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Article
Publication date: 30 July 2021

Tanvi Garg, Navid Kagalwalla, Shubha Puthran, Prathamesh Churi and Ambika Pawar

This paper aims to design a secure and seamless system that ensures quick sharing of health-care data to improve the privacy of sensitive health-care data, the efficiency of…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to design a secure and seamless system that ensures quick sharing of health-care data to improve the privacy of sensitive health-care data, the efficiency of health-care infrastructure, effective treatment given to patients and encourage the development of new health-care technologies by researchers. These objectives are achieved through the proposed system, a “privacy-aware data tagging system using role-based access control for health-care data.”

Design/methodology/approach

Health-care data must be stored and shared in such a manner that the privacy of the patient is maintained. The method proposed, uses data tags to classify health-care data into various color codes which signify the sensitivity of data. It makes use of the ARX tool to anonymize raw health-care data and uses role-based access control as a means of ensuring only authenticated persons can access the data.

Findings

The system integrates the tagging and anonymizing of health-care data coupled with robust access control policies into one architecture. The paper discusses the proposed architecture, describes the algorithm used to tag health-care data, analyzes the metrics of the anonymized data against various attacks and devises a mathematical model for role-based access control.

Originality/value

The paper integrates three disparate topics – data tagging, anonymization and role-based access policies into one seamless architecture. Codifying health-care data into different tags based on International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes and applying varying levels of anonymization for each data tag along with role-based access policies is unique to the system and also ensures the usability of data for research.

Details

World Journal of Engineering, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1708-5284

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2020

Tamir Tsegaye and Stephen Flowerday

An electronic health record (EHR) enables clinicians to access and share patient information electronically and has the ultimate goal of improving the delivery of healthcare…

Abstract

Purpose

An electronic health record (EHR) enables clinicians to access and share patient information electronically and has the ultimate goal of improving the delivery of healthcare. However, this can create security and privacy risks to patient information. This paper aims to present a model for securing the EHR based on role-based access control (RBAC), attribute-based access control (ABAC) and the Clark-Wilson model.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted which resulted in the collection of secondary data that was used as the content analysis sample. Using the MAXQDA software program, the secondary data was analysed quantitatively using content analysis, resulting in 2,856 tags, which informed the discussion. An expert review was conducted to evaluate the proposed model using an evaluation framework.

Findings

The study found that a combination of RBAC, ABAC and the Clark-Wilson model may be used to secure the EHR. While RBAC is applicable to healthcare, as roles are linked to an organisation’s structure, its lack of dynamic authorisation is addressed by ABAC. Additionally, key concepts of the Clark-Wilson model such as well-formed transactions, authentication, separation of duties and auditing can be used to secure the EHR.

Originality/value

Although previous studies have been based on a combination of RBAC and ABAC, this study also uses key concepts of the Clark-Wilson model for securing the EHR. Countries implementing the EHR can use the model proposed by this study to help secure the EHR while also providing EHR access in a medical emergency.

Details

Information & Computer Security, vol. 28 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4961

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2003

Cungang Yang and Chang N. Zhang

Proposes an object‐oriented role‐based access control (ORBAC) model to efficiently represent the real world. Though ORBAC is a good model, administration of ORBAC, including…

Abstract

Proposes an object‐oriented role‐based access control (ORBAC) model to efficiently represent the real world. Though ORBAC is a good model, administration of ORBAC, including creating and maintaining an access control security policy, still remains a challenging problem. Presents a practical method that can be employed in an enterprise environment to manage security policies using eXtensible Markup Language (XML). Based on ORBAC security policy expressed in XML, a role assignment algorithm is presented. The computation complexity of the algorithms is O(N) where n is the number of position roles in a user’s assigned position role scope.

Details

Information Management & Computer Security, vol. 11 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-5227

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2002

Chang N. Zhang and Cungang Yang

Information flow analysis is a necessary step to determine the information security for a given system. In this paper, we introduce an object oriented role‐based access control…

1299

Abstract

Information flow analysis is a necessary step to determine the information security for a given system. In this paper, we introduce an object oriented role‐based access control model (ORBAC) and illustrate that the confinement problem may occur on the ORBAC based system. In order to deal with the problem, a technique called information flow analysis is proposed. Moreover, under the principle of mandatory access control (MAC) security policy, a role set assignment method is developed and proved to solve the confinement problem on ORBAC.

