Transparently using origin isolation to protect access tokens
The disclosed technology teaches safely attaching an access token to a browser-based request from a first app loaded by a webpage, without exposing the token to malicious code loaded by the webpage, providing an identity proxy that transparently determines which network requests to relay and a secrets management proxy that provides access tokens transparently to the requests. The identity proxy intercepts an access request from the first app to the resource server and relays the request via the secrets management proxy, which forwards the request to the resource server with an access token, receives a response from the resource server and forwards the response to the identity proxy for return to the first app. The secrets management proxy is implemented in an iFrame that has isolated storage subject to a browser-enforced same origin policy that makes the isolated storage used by the iFrame inaccessible to malicious code on the webpage.
1. A computer-implemented method of safely attaching an access token to a browser-based request to a resource server, made on behalf of a first app loaded by a webpage, without exposing the access token to a malicious app loaded by the webpage with the first app, including:
providing an identity proxy and a secrets management proxy running in an iFrame on the browser that is running the first app, wherein
the identity proxy transparently determines which network requests to relay via the secrets management proxy; and
the secrets management proxy provides access token management services transparently to the request when communicating with the resource server, including providing access tokens with resource requests to the resource server;
the identity proxy intercepting an access request from the first app to the resource server, determining to reroute, and relaying the access request via the secrets management proxy;
the secrets management proxy providing the access token management services on behalf of the request for interaction with the resource server and forwarding the request to the resource server with the access token attached; and
the secrets management proxy receiving a response from the resource server and forwarding the response to the identity proxy for return to the first app, without providing the access token to the first app or the malicious app.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further including passing configuration data that includes data for identifying the resource server to the secrets management proxy.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the access tokens by the secrets management proxy further includes requesting and receiving the access tokens from an authorization server.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the secrets management proxy is implemented in an iFrame that has isolated storage subject to a browser-enforced same origin policy that makes the isolated storage used by the iFrame inaccessible to malicious code on the webpage but not within the iFrame.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , further including the secrets management proxy storing the access tokens in the isolated storage used by the iFrame.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein obtaining the access tokens by the secrets management proxy further includes retrieving the access token from the isolated storage used by the iFrame.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the isolated storage used by the iFrame is accessed via one of an IndexedDB API and a local Storage API provided by the browser.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the isolated storage used by the iFrame is in dynamic memory.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the identity proxy uses one of a service worker API and an XMLHttpRequest object customization.
10. A tangible non-transitory computer readable storage media, including program instructions loaded into memory that, when executed on processors cause the processors to implement a method of safely attaching an access token to a browser-based request to a resource server, made on behalf of a first app loaded by a webpage, without exposing the access token to a malicious app loaded by the webpage with the first app, the method including:
providing an identity proxy and a secrets management proxy running in an iFrame on the browser that is running the first app, wherein
the identity proxy transparently determines which network requests to relay via the secrets management proxy; and
the secrets management proxy provides access token management services transparently to the request when communicating with the resource server, including providing access tokens to requests to the resource server;
the identity proxy intercepting a request from the first app to the resource server, determining to reroute, and relaying the request via the secrets management proxy;
the secrets management proxy providing the access token management services on behalf of the first app for interaction with the resource server and forwarding the request to the resource server with the access token attached; and
the secrets management proxy receiving a response from the resource server and forwarding the response to the identity proxy for return to the first app, without providing the access token to the first app or the malicious app.
11. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 10 , further including passing configuration data that includes data for identifying the resource server to the secrets management proxy.
12. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein obtaining access tokens by the secrets management proxy further includes requesting and receiving the access tokens from an authorization server.
13. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein the secrets management proxy is implemented in an iFrame that has isolated storage subject to a browser-enforced same origin policy that makes the isolated storage used by the iFrame inaccessible to malicious code on the webpage but not within the iFrame.
14. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 13 , further including the secrets management proxy storing the access tokens in the isolated storage used by the iFrame.
15. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein obtaining access tokens by the secrets management proxy further includes retrieving the access token from the isolated storage used by the iFrame.
16. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein the isolated storage used by the iFrame is accessed via one of an IndexedDB API, a local Storage API provided by the browser and dynamic memory.
17. The tangible non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 10 , wherein the identity proxy uses one of a service worker API and an XMLHttpRequest object customization.
18. A system comprising:
a memory storing program instructions; and
one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein when the one more processors execute the program instructions, causing the one or more processors to implement a method of safely attaching an access token to a browser-based request to a resource server, made on behalf of a first app loaded by a webpage, without exposing the access token to a malicious app loaded by the webpage with the first app, the method including:
providing an identity proxy and a secrets management proxy running in an iFrame on the browser that is running the first app, wherein
the identity proxy transparently determines which network requests to relay via the secrets management proxy; and
the secrets management proxy provides access token management services transparently to the request when communicating with the resource server, including providing access tokens to requests to the resource server;
the identity proxy intercepting a request from the first app to the resource server, determining to reroute, and relaying the request via the secrets management proxy;
the secrets management proxy providing the access token management services on behalf of the first app for interaction with the resource server and forwarding the request to the resource server with the access token attached; and
the secrets management proxy receiving a response from the resource server and forwarding the response to the identity proxy for return to the first app, without providing the access token to the first app or the malicious app.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the program instructions extend the method including passing configuration data that includes data for identifying the resource server to the secrets management proxy.
20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the secrets management proxy is implemented in an iFrame that has isolated storage subject to a browser-enforced same origin policy that makes the isolated storage used by the iFrame inaccessible to malicious code on the webpage but not within the iFrame.