Reputation based access control

• US 8,805,881 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2010
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hom, Richard V., Roxin, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perveen, Rehana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Waldron, Scott A
• Application Number:
  US12/775,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20110276604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 707/784, 707/783
• US Class Current: 707/783
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• 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 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

The reputation based access control system of the present invention allows or denies access to a requested controlled resource to a requesting subject based upon predetermined associations between the resource and security contexts to determine the subject'"'"'s reputation in those contexts. The reputation based access control system utilizes an authentication system (biometric, challenge/response, etc.) to identify a subject. Once the identity is determined, a resource to be accessed is determined by a reputation based access control unit. The system interfaces with a reputation assessment system to gauge the subject'"'"'s reputation in these contexts. If the subject'"'"'s reputation meets the predetermined limits for reputation in those contexts for that resource, the subject is allowed access to the resource. Otherwise access is denied and the proper agents are notified.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system having a network input/output (I/O), a central processing unit (CPU), a reputation based access control unit and one or more databases including a reputation based access control database, the method for assessing whether to allow or deny access to a requested controlled resource having a policy from a request from a requesting subject having a reputation based upon the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation and the requested controlled resource'"'"'s policy, the method comprising:

identifying the requesting subject;

retrieving the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation stored as a virtual attribute in a reputation-based access control database, wherein the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation comprises a value for skill for operating with the requested controlled resource, and wherein the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation is modified in each of the following cases;

as the reputation of an associate of the requesting subject changes, and following an indication from a peer of the requesting subject that the requesting subject'"'"'s value for skill is diminished;

identifying the requested controlled resource;

retrieving the requested controlled resource'"'"'s policy;

associating the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation with the requested controlled resource'"'"'s policy;

determining if the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation meets the requested controlled resource'"'"'s policy;

if the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation meets the requested controlled resource'"'"'s policy, allowing the requesting subject access to the requested controlled resource; and

if the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation does not meet the requested controlled resource'"'"'s policy, denying the requesting subject access to the requested controlled resource.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation comprises a value for trustworthiness, the method further comprising assessing the trustworthiness of the requesting subject.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 further comprising determining the value for trustworthiness of the requesting subject by data mining associations of the requesting subject and performing a background check of the requesting subject.

4. The method as defined in claim 2 further comprising determining the value for trustworthiness of the requesting subject by assessing actions previously taken by the requesting subject.

5. The method as defined in claim 2 further comprising determining the value for trustworthiness of the requesting subject by assessing actions previously taken by associates of the requesting subject.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 the method further comprising assessing the skill of the requesting subject.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 further comprising determining the value for skill of the requesting subject by receiving peer feedback of the requesting subject and receiving an expert opinion by an assessor of the requesting subject.

8. The method as defined in claim 6 further comprising determining the value for skill of the requesting subject by assessing actions previously taken by the requesting subject.

9. A system having a network input/output (I/O), a central processing unit (CPU) and one or more databases for assessing whether to allow or deny access to a requested controlled resource, the requested controlled resource having an access policy, based upon a request for access to the requested controlled resource from a requesting subject, having a reputation, the assessment being based upon the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation and the requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy, the system comprising:

a reputation based access control database for storing a policy for access to one or more controlled resources, the reputation based access control database comprising;

a subject reputation database for storing, as a virtual attribute, subject reputation information relating to one or more requesting subjects, wherein the subject reputation information comprises a value for skill for operating with the requested controlled resource, and wherein the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation is modified in each of the following cases;

as the reputation of an associate of the requesting subject changes, and following an indication from a peer of the requesting subject that the requesting subject'"'"'s value for skill is diminished; and

a controlled resource policy database for storing one or more access policies of one or more requested controlled resources;

a reputation based access control unit for controlling access to the controlled resources, the reputation based access control unit comprising;

a subject reputation database access unit, connected to the subject reputation database, for retrieving the subject reputation information stored in the subject reputation database;

a controlled resource policy database access unit, connected to the controlled resource policy database, for retrieving the access policy of the one or more requested controlled resources;

a controlled resource request receiver for receiving requests from subjects and for forwarding the received requests to the subject reputation database access unit and the controlled resource policy database access unit;

an association unit for associating the subject reputation information of the requesting subject and the subject reputation information relating to the requesting subject; and

a subject/controlled resource clearance unit for determining, based upon the association between the requesting subject'"'"'s subject reputation information and the requested controlled resource'"'"'s policy, clearing or not clearing the requesting subject for access to the controlled resource,

wherein the requesting subject is allowed access to the requested controlled resource if the requesting subject'"'"'s subject reputation information meets the policy of the requested controlled resource and is denied access to the requested controlled resource if the requesting subject'"'"'s subject reputation information does not meet the policy of the requested controlled resource.

