Smart Reverse Proxy Token Interception for Middleware Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional middleware solutions are unable to prevent malicious harvesting of tokens used to access backend systems and fail to regulate operations performed by applications interacting with these systems.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a smart reverse proxy system that intercepts access requests, replaces genuine access tokens with invalid 'placeholder' tokens, and only provides the genuine access token when necessary, ensuring that the middleware system is unaware of the genuine token and thus cannot harvest it, while maintaining a whitelist for secure token management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional middleware solutions are used to allow applications to interact with backend systems, then application interaction capability is improved, but security against token harvesting is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a reverse proxy server as an intermediary component between the application and the middleware system. This proxy intercepts access requests, replaces genuine access tokens with invalid placeholder tokens before forwarding requests to the middleware, and selectively provides genuine tokens to whitelisted backend systems. This intermediary architecture enables application interaction while preventing token harvesting by the middleware system, as the middleware only receives and stores invalid placeholder tokens rather than genuine credentials.
2Ease of operation
If genuine access tokens are provided to the middleware system for operation, then access functionality is improved, but security control is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by providing different token types to different components of the system. The reverse proxy server provides invalid placeholder tokens to the middleware system for general access operations, while selectively providing genuine access tokens only to whitelisted backend systems that require actual access. This localized differentiation of token quality enables the middleware to perform its access functionality without compromising security, as genuine tokens are only exposed where absolutely necessary.
3Productivity
If access tokens are made accessible to the middleware system for processing requests, then request processing capability is improved, but security against malicious activities is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The reverse proxy server acts as an intermediary that decouples the request processing capability from genuine token exposure. It intercepts all access requests from applications, replaces genuine tokens with invalid placeholder tokens, and forwards these modified requests to the middleware system for processing. The middleware system maintains full request processing capability while operating with invalid tokens that cannot be used for malicious activities. The proxy selectively provides genuine tokens only to authorized backend systems through whitelist verification.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for determining an access request provided by an entity that seeks to interact with one or more backend systems through a middleware system, the access request including a genuine access token. The entity can be authenticated based on the genuine access token. When a client request is made to the middleware system with a genuine access token, the request can be made through a smart ingress and egress proxy which intercepts the request and replaces the genuine access token with an invalid access token. The middleware system can subsequently make authorized requests to downstream systems on behalf of the middleware system's client by treating the smart proxy as an egress proxy for those subsequent requests, and the smart proxy replaces the invalid access token with a genuine one.