IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,128,637
Granted Patent B2
US 11,128,637 · App. 16/674,985 · Granted Sep 21, 2021

Automatic least-privilege access and control for target resources

Inventor: Tomer Dayan (Petach-Tikva, IL)
Assignee: CYBERARK SOFTWARE LTD.
H04L63/105H04L63/08
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,128,637
App. No.
16/674,985
Granted
Sep 21, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

The disclosed embodiments include systems and methods for implementing least-privilege access to, control of, and/or code execution on target network resources. Operations may include identifying a prompt associated with a least-privilege requesting identity to initiate a remote session on a target network resource; executing, in response to the prompt, a first agent; retrieving, from a secure storage location, a second agent; initiating, by the first agent, execution of the second agent on the target network resource, wherein the second agent executes using a least-privilege credential or using least-privilege permissions associated with the least-privilege requesting identity; and instructing the second agent to perform an action remotely on the target network resource through the remote session using the least-privilege credential or using the least-privilege permissions.

Claims (30)

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations using least-privilege access to and control of target network resources, the operations comprising:

identifying a prompt associated with a least-privilege requesting identity to initiate an action on a target network resource, the prompt indicating a type of activity being requested to be performed on the target network resource;

executing, in response to the prompt, a first set of executable code;

retrieving, from a storage location, an agent;

initiating, based on the first set of executable code, execution of the agent on the target network resource, wherein the agent executes using a least-privilege credential or using least-privilege permissions associated with the least-privilege requesting identity, the least-privilege credential and the least-privilege permissions being determined according to a least-privilege security policy associated with the type of activity being requested to be performed on the target network resource; and

instructing the agent to perform the action remotely on the target network resource through a remote session using the least-privilege credential or using the least-privilege permissions.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise initiating, by the first set of executable code and based on the prompt, execution of the agent on a group of target network resources, and instructing the agent to perform actions remotely on the group of target network resources.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the prompt includes at least one of: a request from a client network resource, or a scheduled event involving access to the target network resource.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein after the initiating execution, the first set of executable code ceases operation with respect to the agent.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the initiating and the instructing occur transparently to the target network resource.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the secure storage location is a cloud-based storage location.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the secure storage location stores both the first set of executable code and the agent.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the first set of executable code executes on a client computing resource.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the first set of executable code executes on an intermediary computing resource separate from the target network resource.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the action performed remotely on the target network resource includes running code on the target network resource.

11. A computer-implemented method using least-privilege access to and control of target network resources, the method comprising:

identifying a prompt associated with a least-privilege requesting identity to initiate an action on a target network resource, the prompt indicating a type of activity being requested to be performed on the target network resource;

executing, in response to the prompt, a first set of executable code;

retrieving, from a storage location, an agent;

initiating, based on the first set of executable code, execution of the agent on the target network resource, wherein the agent executes using a least-privilege credential or using least-privilege permissions associated with the least-privilege requesting identity, the least-privilege credential and the least-privilege permissions being determined according to a least-privilege security policy associated with the type of activity being requested to be performed on the target network resource; and

instructing the agent to perform the action remotely on the target network resource through a remote session using the least-privilege credential or using the least-privilege permissions.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein initiating execution of the agent includes sending a network location of the agent to the target network resource.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the prompt includes a request to perform the action remotely on the target network resource.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein the least-privilege credential provides a minimal set of privileges necessary to perform the action remotely on the target network resource.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the prompt includes identity data associated with the least-privilege requesting identity.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , further comprising, conditional on validating the identity data, accessing the least-privilege credential for use in performing the action remotely on the target network resource.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , wherein the least-privilege credential is associated with an identity different from the least-privilege requesting identity.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the prompt includes network address information.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18 , further comprising, conditional on validating the network address information, accessing the least-privilege credential for use in performing the action remotely on the target network resource.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18 , wherein the least-privilege credential is configured based on an identity profile corresponding to the network address information.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 5, 2019
From: DAYAN, TOMER
To: CYBERARK SOFTWARE LTD.
Reel/Frame 050923/0047 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210136084A1 · May 6, 2021