user identity tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts user identity information from the security policy enforcement process. By separating security zone definitions from user identities, the system removes the dependency on manual user identity management. Security zones are defined independently of specific users, and access decisions are made based on zone policies rather than individual user credentials, thereby extracting the problematic identity management aspect while preserving security.
2Reliability
If cloud-based security services are used to manage resources, then security solutions are provided, but the volume of cloud resources that need to be securely managed continues to rise rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal security zone framework that can manage diverse cloud resources (virtual cloud networks, compute instances, storage buckets, databases, etc.) through a common policy enforcement mechanism. Instead of implementing separate security management systems for each resource type, the security zone approach provides a multi-functional framework that handles various resource types uniformly, thereby improving resource management efficiency while maintaining comprehensive security coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments cloud resources into security zones that can be independently managed and protected. By dividing the cloud infrastructure into discrete security zones with defined policies, the system enables granular security management without requiring centralized control of all resources. This segmentation allows for more efficient management as each zone can be configured and enforced independently, reducing the overall complexity of managing rapidly growing cloud resources.
3Reliability
If existing cloud-based security services are used, then access to resources can be controlled, but the services need to be improved to provide more robust, secure and reliable access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic security zone policies that can be flexibly configured and modified without requiring changes to the underlying infrastructure or user identities. Security zones and their associated policies can be dynamically created, updated, and enforced across different resource types. This dynamic approach provides robust and secure access control while maintaining high adaptability, as the system can respond to changing security requirements by adjusting zone policies rather than restructuring the entire security framework.
Data Source
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AI summary
A cloud-based security solution that provides a robust and secure framework for managing and enforcing security policies related to various resources managed in the cloud is disclosed. The cloud-based security solution is implemented by a security zone policy enforcement system in a cloud service provider infrastructure. The system receives a request to perform an operation on a resource and determines a compartment associated with the resource. The system determines that the compartment is associated with a security zone and determines a set of one or more security zone policies applicable to the resource. The system then determines that the operation on the resource is permitted based on the set of one or more security zone policies and responsive to determining that the operation on the resource is permitted, allows the operation to be performed on the resource.