Usage-Based Permission Administration Engine for Least Privilege
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing user permissions in complex computing environments is challenging, especially when users' roles change, leading to residual permissions that violate the principle of least privilege and pose security risks.
Innovation Solution
A system that employs automated analysis of user interactions to identify permission structures, dynamically generates permission sets, and updates permissions without disrupting access, using machine learning algorithms to group similar permissions and enforce the principle of least privilege.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual permission management is used in complex computing environments, then administrators can control user permissions, but the complexity of managing user permissions increases significantly as the number of users and environment complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically analyzes user interactions with computing resources and generates permission sets without requiring manual administrator intervention. The permission management system serves itself by detecting usage patterns and autonomously creating appropriate permission assignments, eliminating the need for complex manual management while maintaining reliable permission control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors and analyzes user interactions with computing resources, using this feedback to dynamically generate and update permission sets. This closed-loop feedback mechanism allows the system to adapt permissions based on actual usage patterns, reducing management complexity while ensuring appropriate access control.
2Adaptability or versatility
If users are granted extensive permissions to perform various tasks, then users can access needed resources, but residual permissions from previous roles create security risks and violate the principle of least privilege
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the specific permissions that are actually needed for current user tasks by analyzing user interactions. Instead of granting broad permissions, the system identifies and assigns only the minimal necessary permissions, automatically removing residual permissions from previous roles that are no longer needed, thus eliminating security risks while maintaining user access capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes permission parameters based on detected user interaction patterns. As users perform tasks and interact with resources, the system adjusts the permission set parameters to match actual usage, ensuring users have appropriate access rights for their current roles without retaining unnecessary permissions from previous roles.
3Extent of automation
If automated permission analysis is implemented, then permission sets can be dynamically generated based on actual usage, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a multi-functional platform that combines user interaction monitoring, pattern analysis, permission set generation, and automatic permission assignment into a single integrated system. This universal system handles multiple functions through unified mechanisms, reducing the complexity that would arise from separate systems while achieving high levels of automation in permission management.
4Reliability
If permissions are frequently updated to reflect current roles, then security is improved, but user access may be disrupted during updates
Solution Approach 1:
The system analyzes user interactions and generates updated permission sets in advance before implementing changes. By preparing permission updates beforehand based on detected usage patterns, the system can apply changes with minimal disruption to user access, ensuring security improvements are implemented smoothly without causing access interruptions.
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of permissions associated with the on-demand computing services environment may be identified. Each of the permissions may identify a respective one or more actions permitted to be performed within the on-demand computing services environment. Each of the permissions may be granted to a respective one or more user accounts within the on-demand computing services environment. A degree of overlap between a first group of the user accounts granted a first one of the permissions and a second group of the user accounts granted a second one of the permissions may be determined. When the degree of overlap exceeds a designated threshold, a designated permission set that includes the first permission and the second permission may be created.