Systems and processes for self-healing an identity store

• US 20060143126A1
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Leibmann, Matthias, Brown, Laurie A., Lawrence, Mark David, Hunter, Kimberley Ann, Vasishth, Karan
• Application Number:
  US11/021,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20060143126A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system includes a working state of an identity store having an account object, definitive state data having an account object in a known state, and a consistency checking module operable to determine whether the account object in the working state is consistent with the account object in the definitive state. The system also includes a self-healing module operable to manage the lifecycle of objects in the working state of the identity store. A method includes detecting an inconsistency between an account object in a definitive state repository and a corresponding account object in a working state repository, and generating an alert based on the detecting of the inconsistency.

Claims

1. A method for protecting a system from inappropriate access through a user account, the method comprising:

detecting an inconsistency between an account object in a definitive state repository and a corresponding account object in a working state repository; and

generating an alert and a report based on the detecting of the inconsistency.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising automatically reverting the account object in the working state repository based on the corresponding account object in the definitive state repository.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 further comprising notifying an operator of the reverting.

4. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a new account in the working state repository; and

storing information descriptive of the new account.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

identifying an account object in the definitive state repository that has been deleted from the working state repository; and

storing information descriptive of the deleted account object.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 further comprising notifying an operator of the deleted account object.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether an exception exists for the inconsistency; and

automatically reverting the account object in the working state repository only if an exception does not exist for the inconsistency.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether an exception exists for the inconsistency; and

automatically updating the account object in the definitive state repository in accordance with an exception if an exception does exist for the inconsistency.

12. A system as recited in claim 11 wherein the lifecycle management module is further operable to disable the account object in the working state, quarantine the account object in the working state, or delete the account object in the working state, if the period of inactivity is greater than a specified period of time.

9. A system comprising:

a working state of an identity store having an account object;

definitive state data having an account object in a known state; and

a consistency checking module operable to determine whether the account object in the working state is consistent with the account object in the definitive state.

10. A system as recited in claim 9 further comprising an updating module operable to update the account object in the working state with the data from the account object in the definitive state.

11. A system as recited in claim 9 further comprising a lifecycle management module operable to determine a period of inactivity related to use of the account object in the working state.

13. A system as recited in claim 9 further comprising an alert module operable to alert a user if an inconsistency is identified.

14. A system as recited in claim 11 further comprising a lifecycle alerting module operable to alert a user based on one or more events related to lifecycle management of the account object in the working state.

15. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein the one or more events include at least one of:

quarantining the account object;

disabling the account object;

deleting the account object.

16. A system as recited in claim 9 wherein the consistency checking module is further operable to identify a new account object in the working state.

17. A system as recited in claim 9 wherein the consistency checking module is further operable to identify a deleted account object in the definitive state data, the deleted account object being deleted from the working state.

18. A system as recited in claim 9 further comprising a holding table identifying new account objects and deleted account objects.

19. A system as recited in claim 9 further comprising an exception table including one or more exceptions to rules related to account objects.

20. A system comprising:

a working state of an identity store including an account object;

a definitive state of the identity store including a corresponding account object; and

means for determining whether the corresponding account object in the definitive state is consistent with the account object in the working state.