Details

Information Management & Computer Security, vol. 10 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-5227

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 September 2012

Goran Sladić, Branko Milosavljević, Dušan Surla and Zora Konjović

The goal of this paper is to propose a data access control framework that is used for editing MARC‐based bibliographic databases. In cases where the bibliographic record editing…

Abstract

Purpose

The goal of this paper is to propose a data access control framework that is used for editing MARC‐based bibliographic databases. In cases where the bibliographic record editing activities carried out in libraries are complex and involve many people with different skills and expertise, a way of managing the workflow and data quality is needed. Enforcing access control can contribute to these goals.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed solution for data access control enforcement is based on the well‐studied standard role‐based access control (RBAC) model. The bibliographic data, for the purpose of this system, is represented using the XML language. The software architecture of the access control system is modelled using the Unified Modelling Language (UML).

Findings

The access control framework presented in this paper represents a successful application of concepts of role‐based access control to bibliographic databases. The use of XML language for bibliographic data representation provides the means to integrate this solution into many different library information systems, facilitates data exchange and simplifies the software implementation because of the abundance of available XML tools. The solution presented is not dependent on any particular XML schema for bibliographic records and may be used in different library environments. Its flexibility stems from the fact that access control rules can be defined at different levels of granularity and for different XML schemas.

Research limitations/implications

This access control framework is designed to handle XML documents. Library systems that utilise bibliographic databases in other formats not easily convertible to XML would hardly integrate the framework into their environment.

Practical implications

The use of an access control enforcement framework in a bibliographic database can significantly improve the quality of data in organisations where record editing is performed by a large number of people with different skills. The examples of access control enforcement presented in this paper are extracted from the actual workflow for editing bibliographic records in the Belgrade City Library, the largest public city library in Serbia. The software implementation of the proposed framework and its integration in the BISIS library information system prove the practical usability of the framework. BISIS is currently deployed in over 40 university, public, and specialized libraries in Serbia.

Originality/value

A proposal for enforcing access control in bibliographic databases is given, and a software implementation and its integration in a library information system are presented. The proposed framework can be used in library information systems that use MARC‐based cataloguing.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 30 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 2003

Adam Little and Peter J. Best

The majority of medium‐to‐large international organizations have adopted enterprise resource planning systems (ERPs) of which SAP R/3 is the current market leader. This paper…

3288

Abstract

The majority of medium‐to‐large international organizations have adopted enterprise resource planning systems (ERPs) of which SAP R/3 is the current market leader. This paper proposes a framework for the separation of duties in SAP R/3. Separation of duties is viewed as a critical component of an organization’s internal control structure aimed primarily at reducing opportunities for fraudulent activities. R/3 assigns profiles consisting of authorizations to users. Accordingly, R/3 facilitates the implementation of “role‐based access control”, where these profiles may be designed consistent with organizational roles and assigned to users performing these roles. This paper proposes a framework for adequate separation of duties using a role‐based approach in the financial accounting (FI) module of the R/3 system. Case studies were undertaken to refine the framework and to explore its application in a practical environment. This empirical research provided support for the adequacy of the proposed framework.

Details

Managerial Auditing Journal, vol. 18 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-6902

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 November 2009

Tomasz Müldner, Gregory Leighton and Jan Krzysztof Miziołek

The purpose of this paper is to consider the secure publishing of XML documents, where a single copy of an XML document is disseminated and a stated role‐based access control…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the secure publishing of XML documents, where a single copy of an XML document is disseminated and a stated role‐based access control policy (RBACP) is enforced via selective encryption. It describes a more efficient solution over previously proposed approaches, in which both policy specification and key generation are performed once, at the schema‐level. In lieu of the commonly used super‐encryption technique, in which nodes residing in the intersection of multiple roles are encrypted with multiple keys, it describes a new approach called multi‐encryption that guarantees each node is encrypted at most once.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper describes two alternative algorithms for key generation and single‐pass algorithms for multi‐encrypting and decrypting a document. The solution typically results in a smaller number of keys being distributed to each user.

Findings

The paper proves the correctness of the presented algorithms, and provides experimental results indicating the superiority of multi‐encryption over super‐encryption, in terms of encryption and decryption time requirements. It also demonstrates the scalability of the approach as the size of the input document and complexity of the schema‐level RBACP are increased.

Research limitations/implications

An extension of this work involves designing and implementing re‐usability of keyrings when a schema or ACP is modified. In addition, more flexible solutions for handling cycles in schema graphs are possible. The current solution encounters difficulty when schema graphs are particularly deep and broad.

