Abstract: A method to protect sensitive information during a single sign-on (SSO) process flow initiated from a client and directed to an authorization server configured to issue an access token upon verification of a credential. The technique leverages a first proxy that monitors a packet flow issued from the authorization server, and a second proxy that monitors a redirect packet flow issued from the client (in response to the packet flow). A message that includes the access token is modified by the first proxy to include a data string, and the modified message is delivered to the client; concurrently, the first proxy provides the data string/access token pair to the second proxy. When the client receives the modified message, it issues a response (that includes the data string) back to a resource server. As the response traverses the second proxy, it removes the data string and re-inserts the access token, and the resulting modified response is forwarded to the resource server.

Abstract: A first computing system receives a user request. The user request includes a first set of data. The first computing system determines that one or more resources have exceeded at least one resource utilization threshold. In response to the determining that one or more resources have exceeded the at least one utilization threshold, a first data transfer rate is modified to a second data transfer rate based on transmitting a first subset of the first set of data to one or more host devices, wherein a second subset of the first set of data is not transmitted to the one or more host devices. The one or more host devices validate the user request against one or more security policies in order to complete or terminate the user request.

Abstract: A first computing system receives a user request. The user request includes a first set of data. The first computing system determines that one or more resources have exceeded at least one resource utilization threshold. In response to the determining that one or more resources have exceeded the at least one utilization threshold, a first data transfer rate is modified to a second data transfer rate based on transmitting a first subset of the first set of data to one or more host devices, wherein a second subset of the first set of data is not transmitted to the one or more host devices. The one or more host devices validate the user request against one or more security policies in order to complete or terminate the user request.

Abstract: An application server environment that uses connection pooling is augmented to include a database access control system having a database firewall. When the database firewall detects a security violation with respect to a request received via a pooled connection, the firewall skips over (i.e. do not forward) the violating request and instead creates an artificial error database protocol packet corresponding to the application request. The database firewall then sends the error database protocol packet as a response back to the application, using the pool connection. The application receives the database error as a response to the security violating request, and it responds by releasing the connection of the policy violation database user. By releasing the pool connection is this manner, the performance of other applications (or other clients) using the connection pool is not impacted. Preferably, the error packets include no sensitive information.

Abstract: A database access control system is augmented to provide additional functionality to enable an external security device (e.g., an EDSM) to fully and accurately assess a database query against one or more security policies even when the EDSM is overloaded. To this end, a pair of channels is established between the ISA and the ESM, wherein the channel pair includes a first channel that is expected to have relatively low packet rate, and a second channel that is expected to have a relatively high packet rate. Packets representing initial session information (i.e., user information sent at the beginning of a user session) are directed to the first channel, whereas packets received following session establishment are directed to the second channel, because the latter are likely to be present during a potential overload scenario.

Abstract: A method for security auditing of database transactions is provided in the illustrative embodiments. For a specified period, an available capacity of a computing resource in a data processing system usable to analyze a database protocol packet. The database protocol packet is stored in a shared memory during a data communication. A number of database protocol packets expected in the shared memory during the specified period is determined. Determining a second number of database protocol packets that can be analyzed using the available capacity of the computing resource is computed. During the specified period, the second number of database protocol packets is caused to be selected from every number of database protocol packets stored in the shared memory for analysis using the computing resource during the specified period.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for security auditing of database transactions are provided in the illustrative embodiments. For a specified period, an available capacity of a computing resource in a data processing system usable to analyze a database protocol packet. The database protocol packet is stored in a shared memory during a data communication. A number of database protocol packets expected in the shared memory during the specified period is determined. Determining a second number of database protocol packets that can be analyzed using the available capacity of the computing resource is computed. During the specified period, the second number of database protocol packets is caused to be selected from every number of database protocol packets stored in the shared memory for analysis using the computing resource during the specified period.

Abstract: A computer system, in response to intercepting a database server response with a result set issued by a database server in response to a database query received by the database server, extracts a selection of data from the result set, the selection of data identifying dynamic query elements of the dynamic database query as constructed by the database server at runtime. The database activity monitoring service determines whether the dynamic query elements comply with any security policies. The database activity monitoring service, in response to determining that the dynamic query elements fail to comply with any security policies, issues a security alert.

Abstract: A technique to protect a cloud database located at a database server and accessible from a database client. In this approach, a communication associated with a database session is intercepted. A hostname or network address associated with the communication is then evaluated to determine whether such information can be found in or otherwise derived from data in a database protocol packet associated with the database session. The information typically is placed there unavoidably by the cloud database client and normally cannot be spoofed by a process that does not understand or speak the proper database protocol semantics. Upon a mismatch, the database session is flagged as being potentially associated with a man-in-the-middle (MITM), in which case a given action may then be taken with respect to the database session that is then active. The technique provides for a MITM checkpoint in a cloud database service environment.

Abstract: A mechanism that dynamically creates a new access policy for a set of database servers when a policy violation has been identified in a database access response issued by any database in the set. The new access policy is then propagated in real-time and instantiated across the set of database servers so as to inoculate the other database servers and pre-empt any new compromise of information based on the intruder's actions that were found to have produced the policy violation in the first instance. Thus, the approach uses a response policy violation at one database server of a set to trigger generation of a new request access policy that is then instantiated across one or more other database servers. This response policy violation-to-request access policy instantiation occurs in substantially real-time so that the intruder cannot use a prior successful access request to obtain information from other databases using a similar strategy.

