A method, system and computer program product for access control

Abstract

A method of access control for a resource having an associated current authentication identifier for providing access to the resource, a previous authentication identifier, and an incorrect authentication submission limit, the method responding to a request for access to the resource An entity of a resource receives an authentication submission, wherein the authentication submission does not correspond to a current authentication identifier, the method comprising the steps of: preventing access to the resource by the requester; responding to the authentication submission not corresponding to a previous authentication identifier, and satisfying the incorrect authentication submission determining the limit, causing the current authentication identifier to become invalid; and responsive to the determination that the authentication submission corresponds to a previous authentication identifier, maintaining the current authentication identifier used to provide access to the resource.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the field of access control for resources. In particular it relates to preventing undesired revocation of resource access. Background technique [0002] Access to shared resources can be secured by means of an authentication system using secret identifiers such as passwords. Such shared resources can include computer systems with processors, storage devices, databases, software routines, communication tools, or output devices. The identifier can be shared among requester entities (eg, client computer systems) requesting access to the resource. Such authentication systems are vulnerable to unauthenticated supplicants applying brute force methods to defeat authentication. This brute force method involves requesting access to a resource a large number of times, each time using a different authentication identifier in an attempt to determine the correct identifier. For example, while varying the combinations of allowable charac...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

This is acceptable only if the current authentication identifier should provide access to the resource, but when requesters attempt to access the resource with their expired authentication identifier, the current authentication identifier will necessarily be become obsolete

This has the undesired effect of preventing access to the resource by all requestors (including those with up-to-date authentication information)

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