Automated Credential Renewal via Webhook Notifications

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Solution Overview

Problem

Expired credentials in application development and testing environments cause significant downtime and introduce cybersecurity risks, as existing credential renewal mechanisms often expose sensitive components to malicious actors.

Innovation Solution

The method involves receiving a notification of expiring credentials via a webhook, sending a credential renewal request using a specified request method, and receiving new credentials via the webhook before expiration, thereby automating the credential renewal process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual credential renewal is performed, then credentials can be updated, but significant downtime and operational disruption occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecredential validityVSAvoiddowntime

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs credential renewal in advance by detecting expiring credentials and automatically initiating renewal requests before the current credentials expire. This preliminary action ensures continuous credential validity without service interruption, resolving the contradiction between maintaining credential reliability and avoiding downtime.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The credential renewal system operates autonomously by automatically detecting expiring credentials, generating renewal requests, and updating credentials without manual intervention. This self-service mechanism eliminates the time loss associated with manual credential management while ensuring continuous credential validity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If existing credential renewal mechanisms are used, then credentials can be renewed, but cybersecurity risks increase due to exposure of sensitive components

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecredential continuityVSAvoidcybersecurity risks

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts and isolates sensitive credential data from the main application environment during the renewal process. By separating credential management from application operations and using secure credential storage, the system maintains credential continuity while minimizing cybersecurity risks associated with exposing sensitive components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces a credential management service as an intermediary between the application and external credential providers. This mediator handles credential renewal operations securely, reducing direct exposure of sensitive application components to potential security threats while ensuring continuous credential validity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12267330B2Credential renewal continuity for application development

Publication Date: 2025.04.01 RAPID7 INC

AI summary

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and processes for continuously renewing credentials in application development and testing environments that include application products from third-party vendors. A notification indicating that an existing credential associated with a developer account of a third-party application will expire is received via a webhook. A credential renewal request for a new set of credentials for the developer account is sent using a request method specified for the third-party application and the new set of credentials for the developer account are received within the expiration period via the webhook.