Abstract: A technique to protect a cloud database located at a database server and accessible from a database client. In this approach, a communication associated with a database session is intercepted. A hostname or network address associated with the communication is then evaluated to determine whether such information can be found in or otherwise derived from data in a database protocol packet associated with the database session. The information typically is placed there unavoidably by the cloud database client and normally cannot be spoofed by a process that does not understand or speak the proper database protocol semantics. Upon a mismatch, the database session is flagged as being potentially associated with a man-in-the-middle (MITM), in which case a given action may then be taken with respect to the database session that is then active. The technique provides for a MITM checkpoint in a cloud database service environment.

Abstract: A database activity monitoring service, operating independent of a database server, in response to intercepting a database server response issued by the database server comprising a result set associated with a dynamic database query, extracts a first selection of data from the result set, the first selection of data identifying one or more dynamic query elements of the dynamic database query as constructed by the database server at runtime. The database activity monitoring service determines whether the one or more dynamic query elements comply with one or more security policies. The database activity monitoring service, in response to determining that the one or more dynamic query elements fail to comply with at least one of the one or more security policies, issues a security alert.

Abstract: A first computing system receives a user request. The user request includes a first set of data. The first computing system determines that one or more resources have exceeded at least one resource utilization threshold. In response to the determining that one or more resources have exceeded the at least one utilization threshold, a first data transfer rate is modified to a second data transfer rate based on transmitting a first subset of the first set of data to one or more host devices, wherein a second subset of the first set of data is not transmitted to the one or more host devices. The one or more host devices validate the user request against one or more security policies in order to complete or terminate the user request.

Abstract: A mechanism that dynamically creates a new access policy for a set of database servers when a policy violation has been identified in a database access response issued by any database in the set. The new access policy is then propagated in real-time and instantiated across the set of database servers so as to inoculate the other database servers and pre-empt any new compromise of information based on the intruder's actions that were found to have produced the policy violation in the first instance. Thus, the approach uses a response policy violation at one database server of a set to trigger generation of a new request access policy that is then instantiated across one or more other database servers. This response policy violation-to-request access policy instantiation occurs in substantially real-time so that the intruder cannot use a prior successful access request to obtain information from other databases using a similar strategy.

Abstract: A database access control system is augmented to provide additional functionality to enable an external security device (e.g., an EDSM) to fully and accurately assess a database query against one or more security policies even when the EDSM is overloaded. To this end, a pair of channels is established between the ISA and the ESM, wherein the channel pair includes a first channel that is expected to have relatively low packet rate, and a second channel that is expected to have a relatively high packet rate. Internally, the ISA is configured to direct certain packets to the first channel, and to direct other packets to the second channel. Packets representing initial session information (i.e., user information sent at the beginning of a user session) are directed to the first channel, whereas packets received following session establishment are directed to the second channel, because the latter are likely to be present during a potential overload scenario.

Abstract: A first computing system receives a user request. The user request includes a first set of data. The first computing system determines that one or more resources have exceeded at least one resource utilization threshold. In response to the determining that one or more resources have exceeded the at least one utilization threshold, a first data transfer rate is modified to a second data transfer rate based on transmitting a first subset of the first set of data to one or more host devices, wherein a second subset of the first set of data is not transmitted to the one or more host devices. The one or more host devices validate the user request against one or more security policies in order to complete or terminate the user request.

Abstract: Mechanisms are provided for propagating source identification information from an application front-end system in an application layer to a data layer inspection system associated with a back-end system. An incoming user request is received, at the data layer inspection system, from a gateway system associated with the application front-end system. One or more outgoing statements targeting a back-end system are received at the data layer inspection system. The data layer inspection system accesses a mapping data structure based on the one or more outgoing statements to thereby correlate the one or more outgoing statements with the incoming user request. The data layer inspection system retrieves source identification information associated with the incoming user request based on the correlation of the one or more outgoing statements with the incoming user request. The data layer inspection system performs a data layer inspection operation based on the source identification information.

Abstract: A database access control system is augmented to enable an external security device to fully assess a database query against a security policy even when the device does not obtain (or otherwise misses) session information that is needed to facilitate that check. Upon receipt from a local agent of a database protocol packet to be examined, the device determines whether any session information needed for the evaluation is unavailable or is otherwise missing. If so, the device extracts metadata from the database protocol packet and generates a separate request back to the agent based on the extracted metadata. The agent then uses information in the separate request to obtain the unavailable or missing session information and, upon its receipt, forwards that information to the device. Upon receiving the additional session information that it needs, the device performs its usual security policy validation on the original database query (as augmented with the additional information returned by the agent).

Abstract: Mechanisms are provided for propagating source identification information from an application front-end system in an application layer to a data layer inspection system associated with a back-end system. An incoming user request is received, at the data layer inspection system, from a gateway system associated with the application front-end system. One or more outgoing statements targeting a back-end system are received at the data layer inspection system. The data layer inspection system accesses a mapping data structure based on the one or more outgoing statements to thereby correlate the one or more outgoing statements with the incoming user request. The data layer inspection system retrieves source identification information associated with the incoming user request based on the correlation of the one or more outgoing statements with the incoming user request. The data layer inspection system performs a data layer inspection operation based on the source identification information.

Abstract: A method for security auditing of database transactions is provided in the illustrative embodiments. For a specified period, an available capacity of a computing resource in a data processing system usable to analyze a database protocol packet. The database protocol packet is stored in a shared memory during a data communication. A number of database protocol packets expected in the shared memory during the specified period is determined. Determining a second number of database protocol packets that can be analyzed using the available capacity of the computing resource is computed. During the specified period, the second number of database protocol packets is caused to be selected from every number of database protocol packets stored in the shared memory for analysis using the computing resource during the specified period.