Access control decision system, access control enforcing system, and security policy

Abstract

In an access control decision system, first information indicated by an access decision request is converted into second information being higher abstract when the access decision request is received. Next, the access control for the subject information is determined by referring a security policy being abstractly regulated based on the second information and a decision result showing the access control for the subject information is sent to a request originator that sent the access decision request.

1 . An access control decision system comprising; 
 an abstraction converting part converting first information indicated by an access decision request into second information being abstract higher than the first information when the access decision request for requesting an access control decision for subject information to be accessed is received;    an access control decision part determining the access control for the subject information by referring a security policy being abstractly regulated based on the second information; and    a decision result sending part sending a decision result showing the access control for the subject information by said access control decision part, to a request originator that sent the access decision request.    
   
   
       2 . The access control decision system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said abstraction converting part includes a mapping part mapping into the second information based on the first information by referring to a management table managing by corresponding the first information to the second information, the first information and second information having different abstraction degree each other.  
   
   
       3 . The access control decision system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said abstraction converting part includes: 
 a first mapping part mapping based on the first information to the second information by referring to a first management table managing by corresponding the first information to the second information, the first information and second information having different abstraction degrees each other; and    a second mapping part mapping based on the first information to third information by referring to a second management table managing by corresponding the first information to the second information by the third information different from the first information and the second information having different abstraction degrees each other, and    wherein said access decision determining part determines the access control for the subject information by referring to the security policy based on either one of the second information and the third information.    
   
   
       4 . The access control decision system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said abstraction converting part including a mapping part obtaining intermediate information by referring to a first management table managing by corresponding the first information to the intermediate information having an attribute different from the first information, based on the first information, and mapping based on the intermediate information to the second information by referring to a second management table managing by corresponding the intermediate information and the first information to the second information having an abstract different from the intermediate information and the first information.  
   
   
       5 . The access control decision system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said first information is user identification information identifying a user who accesses the subject information, and the second information is information showing a security level of the user.  
   
   
       6 . The access control decision system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first information is user identification information identifying a user who accesses the subject information, and the second information is information showing whether or not the user is a related person to the subject information.  
   
   
       7 . The access control decision system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first information is information showing a location where an access is conducted to the subject information, and the second information is information showing whether or not the location is inside a predetermined zone.  
   
   
       8 . The access control decision system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first information is image data generated by scanning a paper document having the subject information, and the second information is information showing a security attribute of the subject information based on the image data.  
   
   
       9 . The access control decision system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said access control decision part determines the access control having an requirement to allow an access to the subject information, based on the security policy; and    said decision result sending part sends the decision result additionally including information showing the requirement to the request originator.    
   
   
       10 . The access control decision system as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein said access control decision part includes supplement information that is indicated when the requirement is processed, to the requirement to allow the access to the subject information in accordance with the security policy.  
   
   
       11 . The access control decision system as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein said access control decision part includes an alternative requirement for a case in that the requirement cannot be processed, to the requirement to allow the access to the subject information.  
   
   
       12 . The access control decision system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the security policy is capable of being externally set.  
   
   
       13 . An access control decision method, comprising the steps of: 
 storing a security policy being abstractly regulated and capable of being externally set in a storage area;    receiving an access decision request requesting an access control decision for subject information to be accessed;    converting a first information indicated by the access decision request into a second information having an abstraction degree higher than the first information;    determining an access control for the subject information by referring to the security policy stored in the storage area; and    sending a decision result showing the access control for the subject information to a request originator who sent the access decision request.    
   
   
       14 . A program product for causing a computer to determine an access control, said program product comprising the codes for: 
 storing a security policy being abstractly regulated and capable of being externally set in a storage area;    receiving an access decision request requesting an access control decision for subject information to be accessed;    converting a first information indicated by the access decision request into a second information having an abstraction degree higher than the first information;    determining an access control for the subject information by referring to the security policy stored in the storage area; and    sending a decision result showing the access control for the subject information to a request originator who sent the access decision request.    
   
