Short-lived Digital Tokens for Cloud Resource Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cloud computing environments, resources often face challenges in interacting securely and efficiently due to differing security domains and the need for complex credential management, which can lead to unintended privilege escalations and increased complexity.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of short-lived digital tokens and stacked identifiers allows resource principals to access other resources with time-limited privileges, reducing the risk of privilege escalations and simplifying credential management by enabling resources to interact under different identities and purposes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional credential management is used for resource access, then resources can interact with each other, but the complexity of credential management increases and privilege escalation risks arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements short-lived digital tokens that automatically expire after a predetermined time period, replacing traditional long-term credentials. These tokens are generated on-demand for resource access and discarded after use or expiration, eliminating the need for complex credential rotation and revocation management while reducing security risks associated with long-lived credentials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a token generation service as an intermediary between resources seeking access and protected resources. This service issues time-limited digital tokens that mediate access requests, allowing resources to interact without directly sharing credentials. The token acts as a temporary proxy that encapsulates access permissions for a specific duration and scope.
2Reliability
If long-term access credentials are issued to resources, then resources can maintain persistent access, but the risk of privilege escalation and security breaches increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces persistent credentials with short-lived digital tokens that automatically expire after a predetermined time period. This limits the window of opportunity for privilege escalation attacks, as compromised credentials become invalid quickly. The tokens are designed to be consumed or discarded after a single use or after expiration, preventing long-term unauthorized access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic token renewal where resources must periodically re-authenticate to obtain fresh tokens. This periodic action ensures that access credentials are regularly updated and validated, preventing stale credentials from being used for privilege escalation. The system enforces time-based expiration and requires re-issuance of tokens at defined intervals.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple credentials are issued for different resource interactions, then fine-grained access control is achieved, but the number of credentials to manage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal token format that can serve multiple access control purposes. A single digital token type can encode different permission scopes, target resources, and time windows, allowing one token mechanism to replace multiple specialized credentials. The token structure is designed to be flexible and adaptable to various access scenarios without requiring separate credential types.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges multiple access control attributes into a single digital token. Instead of issuing separate credentials for different resources or permission levels, the patent combines all necessary access information (resource identifiers, permission scopes, time windows, conditions) into one consolidated token. This reduces the total number of credentials while maintaining fine-grained control capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for enabling resources within a cloud computing system to interact with each other. In certain embodiments, a resource is assigned a digital token that provides certain access privileges for the duration in which the digital token is valid. The digital token permits the resource to have access for a duration sufficient to perform some operation (e.g., run one-time code or the same code periodically on a scheduled basis), but without extending the level of access for significantly longer than necessary to complete the operation. Each time the resource principal is to perform the operation, the token can be reissued to the resource to provide the resource with time-limited access privileges. The use of this short-lived token avoids having to create permanent credentials for the resource.