Hierarchical Attribute Certificates for Workflow Traceability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Implementing full traceability of user actions in multi-layered systems with technical users is challenging, as existing methods either require significant code adaptations or incur runtime performance overhead, and there is a need for non-repudiable logging of events to ensure access control to underlying resources.
Innovation Solution
A method using hierarchical attribute certificates is proposed, where backend modules validate and check certificates to ensure access follows a predefined execution path, allowing delegation and non-repudiable logging of user and context information to maintain traceability and prevent access control circumvention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If user context information is passed as a variable between different processes, then traceability of user actions is achieved, but development resources are required to adapt the whole code base
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a technical user as an intermediary component that receives user context information from business process level activities and forwards it to backend modules. This mediator approach allows traceability without requiring widespread code adaptations, as the technical user acts as a standardized interface layer between process activities and backend resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the access control function into separate technical users that can be independently instantiated and configured. Each technical user can be associated with specific backend modules and execution paths, allowing fine-grained control without modifying the entire code base. This segmentation enables traceability while maintaining ease of implementation through modular components.
2Ease of manufacture
If all exchanged messages are inspected and stored in an audit log, then no code level adaptations are necessary, but runtime performance overhead is incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by validating the execution path and checking permissions before the backend module executes. The technical user verifies that the execution path is authorized and that the user context is valid prior to forwarding the request. This prevents unnecessary auditing of all messages and reduces runtime overhead by filtering out unauthorized access attempts early in the process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by implementing selective auditing only at critical points in the execution path rather than auditing all exchanged messages universally. The audit log captures information specifically when a technical user validates and forwards a request, rather than continuously monitoring all communication. This reduces performance overhead while maintaining necessary traceability.
3Device complexity
If access control is shifted to a higher layer by controlling access to technical users, then access control to underlying resources is simplified, but traceability becomes more complex in multi-layered systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the technical user records and returns execution path information to the business process level activity. This feedback loop ensures that traceability is maintained despite the hierarchical access control structure. The technical user provides feedback about which execution path was taken and which backend modules were accessed, enabling complete traceability while simplifying access control management at higher layers.
Data Source
AI summary
There is proposed a method for executing a workflow, comprising providing the workflow comprising process level activities, at least one process level activity being able to access system resources, the access to the system resources being mediated by a plurality of backend modules. A backend module of the plurality of backend modules carries out the steps of receiving a hierarchical attribute certificate, validating the attribute certificate, checking whether the attribute certificate grants a right to execute the backend module, checking whether a predefined execution path from the process level activity to the backend module has been traversed, and if both checking steps are successful, executing the backend module. Moreover, there is proposed a respective device, computer program medium and computer program product.