   
       15 . A computer-readable recording medium recorded with a program for causing a computer to determine an access control, said program comprising the codes for: 
 storing a security policy being abstractly regulated and capable of being externally set in a storage area;    receiving an access decision request requesting an access control decision for subject information to be accessed;    converting a first information indicated by the access decision request into a second information having an abstraction degree higher than the first information;    determining an access control for the subject information by referring to the security policy stored in the storage area; and    sending a decision result showing the access control for the subject information to a request originator who sent the access decision request.    
   
   
       16 . An access control enforcing system, comprising an access control enforcing part enforcing an access control for subject information based on access control information indicating a control concerning an access to the subject information in accordance with a security policy, 
 wherein said access control enforcing part further includes a requirement capability determining part determining whether or not a requirement to execute the access can be executed, the requirement indicated by the access control information, and    wherein the access control is enforced for the subject information based on a determination result by the requirement capability determining part so as to satisfy the requirement.    
   
   
       17 . The access control enforcing system as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein said access control enforcing part further includes an access prohibiting part prohibiting the access to the subject information when the decision result by the requirement capability determining part shows that the access cannot be executed so as to satisfy the requirement.  
   
   
       18 . The access control enforcing system as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein said access control enforcing part enforces an alternative requirement indicated in the access control information when the determination result by the requirement capability determining part shows that the access cannot be executed so as to satisfy the requirement.  
   
   
       19 . The access control enforcing system as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein said access control enforcing part further includes an alternative requirement capability determining part determining the alternative requirement indicated in the access control information can be executed when the decision result by said requirement capability determining part shows that the access cannot be executed so as to satisfy the requirement.  
   
   
       20 . The access control enforcing system as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein said access control enforcing part enforces the access control to the subject information so as to satisfy the requirement by using supplement information indicated in the access control information when the decision result by said requirement capability determining part shows that the access can be executed so as to satisfy the requirement.  
   
   
       21 . The access control enforcing system as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein at least one of a log record, an encryption and store, a protection of integrity of an original, a strict user authentication, a version management, a perfect deletion, and an alarm display is executable as the requirement.  
   
   
       22 . The access control enforcing system as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein at least one of a log record, a label print, an operator print, an image log record, an alarm display, an alarm print, a destination restriction, a confidential transmission, a watermark print, and a digital watermark is executable as the requirement.  
   
   
       23 . The access control enforcing system as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein a log record, a strict user authentication, an alarm display, a private print, an image log record, an identification information print, a label print, a watermark print, a copy suppression pattern print, an identification background pattern, and an alarm print is executable as the requirement.  
   
   
       24 . The access control enforcing system as claimed in  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 an access decision requesting part requesting an access control decision to an access control decision system determining the access control in accordance with the security policy being abstractly regulated in response to an access request to the subject information; and    an access control receiving part receiving access control information sent from the access control decision system corresponding to the access control decision requests,    wherein said access control enforcing part enforces the access control to the subject information based on the access control information received by said access control receiving part.    
   
   
       25 . An access control enforcing method, comprising the steps of: 
 determining that a requirement indicated in access control information, the requirement to execute an access, when the access control is enforced to the subject information based on the access control information indicating a control concerning the access to the subject information in accordance to a security policy; and    enforcing the access control to the subject information so as to satisfy the requirement based on a determination result.    
   
   
       26 . A security policy, comprising a rule description showing a rule regulating whether or not an operation is allowed based on a first security attribute of subject information directed to the operation and a second security attribute of a user requesting the operation for the subject information, wherein the rule description regulates to allow the operation when a requirement is satisfied.  
   
   
       27 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein said rule description regulates supplement information to be used when the requirement is executed.  
   
   
       28 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein the rule description regulates the supplement information being dynamically generated.  
   
   
       29 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein the supplement information is a character string or image data based on the rule being dynamically generated.  
   
   
       30 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein said rule description regulates based on a user category shown by the second security attribute of the user whether or not the operation is allowed, 
 wherein information showing whether or not the user is a related person is indicated in said user category based on a management table being different from the rule description and showing a user being the related person to the subject information.    
   
