Access Control Matrix Construction for Set-Top Box Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional access control matrices for multimedia systems, such as set-top boxes, face challenges with large memory requirements, redundant entries, and complexity in managing user modes and security components, which can lead to security concerns and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an access control matrix based on access control lists for a set-top box security processor, where each user mode has a set of access rules stored in tables, allowing for rule-based access controls and reducing memory usage by utilizing secure hardware components like ROM and RAM, and modular decomposition techniques to manage access rights independently of the host processor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional two-dimensional access control matrix is used to manage user access rights to security components, then access control functionality is provided, but memory requirements become excessively large and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the access control matrix into multiple one-dimensional access control lists, where each list corresponds to a specific security component and contains access rights for all user modes. This segmentation reduces memory requirements from storing a complete two-dimensional matrix to storing only the necessary access control information in a compressed format, while maintaining full access control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the traditional two-dimensional access control matrix into a set of one-dimensional access control lists. Instead of storing access rights as a matrix where rows represent users and columns represent security components, the invention uses lists where each list is indexed by security component and contains relevant access control information, effectively reducing dimensional complexity and memory footprint.
2Reliability
If a traditional two-dimensional access control matrix is used to manage user access rights, then access control is implemented, but redundant entries increase and management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes redundant entries from the traditional access control matrix by using one-dimensional access control lists that only store necessary access rights information. Each list contains only the access control entries relevant to its corresponding security component, eliminating redundant data while maintaining complete access control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the structural parameters of the access control data from a two-dimensional matrix format to a set of one-dimensional lists. This parameter change allows for more efficient storage and easier management, as each list can be independently modified without affecting other security components or user modes, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If user modes or security components are added or removed from the system, then system adaptability is improved, but hardware and software complexity increases to manage the access control matrix
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic access control lists that can be easily modified when user modes or security components are added or removed. Each access control list is independently manageable, allowing the system to dynamically adapt to changes by simply adding or removing entries in the appropriate lists without requiring complex reconfiguration of the entire access control matrix, thereby maintaining high system adaptability with reduced management complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
In multimedia systems requiring secure access, a method and apparatus for constructing an access control matrix for a set-top box security processor are provided. A security processor may comprise multiple security components and may support multiple user modes. For each user mode supported, at least one access rule table may be generated to indicate access rules to a security component in the security processor. An access control list comprises information regarding the access rules for a particular user mode to the security components in the security processor. An access control matrix may be generated based on the access control lists for the user modes supported by the security component. The access control matrix may be implemented and/or stored in the security processor for verifying access rights of a user mode.