Rule-based application access management

• US 9,380,063 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2015
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Numecent Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Numecent Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Hitomi, Arthur S., Tran, Robert, Kammer, Peter J., Pfiffner, Doug, Nguyen, Huy
• Primary Examiner(s): Okeke, Izunna
• Application Number:
  US14/712,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20150249671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• 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: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/468 Specific access rights for resources, e.g. using capability register
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time

Abstract

A container that manages access to protected resources using rules to intelligently manage them includes an environment having a set of software and configurations that are to be managed. A rule engine, which executes the rules, may be called reactively when software accesses protected resources. The engine uses a combination of embedded and configurable rules. It may be desirable to assign and manage rules per process, per resource (e.g. file, registry, etc.), and per user. Access rules may be altitude-specific access rules.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a streaming software container including a plurality of resources used in executing a streaming software application at a client device, the plurality of resources including access control rules defining access to the plurality of resources;

receiving a request for a resource used in executing the streaming software application from a requestor;

determining if the resource is one of the plurality of resources included in the streaming software container;

if it is determined that the resource is absent from the plurality of resources included in the streaming software container, then providing the resource to the requestor;

if it is determined that the resource is one of the plurality of resources included in the streaming software container, then;

determining if the requestor has rules-based access to the resource according to the access control rules;

providing the resource from the streaming software container to the requestor for executing the streaming software application if the requestor has rules-based access to the resource;

determining an altitude for the resource;

determining the access control rules for the resource based on the altitude;

determining if the access control rules for the resource specify accept;

if it is determined that the access control rules for the resource fail to specify accept, determining if the access control rules for the resource specify pause;

if it is determined that the access control rules for the resource fail to specify pause, determining if the access control rules for the resource specify pass through;

if it is determined that the access control rules for the resource specify pass through;

decrementing the altitude for the resource to a lower altitude;

determining new access control rules for the resource using a process ID and a resource ID at the lower altitude.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the requestor is a user of the client device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the requestor is an application executing at the client device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein if it is determined that the requestor lacks rules-based access to the resource, receiving a request for an alternative resource used in executing the streaming application from the requestor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the access control rules are specific to whether requests for resources originate from inside the streaming software container.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

beginning execution of the streaming software application using the resource in a first runtime environment;

setting a timer concurrently with the beginning of the execution of the streaming software application;

managing rules-based access to the plurality of resources included in the streaming software container until the timer expires;

executing until completion a second streaming software application in a second runtime environment;

resuming execution of the streaming software application in the first runtime environment after completed execution of the second streaming software application.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the access control rules for the resource specify accept;

if it is determined that the access control rules for the resource fail to specify accept, determining if the access control rules for the resource specify pause;

if it is determined that the access control rules for the resource fail to specify pause, determining if the access control rules for the resource specify pass through;

if it is determined that the access control rules for the resource fail to specify pass through, denying the requestor access to the resource used in executing the streaming software application.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an initial altitude for the resource used in executing the streaming software application;

if it is determined that the initial altitude is zero;

writing files of the resource to the streaming software container, the files used in executing the streaming software application;

managing rules-based access to the files of the resource in the streaming software container.

9. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

memory storing instructions configured to instruct the at least one processor to perform;

providing a streaming software container including a plurality of resources used in executing a streaming software application at a client device, the plurality of resources including access control rules defining access to the plurality of resources;

receiving a request for a resource used in executing the streaming software application from a requestor;

determining if the resource is one of the plurality of resources included in the streaming software container;

if it is determined that the resource is absent from the plurality of resources included in the streaming software container, then providing the resource to the requestor;

if it is determined that the resource is one of the plurality of resources included in the streaming software container, then;

determining if the requestor has rules-based access to the resource according to the access control rules;

providing the resource from the streaming software container to the requestor for executing the streaming software application if the requestor has rules-based access to the resource;

determining an altitude for the resource;

determining the access control rules for the resource based on the altitude;

determining if the access control rules for the resource specify accept;

if it is determined that the access control rules for the resource fail to specify accept, determining if the access control rules for the resource specify pause;

if it is determined that the access control rules for the resource fail to specify pause, determining if the access control rules for the resource specify pass through;

if it is determined that the access control rules for the resource specify pass through;

decrementing the altitude for the resource to a lower altitude;

determining new access control rules for the resource using a process ID and a resource ID at the lower altitude.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the requestor is a user of the client device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the requestor is an application executing at the client device.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein if it is determined that the requestor lacks rules-based access to the resource the instructions are further configured to instruct the at least one processor to perform:

receiving a request for an alternative resource used in executing the streaming application from the requestor.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the access control rules are specific to whether requests for resources originate from inside the streaming software container.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further configured to instruct the at least one processor to perform:

beginning execution of the streaming software application using the resource in a first runtime environment;

setting a timer concurrently with the beginning of the execution of the streaming software application;

managing rules-based access to the plurality of resources included in the streaming software container until the timer expires;

executing until completion a second streaming software application in a second runtime environment;

resuming execution of the streaming software application in the first runtime environment after completed execution of the second streaming software application.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further configured to instruct the at least one processor to perform:

determining if the access control rules for the resource specify accept;

if it is determined that the access control rules for the resource fail to specify accept, determining if the access control rules for the resource specify pause;

if it is determined that the access control rules for the resource fail to specify pause, determining if the access control rules for the resource specify pass through;

if it is determined that the access control rules for the resource fail to specify pass through, denying the requestor access to the resource used in executing the streaming software application.