Patent EP0456386A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0456386A2
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EP
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Access control in a distributed computer system
Assignee: Fujitsu Services Ltd
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Filing: 1991-04-25
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-04-25
Abstract
Abstract A distributed computer system, has a number of users and target applications. When a user logs on to the system, an authentication unit issues the user with a privilege attribute certificate (PAC) representing the user's access rights. When the user wishes to access a target application, he presents the PAC to that application as evidence of his access rights. The application, in turn, passes the PAC to a PAC use monitor (PUM) which validates the PAC. The PUM is shared between a plurality of applications. <IMAGE>
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas Anthony Parker
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 22:33
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F21/00; G06F21/30; G06F21/31; G06F21/33; G06F21/335; G06F21/41; G06F21/60; G06F21/62; G06F21/629; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/46; G06F9/468; G06F2211/00; G06F2211/007; G06F2221/00; G06F2221/21; G06F2221/2141
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
91 words
A distributed computer system capable of supporting a plurality of users and a plurality of applications (10), the system including an authentication unit (12) for authenticating a user and issuing that user with a privilege attribute certificate (PAC) which can then be presented to an application by the user as evidence of the user's access rights, characterised by a validation unit (13), common to a plurality of applications (10), for validating PACs received by those applications to determine whether the users that presented those PACs are permitted to access those applications.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system according to claim 1 in which the user can dynamically control the access rights the user wishes to be active with respect to chosen applications, without further accesses to the authentication unit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system according to claim 2 wherein the user passes the PAC to an application along with a PAC qualifier, specifying the access rights that the user wishes to be active for that application.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system according to claim 3 wherein the PAC qualifier contains a count value specifying the maximum number of times the PAC may be presented for validation with this qualifier.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
23 words
A system according to any preceding claim in which the authentication unit can directly access the validation unit to revoke a specified PAC.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
21 words
A system according to any preceding claim wherein the PAC is cryptographically protected between the authentication unit and the validation unit.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
47 words
A system according to any preceding claim wherein each PAC contains a cryptographic key for use in communication between the user and the application, and wherein, when the validation unit validates a PAC on behalf of a particular application, it passes that cryptographic key to the application.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
A system according to claim 1 wherein the user can request that the application the user is to access be authenticated, and to be securely informed whether that has been achieved.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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