Soft-Deleted Resource Recovery Mismatch Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cybersecurity systems fail to effectively detect and mitigate suspicious resource recovery events, particularly in cloud computing environments, where an attacker can illegitimately recover soft-deleted resources by compromising user accounts, posing a security risk due to the lack of knowledge of the original user who initiated the soft deletion.

Innovation Solution

A detection mechanism that matches recovery instructions with soft delete instructions to identify a mismatch between user accounts, triggering mitigation actions such as generating security alerts or reversing the recovery process, thereby preventing unauthorized resource recovery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If soft delete functionality is implemented to allow resource recovery, then resource management flexibility is improved, but security vulnerability increases due to unauthorized recovery by attackers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource management flexibilityVSAvoidsecurity vulnerability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by recording the original user account information at the time of soft deletion before any recovery attempt occurs. This pre-recorded information is then used to verify authorization during the recovery process, preventing unauthorized recovery while maintaining the flexibility of soft delete functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by comparing the user account associated with the recovery instruction against the originally recorded user account from the soft delete instruction. This feedback mechanism determines whether the recovery should be permitted or blocked, resolving the security vulnerability while preserving resource management flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If user account verification is implemented for recovery operations, then security is improved, but system complexity increases due to additional verification steps

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesecurityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a copy of the user account information at the time of soft deletion and stores it alongside the resource metadata. This copied information is then used for verification during recovery operations, providing security without requiring complex real-time user authentication systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the recorded user account information as an intermediary element that mediates between the recovery request and the authorization decision. This intermediary approach simplifies the verification process by providing pre-captured authentication data rather than requiring complex real-time verification mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12430427B2Methods, systems and computer programs for detecting potentially suspicious resource access events

Publication Date: 2025.09.30 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

A recovery instruction pertaining to a resource is detected. The recovery instruction is matched with a delete instruction that caused the resource to enter a soft-deleted. A mismatch between a first user account associated with the recovery instruction and a second user account associated with the delete instruction is determined. A mitigation action is performed based on determining the mismatch between the first user account and the second user account.