Task-Based Elevated Rights Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional approaches to managing accounts with elevated rights often result in unnecessary elevated access, increasing the risk of security compromises and non-compliance with security and regulatory standards, as users are granted elevated rights based on their group membership rather than specific job requirements.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a process that grants elevated rights accounts based on the principle of least privilege, where users are provided with the minimum necessary rights required to perform their tasks, using a system that separates elevated rights accounts from basic accounts and requires 2-factor authentication for elevated access, with regular reviews to ensure access aligns with current job responsibilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users are granted elevated rights based on group membership, then users can easily access necessary resources, but the risk of security compromises increases due to unnecessary elevated access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments elevated rights into task-specific components. Instead of granting broad elevated rights based on group membership, the system divides access permissions into discrete task-level authorizations. Each task is associated with specific elevated rights, and users are granted only the minimum rights necessary to complete their assigned tasks, thereby reducing unnecessary security exposure while maintaining operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by making rights granular and task-specific rather than uniform across groups. Each task receives a customized set of elevated rights tailored to its specific requirements. This localized approach ensures that users have elevated access only where and when needed for specific tasks, rather than having broad elevated rights across entire groups, thus reducing security risks while preserving necessary access.
2Productivity
If users are granted elevated rights to perform tasks, then job responsibilities can be fulfilled, but the likelihood of account compromise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic rights management where elevated rights are not static but are actively created, assigned, and revoked based on task lifecycle. Rights are dynamically granted when a task is assigned and automatically revoked when the task is completed or expires. This dynamic approach ensures users have elevated rights only when needed to perform their responsibilities, minimizing the window of opportunity for account compromise while maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by granting only the specific portion of elevated rights needed for each task, rather than providing full administrative rights. Users receive minimal elevated access tailored precisely to task requirements, which is sufficient to fulfill job responsibilities but limited enough to reduce the impact and likelihood of account compromise.
3Ease of operation
If traditional account management is used, then basic user access is maintained, but regulatory compliance standards cannot be met due to excessive elevated rights
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms through automated auditing and monitoring of elevated rights usage. The system continuously tracks which users have elevated rights, what tasks they are performing, and whether the rights are being used appropriately. This feedback enables automatic detection of compliance violations and triggers alerts or automatic revocation of inappropriate elevated access, ensuring regulatory standards are met while maintaining basic user access operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables self-service through automated task-based rights management. The system automatically creates tasks, assigns appropriate elevated rights, monitors usage, and revokes rights when tasks are completed, reducing manual intervention. This automated self-service approach ensures consistent application of compliance policies and automatically maintains regulatory compliance while preserving ease of basic user access.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes associating a task with one or more elevated rights, wherein the task is associated with a user's job responsibility and granting an elevated right account to the user based on a principle of least privilege, wherein the elevated right account provides the one or more elevated rights necessary to perform only the task associated with the elevated rights.