Generalized policy server
View Patent ↗A scalable access filter that is used together with others like it in a virtual private network to control access by users at clients in the network to information resources provided by servers in the network. Each access filter use a local copy of an access control database to determine whether an access request made by a user. Changes made by administrators in the local copies are propagated to all of the other local copies. Each user belongs to one or more user groups and each information resource belongs to one or more information sets. Access is permitted or denied according to of access policies which define access in terms of the user groups and information sets. Access is further permitted only if the trust levels of a mode of identification of the user and of the path in the network by which the access is made are sufficient for the sensitivity level of the information resource. If necessary, the access filter automatically encrypts the request with an encryption method whose trust level is sufficient.
1. A method for controlling access to network information, the method comprising:
storing a master copy of one or more policies in a memory of a master access filter, the one or more policies limiting access to the network information; and
distributing a change made at a local access filter to the one or more policies, the change distributed to a plurality of other local access filters in the network, wherein each of the other local access filters:
updates a local copy of the one or more policies stored in memory, the local copy being updated to include the change in the one or more policies,
responds to a request from a user concerning access to information hosted at a separate server in the network, and
executes instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor:
consults the updated local copy of the one or more policies based on information in the request received from the user,
determines that the user is authorized to access the information based on at least the updated local copy of the one or more policies, and
grants access based on the determination that the user is authorized to access the information.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determination includes identification of a token at a computing device associated with the user making the request for information in the network.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determination includes identification of a certificate at a computing device associated with the user making the request for information in the network.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determination includes an evaluation of a trust level of a computing device associated with the user making the request for information in the network.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determination includes a evaluation of a trust level of the user making the request for information in the network by way of a computing device.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communicative separation is maintained by an access filter application executing at a client device on the network proxy.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a secure connection is established between a computing device of the user requesting access and the requested information following a grant of access, the secure connection established by the network proxy.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the secure connection is encrypted.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more policies concern definitions of users.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more policies concern definitions of a group of users.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more policies concern definitions of resources.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more policies concern definitions of groups.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more policies concern definitions of user identification.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more policies concerning definitions of resources.
15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using the master copy to initialize a new copy of the one or more policies to be stored at a new access filter.
16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using the master copy to generate a replacement copy of the one or more policies to replace a damaged local copy of the one or more polices.