Patent · US Expired

Keyring metaphor for user's security keys on a distributed multiprocess data system

US5274824A · kind A · utility

42Cited by
7References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 1, 1991
Grant dateDec 28, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 1, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F2221/2149
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

In a distributed data system in which processes running in trusted systems whose results may be proprietary or sensitive in nature may be invoked by operators at remote, untrusted workstations, and in which said processes are provided with locks which do not permit proprietary or sensitive actions unless a request includes a key matching the lock, a method of associating keys with operators is based on each operator's presenting his ID and a valid password at the workstation at the time he logs on to the system, verifying his password in a trusted system, correlating his ID with a role or group of roles he is authorized to fulfill, and retrieving and storing in the memory of the trusted system, associated with the operator's ID, a list of keys (a "keyring") for each of those roles. The operator's ID is appended to every request he invokes, a process containing a lock interrogates the stored list and will not grant a proprietary action unless the stored list contains a key matching the lock.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.