Object metadata-based cloud policy enforcement using synthetic request injection

1. A system, comprising:

a network security system interposed between clients and cloud applications, running on one or more hardware processors coupled to memory storing instructions, the instructions when executed cause the network security system to:

receive, during an application session, an incoming request from a client, wherein the incoming request is directed towards a cloud application and includes an object identifier of an object and an activity initiated on the object, and wherein the incoming request is intercepted by the network security system;

analyze the incoming request;

detect the object identifier based on the analyzing the incoming request;

hold the incoming request to hold execution of the activity on the object;

configure a synthetic request with the object identifier;

inject the synthetic request into the application session to transmit the synthetic request to the cloud application, wherein the synthetic request is configured to retrieve object metadata about the object using the object identifier, and wherein the synthetic request is generated by the network security system in response to the incoming request and is separate from the incoming request generated by the client;

receive a response to the synthetic request from the cloud application, wherein the response supplies the object metadata that is available for enforcing a security policy on the activity initiated on the object by the incoming request; and

evaluate the object metadata against the security policy, the evaluation comprising:

in response to a determination that the activity qualifies as executable on the object based on the object metadata and the security policy:

release the hold of the incoming request, and

transmit the incoming request to the cloud application for execution of the activity; and

in response to a determination that the activity does not qualify as executable on the object based on the object metadata and the security policy:

block the incoming request from the cloud application.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the object metadata comprises object name.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the object metadata comprises object size.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the object metadata comprises object type.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the object metadata comprises object sensitivity.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network security system is further configured to use the object metadata to enforce at least one security policy on one or more of the incoming request and/or a further incoming request that follows the incoming request.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the activity comprises one or more of

uploading the object to the cloud application,

downloading the object from the cloud application,

editing the object on the cloud application,

deleting the object from the cloud application,

creating the object on the cloud application,

sharing the object on the cloud application,

moving the object within the cloud application, and

moving the object outside the cloud application.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the determination determines that the activity qualifies as executable, and wherein the network security system is further configured to:

return the supplied object metadata to the client for display as supplemental confirmation of the execution of the activity on the object.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the synthetic request is further configured to use the object identifier to retrieve the object from the cloud application, wherein the response supplies the object.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the network security system is further configured to enforce the security policy on the object.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the network security system is further configured to analyze the retrieved object to generate the object metadata, wherein the generated object metadata is sensitivity metadata that specifies whether the retrieved object is sensitive or not.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the network security system is further configured to use the generated object metadata to enforce the security policy on the retrieved object.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the network security system is further configured to transmit the retrieved object to the client.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network security system is further configured to extract an authentication token from the incoming request, and to configure the synthetic request with the authentication token to access the cloud application.

15. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

a network security system, interposed between clients and cloud applications, the network security system receiving, during an application session, an incoming request from a client, wherein the incoming request is directed towards a cloud application and includes an object identifier of an object and an activity initiated on the object;

the network security system analyzing the incoming request;

the network security system detecting the object identifier based on the analyzing the incoming request;

the network security system holding the incoming request to hold execution of the activity on the object;

the network security system configuring a synthetic request with the object identifier;

the network security system injecting the synthetic request into the application session to transmit the synthetic request to the cloud application, wherein the synthetic request is configured to retrieve object metadata about the object using the object identifier, and wherein the synthetic request is generated by the network security system in response to the incoming request and is separate from the incoming request generated by the client;

the network security system receiving a response to the synthetic request from the cloud application, wherein the response supplies the object metadata; and

the network security system evaluating the object metadata against a security policy, the evaluation comprising:

in response to a determination that the activity qualifies as executable on the object based on the object metadata and the security policy:

releasing the hold of the incoming request, and

transmitting the incoming request to the cloud application for execution of the activity; and

in response to a determination that the activity does not qualify as executable on the object based on the object metadata and the security policy:

blocking the incoming request from the cloud application.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , wherein the object metadata comprises one or more of object name, object size, object type, and object sensitivity.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , wherein the activity comprises one or more of

uploading the object to the cloud application,

downloading the object from the cloud application,

editing the object on the cloud application,

deleting the object from the cloud application,

creating the object on the cloud application,

sharing the object on the cloud application,

moving the object within the cloud application, and

moving the object outside the cloud application.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium impressed with computer program instructions to enforce policies, the instructions, when executed on a processor, implement a method comprising:

a network security system, interposed between clients and cloud applications, the network security system receiving, during an application session, an incoming request from a client, wherein the incoming request is directed towards a cloud application and includes an object identifier of an object and an activity initiated on the object;

the network security system analyzing the incoming request;

the network security system detecting the object identifier based on the analyzing the incoming request;

the network security system holding the incoming request to hold execution of the activity on the object;

the network security system configuring a synthetic request with the object identifier;

the network security system injecting the synthetic request into the application session to transmit the synthetic request to the cloud application, wherein the synthetic request is configured to retrieve object metadata about the object using the object identifier, and wherein the synthetic request is generated by the network security system in response to the incoming request and is separate from the incoming request generated by the client;

the network security system receiving a response to the synthetic request from the cloud application, wherein the response supplies the object metadata; and

the network security system evaluating the object metadata against a security policy, the evaluation comprising:

in response to a determination that the activity qualifies as executable on the object based on the object metadata and the security policy:

releasing the hold of the incoming request, and

transmitting the incoming request to the cloud application for execution of the activity; and

in response to a determination that the activity does not qualify as executable on the object based on the object metadata and the security policy:

blocking the incoming request from the cloud application.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the object metadata comprises one or more of object name, object size, object type, and object sensitivity.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the activity comprises one or more of uploading the object to the cloud application, downloading the object from the cloud application, editing the object on the cloud application, deleting the object from the cloud application, creating the object on the cloud application, sharing the object on the cloud application, moving the object within the cloud application, and moving the object outside the cloud application.