   
       31 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein said rule description regulates based on an access allowed zone indicated by the second security attribute of the user whether or not the operation is allowed, wherein information showing whether or not the user is a related person is indicated in said access allowed zone based on a management table being different from the rule description and showing a user being the related person to the subject information.  
   
   
       32 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein said rule description regulates whether or not the operation is allowed when the first security attribute of the subject information is unknown.  
   
   
       33 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein said rule description regulates an alternative requirement when the requirement is not satisfied.  
   
   
       34 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 26 , wherein said rule description regulates an access control rule for each first security attribute of the subject information.  
   
   
       35 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 34 , wherein said rule description regulates an access control list for each second security attribute of the user in the access control rule.  
   
   
       36 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 35 , wherein said rule description regulates in the access control list whether or not each of a plurality of different image forming processes as the operation is allowed.  
   
   
       37 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 36 , wherein said rule description regulates a plurality of requirements for each operation.  
   
   
       38 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein said rule description regulates a plurality of the supplement information for each requirement.  
   
   
       39 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein said rule description regulates a plurality of the alternative requirements for each requirement.  
   
   
       40 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein said rule description regulates to allow or not operations to refer to a server document, refer to a property of the server document, obtain an original of the server document, revise the server document, and delete the server document, operations to refer to a portable document, print out the portable document, transmit the portable document by fax, and operations to copy a paper document, transmit the paper document by fax and scan the paper document.  
   
   
       41 . The security policy as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein said rule description regulates at least one of a log record, an encryption, a tamper-detection, a version management, a perfect deletion, a private print, an image log record, an identification information embedding, a label print, a watermark, a copy suppression pattern, an identification background patter, an alarm display, an alarm print, a confidential print, and an operator print.  
   
   
       42 . A computer-readable recording medium recorded with a security policy, said security policy comprising a rule description showing a rule regulating whether or not an operation is allowed based on a first security attribute of subject information directed to the operation and a second security attribute of a user requesting the operation for the subject information, wherein the rule description regulates to allow the operation when a requirement is satisfied.  
   
   
       43 . A security control system, comprising: 
 showing a rule regulating whether or not an operation is allowed, based on a first security attribute of subject information directed to the operation and a second security attribute of a user requesting the operation for the subject information; and    controlling the operation for the subject information in accordance with a security policy regulating that the operation is allowed when a requirement is satisfied.    
   
   
       44 . A security policy regulating method, comprising a rule description showing a rule regulating whether or not an operation is allowed based on a first security attribute of subject information directed to the operation and a second security attribute of a user requesting the operation for the subject information, wherein the rule description regulates to allow the operation when a requirement is satisfied.  
   
   
       45 . A security policy, comprising a rule description being managed by a system and showing a rule regulating a requirement required to satisfy to allow an operation, said operation incapable of being controlled to allow or prohibit with respect to a subject information when the subject information is output outside the system by allowing the operation to the subject information, wherein said rule description regulates that the operation is allowed when the requirement is satisfied, said requirement capable of repeatedly conducting the control with respect to the subject information being output outside the system.  
   
   
       46 . A computer-readable recording medium recorded with a security policy, said security policy comprising a rule description being managed by a system and showing a rule regulating a requirement required to satisfy to allow an operation, said operation incapable of being controlled to allow or prohibit with respect to a subject information when the subject information is output outside the system by allowing the operation to the subject information, wherein said rule description regulates that the operation is allowed when the requirement is satisfied, said requirement capable of repeatedly conducting the control with respect to the subject information being output outside the system.  
   
   
       47 . A system for controlling an operation, comprising: 
 managing subject information directed to the operation; and    a rule description being managed by a system and showing a rule regulating a requirement required to satisfy to allow an operation, said operation incapable of being controlled to allow or prohibit with respect to a subject information when the subject information is output outside the system by allowing the operation to the subject information,    wherein said rule description regulates that the operation is allowed when the requirement is satisfied, said requirement capable of repeatedly conducting the control with respect to the subject information being output outside the system.