System and method for providing distributed access control to secured documents

• US 7,783,765 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2002
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Guardian Data Storage LLC
• Inventors: Vainstein, Klimenty, Hildebrand, Hal S.
• Primary Examiner(s): BATES, KEVIN T
• Application Number:
  US10/076,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20040103202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,115 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/229, 709/221, 709/217, 709/225, 713/155, 726/3, 726/8, 726/26
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• 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 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

A system and method for providing distributed access control are disclosed. A number of local servers are employed to operate largely on behalf of a central server responsible for centralized access control management. Such a distributed fashion ensures the dependability, reliability and scalability of the access control management undertaking by the central server. According to one embodiment, a distributed access control system that restricts access to secured items can include at least a central server having a server module that provides overall access control, and a plurality of local servers. Each of the local servers can include a local module that provides local access control. The access control, performed by the central server or the local servers, operates to permit or deny access requests to the secured items by requestors.

Claims

1. A method for providing access to a secured document, the method comprising:

requesting authentication of a user having credential information to a first server at a first location having a first instance of the secured document stored therein;

in response to determining that the user is authenticated to the first server, requesting that a connection be established that allows the user to access the first instance of the secured document at the first server; and

upon receiving a request from the user to access a second instance of the secured document at a second server at a second location;

requesting authentication of the user to the second server;

determining whether access to the secured document is permitted from the second location via the second server;

in response to determining that the user is authenticated to the second server and that access to the secured document is permitted from the second location, requesting disconnection of the user from the first server; and

requesting that a connection be established that allows the user to access the second instance of the secured document at the second server.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the requesting authentication of a user having credential information comprises authenticating both the credential information and a client machine at the first location.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising enabling the user to use the first and the second servers as access points to gain access to the secured document.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein:

in response to receiving a request from the user for access to the first instance of the secured document at the first location, causing the first server to interact over a network with the user, and

in response to receiving the request from the user for access to the second instance of the secured document at the second location, causing the second server to interact over a network with the user using a second client machine at the second location.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating the credential information to the first server with respect to a previous request for access;

subsequently receiving the request for access via the second server; and

authenticating the credential information to the second server with respect to the request for access.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the disconnecting the user from the first server comprises:

upon receiving the request for access via the second server, identifying a first local module previously supporting a connection from the first server;

reconfiguring the first local module at the first server to remove support for access to the secured document at the first server;

identifying a second local module to support access to the secured document at the second server; and

reconfiguring the second local module at the second server to add support for access to the secured document at the second server.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein:

in response to receiving the request from the user for access to the secured document at the first location, the first server interacts over a network with the user using a first client machine at the first location, and

in response to receiving the request from the user for access to the secured document at the second location, the second server interacts over a network with the user using a second client machine at the second location.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the authenticating the credential information to the second server further comprises:

upon receiving the request for access to access the secured document via the second server, determining permitted locations from which the secured document is permitted to be accessed from;

determining whether the second location is one of the permitted locations; and

bypassing the disconnecting the user from the first server in response to the determining that the second location is not one of the permitted locations.

9. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the authenticating the credential information to the first server occurs in response to receiving a request for access to the secured document at the first location, and wherein the receiving the request for access via the second server occurs in response to receiving a request a request for access to the secured document at the second location.

10. An article of manufacture including a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

requesting authentication of a user having credential information at a first server having a first instance of a secured document stored therein;

in response to determining that the user is authenticated to the first server, requesting that a connection be established that allows the user to access the first instance of the secured document at the first server; and

upon receiving a request from the user to access a second instance of the secured document at a second server from a second location;

requesting authentication of the user to the second server;

determining whether access to the second instance of the secured document is permitted from the second location via the second server;

in response to determining that the user is authenticated to the second server and that access to the secured document is permitted from the second location, requesting disconnection of the user from the first server; and

requesting that a connection be established that allows the user to access the second instance of the secured document at the second server.

11. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 10, wherein:

in response to receiving the request from the user for access to the secured document at the first location, causing the first server to interact over a network with the user, and

in response to receiving the request from the user for access to the secured document at the second location, causing the second server to interact over a network with the user using a second client machine at the second location.

12. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 10, the operations further comprising:

authenticating the credential information to the first server with respect to a previous request for access;

subsequently receiving the request for access via the second server; and

authenticating the credential information to the second server with respect to the request for access.

13. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 12, wherein the disconnecting the user from the first server comprises:

upon receiving the request for access via the second server, identifying a first local module previously supporting access to the secured document at the first server;

reconfiguring the first local module at the first server to remove support for access to the secured document at the first server;

identifying a second local module to support access to the secured document at the second server; and

reconfiguring the second local module at the second server to add support for access to the secured document at the second server.

14. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 13, wherein:

in response to receiving a request for access to the secured document at the first location, the first server interacts over a network with the user using a first client machine at the first location, and

in response to receiving a request for access to the secured document at the second location, the second server interacts over a network with the user server using a second client machine at the second location.

15. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 14, wherein the authenticating the credential information to the second server further comprises:

upon receiving the request for access to the secured document via the second server, determining permitted locations from which the secured document is permitted to be accessed from;

determining whether the second location is one of the permitted locations; and

bypassing the disconnecting the user from the first server in response to the determination that the second location is not one of the permitted locations.

16. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 13, the operations further comprising:

determining, prior to the reconfiguring of either the first local module at the first server or the second local module at the second server, whether the user having the credential information is permitted to access the secured document from the second location via the second server.

17. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 13, the operations further comprising:

determining, prior to the reconfiguring the first local module at the first server and the second local module at the second server, whether the user having the credential information is permitted to access to the secured document from the second location via the second server.

18. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 12, wherein authenticating the credential information comprises authenticating both the credential information and a client machine.

19. A system for controlling access to a secured document, comprising:

an access control device configured to;

request authentication of a user having credential information by a first server having a first instance of the secured document stored therein;

in response to determining that the user is authenticated by the first server, request that a connection be established that allows the user to access the first instance of the secured document at the first server; and

upon receiving a request from the user for access to a second instance of the secured document stored at a second server;

request authentication of the user by the second server;

determine whether the second server permits access to the second instance of the secured document;

in response to determining that the user is authenticated to the second server and that the second server permits access to the second instance of the secured document, request that the user be disconnected from the first server; and

request that a connection be established that allows the user to access the secured document at the second server.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the access control device is further configured to authenticate both the credential information and a client machine.

21. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the first and the second servers are access points to gain access to the secured document.

22. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the access control device is further configured to:

authenticate the credential information to the first server with respect to a pervious request for access;

subsequently receive the request for access via the second server; and

authenticate the credential information to the second server with respect to the request for access.

23. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the access control device is further configured to:

identify a first local module previously supporting the client machine at the first server upon receiving the request for access to the secured document via the second server;

reconfigure the first local module at the first server to remove support for access to the secured document at the first server;

identify a second local module to support access to the secured document at the second server; and

reconfigure the second local module at the second server to add support for access to the secured document at the second server.

24. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein the access control device is further configured to determine, prior to reconfiguring the first local module at the first server and the second local module at the second server, whether access to the secured document is permitted from the second location via the second server.