How to Securely Break into RBAC: The BTG-RBAC Model
Open Access
- 1 December 2009
- conference paper
- conference paper
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Abstract
Access control models describe frameworks that dictate how subjects (e.g. users) access resources. In the role-based access control (RBAC) model access to resources is based on the role the user holds within the organization. RBAC is a rigid model where access control decisions have only two output options: grant or deny. break the glass (BTG) policies on the other hand are flexible and allow users to break or override the access controls in a controlled and justifiable manner. The main objective of this paper is to integrate BTG within the NIST/ANSI RBAC model in a transparent and secure way so that it can be adopted generically in any domain where unanticipated or emergency situations may occur. The new proposed model, called BTG-RBAC, provides a third decision option BTG, which grants authorized users permission to break the glass rather than be denied access. This can easily be implemented in any application without major changes to either the application code or the RBAC authorization infrastructure, apart from the decision engine. Finally, in order to validate the model, we discuss how the BTG-RBAC model is being introduced within a Portuguese healthcare institution where the legislation requires that genetic information must be accessed by a restricted group of healthcare professionals. These professionals, advised by the ethical committee, have required and asked for the implementation of the BTG concept in order to comply with the said legislation.Keywords
This publication has 6 references indexed in Scilit:
- Extending access control models with break-glassPublished by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ,2009
- Coordinating access control in grid servicesConcurrency and Computation: Practice and Experience, 2007
- How to Break Access Control in a Controlled MannerPublished by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2006
- Obligation monitoring in policy managementPublished by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2003
- Provisions and Obligations in Policy Management and Security ApplicationsPublished by Elsevier BV ,2002
- Optimistic securityPublished by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ,1999