Security access manager in middleware

1. A system for controlling access to a platform, the system comprising:

a platform having a software services component and an interface component, the interface component having at least one interface for providing access to the software services component for enabling application domain software to be installed, loaded, and run in the platform;

an access controller for controlling access to the software services component by a requesting application domain software via the at least one interface, the access controller comprising:

an interception module for receiving a request from the requesting application domain software to access the software services component;

and a decision entity for determining if the request should be granted wherein the decision entity is a security access manager, the security access manager holding access and permission policies; and

wherein the requesting application domain software is granted access to the software services component via the at least one interface if the request is granted.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein:

the request includes an identification of the requesting application domain software; and

the security access manager includes a collection of records of approved requesting application domain software for use in determining if the request should be granted to the requesting application domain software based on the identification.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein:

the collection of records comprises an access control collection;

the security access manager contains an associated permission collection; and

the associated permission collection is used to determine if the request should be granted for a requesting application domain software included in the access control collection.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the security access manager comprises a decision cache for maintaining a record of requests by application domain software for determining if a permission decision has previously been granted to the requesting application domain software.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein:

the security access manager has a record of requesting application domain software; and

the security access manager determines if the request should be granted based on an identification stored in the record.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein, if the request is denied, a reject message is sent to the requesting application domain software by the interception module.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the application domain software comprises non-native application domain software.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the non-native application domain software comprises Java application software.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the platform comprises a platform for a mobile terminal for a wireless telecommunications system.

10. A system for controlling access to a platform for a mobile terminal for a wireless telecommunications system, the system comprising:

a platform having a software services component and an interface component, the interface component having at least one interface for providing access to the software services component for enabling non-native application software to be installed, loaded, and run on the platform; and

an access controller for controlling access to the software services component by the non-native application software via the at least one interface, the access controller including:

an interception module for receiving a request from the non-native application software to access the software services component;

and a decision entity for determining if the request should be granted; and

wherein the non-native application software is granted access to the software services component via the at least one interface if the request is granted; and

wherein the decision entity is a security access manager.

11. A system for controlling access to a platform, the system comprising:

a platform having a software services component and an interface component, the interface component having at least one interface for providing access to the software services component for enabling application domain software to be installed, loaded, and run in the platform; and

an access controller for controlling access to the software services component by a requesting application domain software via the at least one interface, the access controller comprising:

an interception module for receiving a request from the requesting application domain software to access the software services component;

a decision entity for determining if the request should be granted;

wherein such interception module includes a cache with the rules and policies of the decision entity; and

wherein the requesting application domain software is granted access to the software services component via the at least one interface if the request is granted.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the decision entity is a security access manager adapted to hold access and permission policies.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the cache in the interception module is adapted to increase the speed of the decision making procedure.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the interception module is adapted to receive updates when changes are made to the rules and policies in the decision entity.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the interception module is adapted to query the decision entity whether any changes have been made to the rules and policies in the decision entity.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein each such query is undertaken at every request, at start-up or at certain intervals.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the decision entity is adapted to contact the interception module when an update to the cache in the interception entity is necessary.