Serialized Token RBAC for Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication systems face challenges in providing controlled access to resources due to limited role-based permissions, leading to unintended access and high computational resource consumption, especially at large scales.
Innovation Solution
A role-based access control (RBAC) system that uses serialized tokens to manage access to resources. The system classifies Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) into permissions, generates a graph representing the permissions, and signs the serialized token for secure access across multiple systems or services.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional role-based access control systems are implemented across multiple systems or services, then access control functionality is provided, but computational resource consumption (data processing power, memory, bandwidth) increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the access control logic from individual downstream services and consolidates it into a centralized RBAC system. The centralized system generates serialized tokens that downstream services can validate without performing complex access control computations, thereby extracting the computational burden from distributed services and concentrating it in one location.
Solution Approach 2:
The RBAC system performs access control decisions in advance by generating serialized tokens that encode authorization information. Downstream services receive pre-authenticated tokens and can make access decisions by simple validation rather than complex computation, performing the heavy lifting beforehand.
2Device complexity
If limited types of roles are used for access permissions, then the system is simpler to manage, but unintended access to restricted resources occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements fine-grained permissions within roles that allow different levels of access control precision for different resources. Instead of using broad, coarse roles, the system allows administrators to define specific permissions for particular resources, making each role's authorization characteristics locally optimized for its intended purpose.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments roles into hierarchical levels with specific permissions for different resource types. Roles are divided into fine-grained permission sets that can be independently configured, allowing precise control over what each role can access without requiring a single monolithic role structure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If each downstream service implements its own access control system, then access control can be customized per service, but the overall system complexity and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal serialized token format that can be used across multiple downstream services with different access control requirements. The token structure is designed to be service-agnostic while still encoding service-specific permission information, allowing one universal system to serve multiple specialized purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The RBAC system acts as an intermediary between users and downstream services. It generates serialized tokens that downstream services can validate without implementing their own full access control systems. The intermediary handles the complexity of access control logic while services receive simple, pre-authenticated tokens.
Data Source
AI summary
A role-based access control method and system provide for receiving a request to provide an access to a resource, identifying a plurality of permissions associated with the request, authorizing the request including determining the plurality of permissions are granted for the identity, generating a serialized token to represent the plurality of permissions, and passing the serialized token to the first service to perform the providing of the access to the resource.