Service-to-Service Authorization Using Third-Party Identity Tokens
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems face challenges in efficiently and flexibly managing service-to-service authentication in microservices architectures due to decentralized and dynamic service interactions, leading to increased complexity, latency, and vulnerabilities.
Innovation Solution
A service authorization system that utilizes third-party identification tokens for service-specific authentication and authorization, maintaining localized authorization policies within each computer service to reduce latency and improve flexibility and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional centralized authentication systems are used, then user identities can be managed, but authentication latency increases and system flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized authentication system into distributed service-specific authorization policies. Each service maintains its own authorization policy locally, eliminating the need for centralized authentication decisions and reducing latency while maintaining security through service-specific policy enforcement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a third-party identification token as an intermediary mechanism. Instead of direct centralized authentication, services use these tokens to prove identity and authorize requests, enabling decentralized authentication that reduces latency while maintaining reliability through token validation.
2Reliability
If centralized access policies are used, then access control can be implemented, but operational flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by allowing each service to define its own authorization policies tailored to its specific needs. Instead of a one-size-fits-all centralized policy, each service gets customized policies that match its operational context, improving flexibility while maintaining reliable access control through localized policy enforcement.
3Reliability
If complex centralized configuration is used, then comprehensive access control is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex centralized configuration into simpler service-specific authorization policies. Each service maintains its own policy independently, reducing overall system complexity while achieving comprehensive access control through the aggregation of these simplified, service-tailored policies.
4Reliability
If extensive group memberships and permission scopes are used, then comprehensive authorization is achieved, but processing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by replacing extensive centralized group memberships with service-specific authorization policies that are locally enforced. Each service evaluates requests against its own tailored policies, improving processing efficiency by eliminating the need to check numerous centralized groups while maintaining complete authorization coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to systems, non-transitory computer-readable media, and methods for processing access requests on a service-to-service basis using a third-party identification token. In particular, the disclosed systems can identify that a user is authenticated for a first computer service based on detecting a third-party identification token. Further, the disclosed systems can generate, by the first computer service, an access request comprising a requested action and the third-party identification token to a second computer service. Additionally, the disclosed systems can determine, by the second computer service, whether the access request is authorized based on determining that an authorization policy defined at the second computer service authorizes the requested action by the first computer service and that the third-party identification token is valid. Moreover, the disclosed systems can provide, to the first computer service, a response to the access request in response to determining whether the access request is authorized.