Verifiable Attribute Maps for Tamper-Evident Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems using attribute-based access control (ABAC) policies are vulnerable to security breaches when trusted components are compromised, allowing malicious entities to access sensitive data and exfiltrate information.
Innovation Solution
A verifiable attribute map maintained by a ledger database with tamper-resistant capabilities, ensuring the integrity of identity and attribute information through cryptographic attestation, preventing unauthorized access by validating root hash values and generating digests to ensure data integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional attribute-based access control systems are used, then access control functionality is provided, but security vulnerabilities arise when trusted components are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a ledger database as an intermediary between the attribute map and access control decisions. This ledger database maintains a verifiable copy of the attribute map with cryptographic proofs, acting as a mediator that prevents direct tampering with the original attribute map while still enabling access control functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary cryptographic hashing of the attribute map to generate a root hash value before access control decisions are made. This preliminary action creates a tamper-evident record that can be verified independently, preventing undetected modifications to the attribute map
2Reliability
If cryptographic verification mechanisms are implemented, then data integrity is ensured, but computational overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the computationally intensive cryptographic verification operations from the main access control flow and performs them separately on the ledger database copy. The resource-intensive hashing and verification operations are isolated to the verifiable attribute map system, leaving the primary access control logic lightweight and efficient
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the attribute map in the ledger database that can be cryptographically verified without modifying the original. This copying approach allows multiple verification operations to be performed on the copy while the original attribute map remains unchanged and can be reused for access control decisions
Data Source
AI summary
Verifiable attribute maps that maintain references to identities and attribute information associated with the identities are disclosed. A verifiable attribute map is maintained by a ledger database that provides tamper-resistant/evident capabilities for tables (comprising the map) thereof. For instance, when a materialized view of the database is generated, the database provides a digest representative of a state thereof to computing devices that access the map for the attribute information. When the database receives a request from a device to access the map, the digest is received along therewith. The database is validated based on the digest to determine whether the database has been tampered with since the provision of the digest. Responsive to a successful validation, the database provides access in accordance with the request. When attribute information in the map is updated, the database subsequently generates a new digest, which is provided to the computing device.