Methods and apparatus for pre-filtered access control in computing systems

• US 7,216,125 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Issued: 05/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Goodwin, Richard Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Wassum; Luke S.
• Application Number:
  US10/245,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20040054663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

An automated technique implemented in a computer system for selecting one or more resources on which a principal is authorized to perform at least one action comprises the following steps/operations. First, one or more authorization policies that apply to a given principal are selected. Then, the one or more authorization policies are transformed based on meta-information associated with the one or more resources so as to form a query against a resource store that selects the one or more resources on which the one or more authorization policies allow the given principal to perform the at least one action. The query may then be executed to select the one or more resources from the resource store. In another automated technique, the query may be formed without use of the one or more authorization policies, but where the policies are used to remove unauthorized resources from the superset of resources returned as a result of query execution. The techniques may return no resources on which the user is allowed to perform an action, if, for example, no such resources are stored in the resource store. Also, it may also be that no authorization policy applies to the user.

Claims

1. An automated method implemented in a computer system for selecting one or more resources on which a principal is authorized to perform at least one action, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a plurality of authorization policies that apply to a given principal;

transforming a first nonempty subset of the plurality of authorization policies based on meta-information associated with the one or more resources so as to form a query against a resource store that selects resources from the resource store;

executing the query to select the resources from the resource store;

removing one or more resources from the selected resources on which the given principal is not permitted to perform the at least one action in accordance with a second nonempty subset of the plurality of authorization policies, so as to select the one or more resources on which the plurality of authorization policies allow the given principal to perform the at least one action; and

presenting the given principal the one or more resources on which the plurality of authorization policies allow the given principal to perform the at least one action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more authorization policies are explicitly represented.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more authorization policies are prestored in a policy store.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the meta-information is prestored in a meta-information store.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is formed in accordance with the Standard Query Language (SQL).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is formed in accordance with the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the meta-information is procedurally derivable from the resources or information contained in the resource store.

8. Apparatus implemented in a computer system for selecting one or more resources on which a principal is authorized to perform at least one action, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor operative to;

(i) select a plurality of authorization policies that apply to a given principal;

(ii) transform a first nonempty subset of the plurality of authorization policies based on meta-information associated with the one or more resources so as to form a query against a resource store that selects resources from the resource store;

(iii) execute the query to select the resources from the resource store;

(iv) remove one or more resources from the selected resources on which the given principal is not permitted to perform the at least one action in accordance with a second nonempty subset of the plurality of authorization policies, so as to select the one or more resources on which the plurality of authorization policies allow the given principal to perform the at least one action; and

(v) present to the given principal the one or more resources on which the plurality of authorization policies allow the given principal to perform the at least one action; and

memory, coupled to the at least one processor, for maintaining the resource store.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more authorization policies are explicitly represented.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more authorization policies are prestored in a policy store.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the meta-information is prestored in a meta-information store.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the query is formed in accordance with the Standard Query Language (SQL).

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the query is formed in accordance with the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the meta-information is procedurally derivable from the resources or information contained in the resource store.

15. An article of manufacture for use in accordance with a computer system for selecting one or more resources on which a principal is authorized to perform at least one action, comprising a machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

selecting a plurality of authorization policies that apply to a given principal;

transforming a first nonempty subset of the plurality of authorization policies based on meta-information associated with the one or more resources so as to form a query against a resource store that selects resources from the resource store;

executing the query to select the resources from the resource store;

removing one or more resources from the selected resources on which the given principal is not permitted to perform the at least one action in accordance with a second nonempty subset of the plurality of authorization policies, so as to select the one or more resources on which the plurality of authorization policies allow the given principal to perform the at least one action; and

presenting to the given principal the one or more resources on which the plurality of authorization policies allow the given principal to perform the at least one action.