Role Activation Operators for Dynamic RBAC Permission Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) systems face challenges in efficiently making security changes across large systems and restricting access for users who should not be granted access, due to the complexity of managing permissions and the lack of dynamic configuration capabilities.
Innovation Solution
Implementing role activation operators within a role context inheritance hierarchy to evaluate and manage permissions, allowing administrators to control how changes propagate through the hierarchy and restrict access using operators like NOT, EQ, LEQ, and GEQ, enabling quick security adjustments and precise access control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional RBAC systems are used to manage permissions in large networks, then security administration can be simplified, but the system lacks dynamic configuration capabilities and cannot efficiently restrict access for specific users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monolithic RBAC permission evaluation into multiple independent role context hierarchies. Each role context can be independently configured with its own inheritance rules and activation operators, allowing dynamic security policies to be applied to different resource types without affecting the entire system. This segmentation enables both adaptability and manageable complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic configuration capabilities through role activation operators (NOT, EQ, LEQ, GEQ) that can be assigned to individual roles. These operators allow administrators to dynamically control permission inheritance behavior based on specific user needs, enabling the system to adapt to changing security requirements without requiring system-wide reconfiguration.
2Productivity
If role permissions are inherited through a hierarchy, then permission management becomes more efficient, but users with conflicting roles cannot be properly restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by evaluating role permissions in a predetermined hierarchical order from parent to child contexts. The system pre-establishes the evaluation sequence and applies activation operators before final permission determination, ensuring that restrictive rules are applied in advance to prevent unauthorized access while maintaining efficient inheritance for legitimate permissions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by allowing different activation operators to be applied to different roles within the same hierarchy. Each role can have its own NOT, EQ, LEQ, or GEQ operator, enabling fine-grained control over permission inheritance on a per-role basis. This local differentiation resolves conflicts between roles with opposite permission requirements.
3Reliability
If administrators need to restrict access for users with certain roles, then security compliance is improved, but the configuration becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal solution through four standardized activation operators (NOT, EQ, LEQ, GEQ) that can be applied to any role in any role context. This multi-functional approach allows the same set of operators to handle diverse security compliance requirements, from complete role denial to conditional permission inheritance, simplifying administrator workflows while maintaining high security compliance.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a processor for resolving permissions using role activation operators to evaluate permissions assigned to a user in a role context inheritance hierarchy. The stored instructions comprise several steps: a step of retrieving a plurality of activated roles within a role context that match roles assigned to a user, wherein one or more permissions in the role context inherit from one or more permissions in a parent role context in a role context permission inheritance hierarchy; a step of determining an aggregate permission for each of the plurality of activated roles, wherein a role activation operator determines how an activated role is evaluated; a step of processing the aggregate permissions for the plurality of activated roles; and a step of resolving a final permission for the user.