International Business Machines Corporation

George Robert Blakley, Iii

Heather Maria Hinton

Anthony Joseph Nadalin

Sridhar R Muppidi

Damir Anthony Jamsek

Ronald B Williams

Kimberly DaShawn Simon

Diana Jeanne Arroyo

Ivan Matthew Milman

Birgit Monika Pfitzmann

Mary Ellen Zurko

Messaoud Benantar

Greg Clark

Ajamu Akinwunmi Wesley

Wayne Dube Sigler

Richard Jay Cohen

Robert S Gittins

Phillip W Rogaway

John H Wilson

Douglas B Scheer

L Brooks Hickerson

These and other objectives are attained with a method and system for evaluating an access policy change. The method comprises the step of providing an access control mechanism having a first policy, and an audit log having entries of accesses made under that first policy. The method comprises the further steps of submitting a second policy to the access control mechanism, comparing the log entries to the second policy, and based on the results of the comparing step, taking one of a predetermined number of actions.

Retrospective policy safety net

A method is presented in which federated domains interact within a federated environment. Domains within a federation can initiate federated single-sign-on operations for a user at other federated domains. A point-of-contact server within a domain relies upon a trust proxy within the domain to manage trust relationships between the domain and the federation. Trust proxies interpret assertions from other federated domains as necessary. Trust proxies may have a trust relationship with one or more trust brokers, and a trust proxy may rely upon a trust broker for assistance in interpreting assertions.

Method and system for authentication in a heterogeneous federated environment

A method, apparatus, system, and computer program product are presented in which federated domains interact within a federated environment. Domains within a federation are able to initiate federated single-sign-on operations for a user at other federated domains. A point-of-contact server within a domain relies upon a trust proxy within the domain to manage trust relationships between the domain and the federation. Trust proxies interpret assertions from other federated domains as necessary. Trust proxies may have a trust relationship with one or more trust brokers, and a trust proxy may rely upon a trust broker for assistance in interpreting assertions. To enhance security, domains may also require users to re-prove their identity through proof-of-possession challenges that are executed after a user has initiated a single-sign-on operation.

Method and system for proof-of-possession operations associated with authentication assertions in a heterogeneous federated environment

A system, apparatus, computer program product and method for authorizing information flows between devices of a data processing system are provided. In one illustrative embodiment, an information flow request is received from a first device to authorize an information flow from the first device to a second device. The information flow request includes an identifier of the second device. Based on an identifier of the first device and the second device, security information identifying an authorization level of the first device and second device is retrieved. A sensitivity of an information object that is to be transferred in the information flow is determined and the information flow is authorized or denied based only on the sensitivity of the information object and the authorization level of the first and second devices irregardless of the particular action being performed on the information object as part of the information flow.

Authorizing information flows based on a sensitivity of an information object

A system is presented for facilitating management of user attribute information at one or more attribute information providers (AIPs), which can manage the user's attribute information in accordance with user-selected or administratively-determined options, including options that are stored in attribute release policies and/or dynamically determined during a transaction. E-commerce service providers (ECSPs), such as online banks or merchants, also maintain a relationship with an AIP such that the ECSP can trust the user attribute information that is provided by the AIP on behalf of the user. The user can complete transactions that require user attribute information at any ECSP without having to have previously established a relationship with that particular ECSP. If the ECSP has a relationship with one of the user's AIPs, then the user will be able to direct the ECSP to an AIP when the ECSP needs user attribute information to complete a transaction for the user.

Method and system for user-determined attribute storage in a federated environment

Method and system for native authentication protocols in a heterogeneous federated environment

Authorizing information flows between devices of a data processing system is provided. In one illustrative embodiment, an information flow request is received from a first device to authorize an information flow from the first device to a second device. The information flow request includes an identifier of the second device. Based on an identifier of the first device and the second device, security information identifying an authorization level of the first device and second device is retrieved. A sensitivity of an information object that is to be transferred in the information flow is determined and the information flow is authorized or denied based only on the sensitivity of the information object and the authorization level of the first and second devices irregardless of the particular action being performed on the information object as part of the information flow.

Authorizing information flows

A hash key is generated based on an information object and a lookup operation is performed in a hash table based on the hash key. A determination is made whether an entry in the hash table at an index corresponding to the hash key identifies a labelset for the information object. A labelset, identifying a sensitivity of the information object, is stored in the entry at the index corresponding to the hash key for the information object if a labelset for the information object is not identified in the entry in the hash table. Information flows involving the information object are authorized based on a lookup of the labelset associated with the information object in the hash table. The hash table may be a multidimensional hash table.

Associating security information with information objects

An Internet user transfers directly to a domain within an e-community without returning to a home domain or reauthenticating by providing to a web browser by a home domain server a home identity cookie with an extensible data area and an enrollment token; performing enrollment through an e-community for a web-browser user by redirecting the home identity cookie via the web browser to each affiliated domain in the e-community until each has been visited once; responsive to each visit to each affiliated domain, sending an affiliated domain identity cookie to the web browser including an enrollment successful indicator; accumulating received enrollment success indicators in the extensible data area of the home identity cookie; and subsequently, vouching for an identity of the user at an affiliated domain through exchange of a vouch-for request and vouch-for response between the home domain server and an affiliated domain server.

User enrollment in an e-community

A system is presented for facilitating management of user attribute information at one or more attribute information providers (AIPs), which can manage the user's attribute information in accordance with user-selected or administratively-determined options, including options that are stored in attribute release policies and/or dynamically determined during a transaction. E-commerce service providers (ECSPs), such as online banks or merchants, also maintain a relationship with an AIP such that the ECSP can trust the user attribute information that is provided by the AIP on behalf of the user. The user can complete transactions that require user attribute information at any ECSP without having to have previously established a relationship with that particular ECSP. If the ECSP has a relationship with one of the user's AIPS, then the user will be able to direct the ECSP to an AIP when the ECSP needs user attribute information to complete a transaction for the user.

Method and system for user-determind attribute storage in a federated environment

A reference monitor that authorizes information flows between elements of a data processing system is provided. The elements of the data processing system are associated with security data structures in a reference monitor. An information flow request is received from a first element to authorize an information flow from the first element to a second element. A first security data structure associated with the first element and a second security data structure associated with the second element are retrieved. At least one set theory operation is then performed on the first security data structure and the second security data structure to determine if the information flow from the first element to the second element is to be authorized. The security data structures may be labelsets having one or more labels identifying security policies to be applied to information flows involving the associated element.

Growing community of inventors

Round Rock, TX, United States of America

George Robert Blakley, Iii