Interoperability between authorization protocol and enforcement protocol

1. A method comprising:

by at least one processor:

generating a bridge environment between an XACML authorization protocol and an OAuth enforcement protocol,

applying, across the bridge environment, policy rules of the XACML authorization protocol to an access request made in the OAuth enforcement protocol, and thereby producing a result;

deciding, across the bridge environment, whether to issue or reissue an authorization to the access request based on the result of the applying.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the access request is a request for issuance of a token and the token is denied, issued, or reissued based on the authorization.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bridge environment enables an XACML server to perform the applying and the deciding, and to communicate data corresponding to the access request between the XACML authorization protocol and the OAuth enforcement protocol.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the bridge environment is a middleware adapter, application interface, embedded code, firmware, or hardware.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the bridge environment receives the authorization request in a data format corresponding with the OAuth enforcement protocol, translates the data format into a readable format for the XACML authorization protocol to apply the policy rules, and communicates the result of the deciding to the OAuth enforcement protocol.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the bridge environment interfaces an access enforcement point in an OAuth authorization server to request an XACML Policy Decision Point (PDP) to decide whether to issue or reissue the authorization.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the applying and the deciding are automatically performed after an authorization request is made.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the authorization request corresponds with access to Protected Health Information (PHI) as contained in an electronic health record, protected information, sensitive information, or classified information.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which when executed on a computer causes the computer to execute a process comprising:

generating, using the computer, an interface between an XACML authorization protocol and an OAuth enforcement protocol, and

applying, using the interface, policy rules of the XACML authorization protocol to an access request made in a different or incompatible enforcement protocol and thereby producing a result.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the process comprising:

translating, before the applying, a data format of the authorization request received from the OAuth enforcement protocol into a data format readable by the XACML authorization protocol.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the computer receives the authorization request from the OAuth enforcement protocol and applies, in the applying, the policy rules of the XACML authorization protocol.

12. An authorization control device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor connected with the memory, configurable to operate as an application interface or middleware adapter between an XACML authorization protocol and an OAuth enforcement protocol, the processor executing:

applying, using the interface or middleware adapter, policy rules of the authorization protocol to an access request made in the enforcement protocol and thereby producing a result.

13. The authorization control system according to claim 12 , wherein the OAuth enforcement protocol is associated with a vendor enforcement system, the XACML authorization protocol is associated with a vendor authorization system, and the application interface is combinable with the vendor authorization system and the vendor access enforcement system to form a single vendor product.

14. The authorization control system according to claim 12 , wherein the processor receives the access request in a data format corresponding with the OAuth enforcement protocol, translates the data format into a readable format for the XACML authorization protocol to apply the policy rules, and sends the result of the deciding to the OAuth enforcement protocol.

15. The authorization control system according to claim 12 , wherein the processor automatically performs the applying when the access request is received.

16. The authorization control system according to claim 12 , wherein the processor is a server operating in an XACML environment, and

the result of the applying is transmitted from the server to an OAuth server which issues or reissues a token to authorize a user, based on the access request.

17. A method performed by a device having a processor, comprising:

receiving, by an administration apparatus of an OAuth enforcement protocol, an authorization request from a client system;

generating, using the processor, an interface between an XACML authorization protocol and the OAuth enforcement protocol;

requesting, a policy enforcement point of the XACML authorization protocol by the administration apparatus of the OAuth enforcement protocol, to provide an authorization decision indicating whether the authorization request is authorized, where the authorization protocol applies policy rules across the interface to the authorization request to produce the authorization decision; and

determining, by the administration apparatus of the OAuth enforcement protocol, whether to issue or reissue a security token based on the authorization decision communicated by the policy enforcement point of the XACML authorization protocol.