Privileged account manager, dynamic policy engine

• US 9,667,661 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Sharma, Himanshu, Kottahachchi, Buddhika, Theebaprakasam, Arun, Shih, Kuang-Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Uddin, Md. I
• Application Number:
  US15/179,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20160315970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 707736, 707737, 707784, 707E17046
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Techniques for managing accounts are provided. An access management system may check out credentials for accessing target systems. For example a user may receive a password for a period of time or until checked back in. Access to the target system may be logged during this time. Upon the password being checked in, a security account may modify the password so that the user may not log back in without checking out a new password. Additionally, in some examples, password policies for the security account may be managed. As such, when a password policy changes, the security account password may be dynamically updated. Additionally, in some examples, hierarchical viewing perspectives may be determined and/or selected for visualizing one or more managed accounts. Further, accounts may be organized into groups based on roles, and grants for the accounts may be dynamically updated as changes occur or new accounts are managed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory storing a plurality of instructions; and

one or more processors configured to access the memory, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the plurality of instructions to;

receive a perspective selection for viewing multiple accounts based at least in part on user-defined tags assigned to registered accounts to display on a user device in a user-defined hierarchical view, the perspective providing an ability to create the user-defined tags to describe the accounts;

receive account information that identifies a plurality of different types of accounts associated with different types of target systems external to the system that are managed by an account management service of the system, the plurality of accounts for accessing resources used by the associated target system;

receive role information that identifies a role of at least one of the plurality of accounts;

organize one or more of the plurality of accounts together in a group based at least in part on the role for each of the one or more of the plurality of accounts, the group being formed by the perspective selection and a policy manager;

assign a grant to the group based at least in part on grant information for the group, the grant information identifying at least one of access rights or privileges; and

update each account in an account group associated with a user role if a grant policy for the user role changes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a first account and a second account of the plurality of accounts each comprise a different type of account.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the type comprises a user account, a root account, the administrative account, or a user-defined account.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a first account and a second account of the plurality of accounts are associated with a first target system and a second target system, respectively.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the access rights or the privileges correspond to at least one of a user, an account, a group of users, or a group of accounts.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the plurality of accounts indicates a particular target system associated with the account, a type of the account, or a role associated with the account.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the plurality of instructions to receive the grant information for the group.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the plurality of instructions to:

receive information associated with a new account associated with the target system; and

add the new account to the group based at least in part on information indicating that a new role of the new account matches the role associated with the group.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the plurality of instructions to update the grant of each of the one or more of the plurality of accounts in the group.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, a perspective selection for viewing multiple accounts based at least in part on user-defined tags assigned to registered accounts to display on a user device in a user-defined hierarchical view, the perspective providing the ability to create the user-defined tags to describe the accounts;

receiving, by the computer system, account information that identifies a plurality of different types of accounts associated with a plurality of different types of target systems external to the system that are managed by an account management service of the system, the plurality of accounts for accessing resources used by the associated target system;

receiving, by the computer system, role information that identifies a role for at least one of the plurality of accounts;

forming, by the computer system, a group of the plurality of accounts based at least in part on the role information, the group being formed by the perspective selection and a policy manager;

assigning, by the computer system, a grant policy to the group of the plurality of accounts based at least in part on grant information for the group, the grant information identifying at least one of access rights or privileges; and

updating each account in an account group associated with a user role if the grant policy for the user role changes.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the role comprises administrative, root, user, security, or user-defined.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the role information is received from an administrative account of an account management service configured to manage the plurality of accounts associated with the plurality of target systems.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising receiving grant information for the group, wherein the assigning of the grant policy to the group is based at least in part on the received grant information.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving information associated with a new account associated with the plurality of target systems; and

adding the new account to the group when a role of the new account matches a role of the group.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising updating a grant of each of the one or more of the plurality of accounts in the group based at least in part on the adding of the new account to the group.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising updating a grant of each of the one or more of the plurality of accounts in the group based at least in part on a change in the grant policy for the group.

17. A computer-readable memory storing a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors, the plurality of instructions comprising:

instructions that cause the one or more processors to receive a perspective selection for viewing multiple accounts based at least in part on user-defined tags assigned to registered accounts to display on a user device in a user-defined hierarchical view, the perspective providing an ability to create the user-defined tags to describe the accounts;

instructions that cause the one or more processors to receive account information that identifies a plurality of different types of accounts associated with a plurality of different types of target systems external to a system that is managed by an account management service of the system;

instructions that cause the one or more processors to receive, from an administrative account of the account management service configured to manage the plurality of accounts associated with the plurality of target systems, role information that identifies a role for at least one of the plurality of accounts;

instructions that cause the one or more processors to form a group of the plurality of accounts based at least in part on the role information, the group being formed by the perspective selection and a policy manager;

instructions that cause the one or more processors to assign a grant policy to the group of the plurality of accounts based at least in part on grant information for the group, the grant information identifying at least one of access rights or privileges; and

instructions that cause the one or more processors to update each account in an account group associated with a user role if the grant policy for the user role changes.

18. The computer-readable memory of claim 17, wherein the plurality of accounts managed by the administrative account includes at least a first account that is a different type of account from at least a second account.

19. The computer-readable memory of claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions further comprise:

instructions that cause the one or more processors to receive information associated with a new account associated with the plurality of target systems; and

instructions that cause the one or more processors to add the new account to the group when a role of the new account matches a role of the group.

20. The computer-readable memory of claim 19, wherein the plurality of instructions further comprise instructions that cause the one or more processors to update a grant of each of the one or more of the plurality of accounts in the group based at least in part on the adding of the new account to the group.