10. The system as defined in claim 9 further comprising an agent notification unit for notifying an agent if the subject/controlled resource clearance unit denies the requesting subject access to the requested controlled resource.

11. The system as defined in claim 10 further comprising:

a subject trustworthiness database for storing information relating to a value for trustworthiness of requesting subjects;

a subject trustworthiness database access unit for accessing information relating to the trustworthiness of a requesting subject;

a controlled resource trustworthiness database for storing information relating to the trustworthiness access policy of controlled resources; and

a controlled resource trustworthiness policy database access unit for retrieving information relating to the trustworthiness access policy of the requested controlled resource, wherein the association unit associates the information relating to the trustworthiness of the requesting subject to information relating to the trustworthiness access policy of the requested controlled resource.

12. The system as defined in claim 10 further comprising:

a subject skill database for storing information relating to the skill of requesting subjects;

a subject skill database access unit for retrieving information relating to the skill of the requesting subject;

a controlled resource skill policy database for storing policy information relating to the skill of controlled resources; and

a controlled resource skill policy database access unit for retrieving policy information relating to the skill policy of the requested controlled resource, wherein the association unit associates the information relating to the skill of the requesting subject to information relating to the skill policy of the requested controlled resource.

13. The system as defined in claim 12 further comprising a requesting subject need to know assessment unit for assessing information relating to the requesting subject'"'"'s need to know as the requesting subject relates to the controlled resource and, if the requesting subject has a need to know relating to the controlled resource or, if the requesting subject has no need to know relating to the controlled resource, for so notifying the subject/controlled resource clearance unit as to whether the requesting subject has a need to know.

14. The system as defined in claim 13 further comprising a subject database input unit for receiving information relating to the reputation of subjects and a resource database input unit for receiving information relating to the reputation policies of controlled resources.

15. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable physical storage device for operating in a system comprising a network input/output (I/O), a central processing unit (CPU), a reputation based access control unit and one or more databases including a reputation based access control database, the method for assessing whether to allow or deny access to a requested controlled resource, having an access policy, from a request from a requesting subject, having a reputation, based upon the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation and requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy, the method comprising:

identifying the requesting subject;

retrieving the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation stored as a virtual attribute in a reputation-based access control database, wherein the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation is modified in each of the following cases;

as the reputation of an associate of the requesting subject changes, and following an indication from a peer of the requesting subject that the requesting subject'"'"'s value for skill is diminished;

identifying the requested controlled resource;

retrieving the requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy;

associating the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation with the requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy;

determining if the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation meets the requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy;

if the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation meets the requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy, allowing the requesting subject access to the requested controlled resource; and

if the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation does not meet the requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy, denying the requesting subject access to the requested controlled resource.

16. The computer program product as defined in claim 15 wherein the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation comprises a value for trustworthiness and the requested controlled resource has a requirement related to trustworthiness and wherein the method further comprises comparing the requesting subject'"'"'s trustworthiness value with the requested controlled resource'"'"'s trustworthiness value.

17. The computer program product as defined in claim 15 wherein the requested controlled resource has a requirement related to skill and wherein the method further comprises comparing the requesting subject'"'"'s skill value with the requested controlled resource'"'"'s skill value.

18. A method for deploying a computer infrastructure in a system comprising a network input/output (I/O), a central processing unit (CPU), a reputation based access control unit and one or more databases including a reputation based access control database, for implementing a process for assessing whether to allow or deny access to a requested controlled resource having an access policy from a request from a requesting subject having a reputation based upon the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation and requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy, the process comprising:

identifying the requesting subject;

retrieving the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation stored as a virtual attribute in a reputation-based access control database, wherein the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation is modified in each of the following cases;

as the reputation of an associate of the requesting subject changes, and following an indication from a peer of the requesting subject that the requesting subject'"'"'s value for skill is diminished;

identifying the requested controlled resource;

retrieving the requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy;

associating the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation with the requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy;

determining if the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation meets the requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy;

if the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation meets the requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy, allowing the requesting subject access to the requested controlled resource; and

if the requesting subject'"'"'s reputation does not meet the requested controlled resource'"'"'s access policy, denying the requesting subject access to the requested controlled resource.

19. The method for deploying a computer infrastructure as defined in claim 18 wherein the computer infrastructure further comprises a subject trustworthiness database for storing information relating to the trustworthiness of requesting subjects, a subject trustworthiness database access unit, a controlled resource trustworthiness database for storing a trustworthiness access policy for controlled resources, a controlled resource trustworthiness policy database access unit and an association unit and wherein the process further comprises:

retrieving information relating to the trustworthiness of the requesting subject;

retrieving information relating to the trustworthiness access policy of the requested controlled resource; and

associating the information relating to the trustworthiness of the requesting subject to the information relating to the trustworthiness access policy of the requested controlled resource.