Permission to speak: A logic for access control and conformance

Formal languages for policy have been developed for access control and conformance checking. In this paper, we describe a formalism that combines features that have been developed for each application. From access control, we adopt the use of a saying operator. From conformance checking, we adopt the use of operators for obligation and permission. The operators are combined using an axiom that permits a principal to speak on behalf of another. The combination yields benefits to both applications. For access control, we overcome the problematic interaction with classical reasoning. For conformance, our formalism accommodates nested obligations and permissions. The axioms result in a decidable logic, and we characterize its complexity. We integrate the axioms into a logic programming approach, which lets us use quantification in policies while preserving decidability of access control decisions. Conformance checking, in the presence of nested obligations and permissions, is shown to b...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2011
• Where: JLP
• Authors: Nikhil Dinesh, Aravind K. Joshi, Insup Lee, Oleg Sokolsky
• Keywords: Access Control, Conformance Checking, JLP 2011, Operators