Practical implications

The experimental results indicate that the proposed approach is scalable, and is applicable to scenarios in which XML documents conforming to a common schema are to be securely published.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the efficient implementation of secure XML publication systems.

Details

International Journal of Web Information Systems, vol. 5 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-0084

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2006

D.W. Chadwick, A. Novikov and A. Otenko

The paper aims to describe the results of a recent GridShibPERMIS project whose purpose was to provide policy‐driven role‐based access control decision‐making to grid jobs, in…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to describe the results of a recent GridShibPERMIS project whose purpose was to provide policy‐driven role‐based access control decision‐making to grid jobs, in which the user's attributes are provided by an external Shibboleth Identity Provider (IdP).

Design/methodology/approach

This was achieved by integrating the identity‐federation and attribute‐assignment functions of Shibboleth and the policy‐based enforcement functions of PERMIS with the Grid job management functions of Globus Toolkit v4.

Findings

Combining the three technologies proved to be relatively easy due to the Policy Information Point (PIP) and Policy Decision Point (PDP) Java interfaces recently introduced into Globus Toolkit v4.

Practical implications

However, a number of limitations in the current Grid‐Shib implementation were revealed, namely: the lack of support for pseudonymous access to grid resources; scalability problems because only one issuer scope domain is supported and because name mappings have to be provided for each grid user; and the inability to collect a user's attributes from multiple IdPs for use in authorisation decision‐making.

Originality/value

This paper provides an overview of and describes the benefits of the three technologies (GT4, Shibboleth and PERMIS), shows how they may be combined to good effect via GT4's java interfaces, describes the limitations of the current GridShib implementation and suggests possible solutions and additional research that are needed in the future in order to address the current shortcomings.

Details

Campus-Wide Information Systems, vol. 23 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1065-0741

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2001

Reinhardt A. Botha and Jan H.P. Eloff

Workflow systems are often associated with business process re‐engineering (BPR). This paper argues that the functional access control requirements in workflow systems are rooted…

1220

Abstract

Workflow systems are often associated with business process re‐engineering (BPR). This paper argues that the functional access control requirements in workflow systems are rooted in the scope of a BPR project. A framework for access control in workflow systems is developed. The framework suggests that existing role‐based access control mechanisms can be used as a foundation in workflow systems. The framework separates the administration‐time and the run‐time aspects. Key areas that must be investigated to meet the functional requirements imposed by workflow systems on access control services are identified.

Details

Information Management & Computer Security, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-5227

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 August 2022

Aya Khaled Youssef Sayed Mohamed, Dagmar Auer, Daniel Hofer and Josef Küng

Authorization and access control have been a topic of research for several decades. However, existing definitions are inconsistent and even contradicting each other. Furthermore…

6822

Abstract

Purpose

Authorization and access control have been a topic of research for several decades. However, existing definitions are inconsistent and even contradicting each other. Furthermore, there are numerous access control models and even more have recently evolved to conform with the challenging requirements of resource protection. That makes it hard to classify the models and decide for an appropriate one satisfying security needs. Therefore, this study aims to guide through the plenty of access control models in the current state of the art besides this opaque accumulation of terms meaning and how they are related.

Design/methodology/approach

This study follows the systematic literature review approach to investigate current research regarding access control models and illustrate the findings of the conducted review. To provide a detailed understanding of the topic, this study identified the need for an additional study on the terms related to the domain of authorization and access control.

Findings

The authors’ research results in this paper are the distinction between authorization and access control with respect to definition, strategies, and models in addition to the classification schema. This study provides a comprehensive overview of existing models and an analysis according to the proposed five classes of access control models.

Originality/value

Based on the authors’ definitions of authorization and access control along with their related terms, i.e. authorization strategy, model and policy as well as access control model and mechanism, this study gives an overview of authorization strategies and propose a classification of access control models providing examples for each category. In contrast to other comparative studies, this study discusses more access control models, including the conventional state-of-the-art models and novel ones. This study also summarizes each of the literature works after selecting the relevant ones focusing on the database system domain or providing a survey, a classification or evaluation criteria of access control models. Additionally, the introduced categories of models are analyzed with respect to various criteria that are partly selected from the standard access control system evaluation metrics by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Details

International Journal of Web Information Systems, vol. 18 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-0084

Keywords

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