Data Sharing for Context-Sensitive Access Control Policy Evaluation and Enforcement

Context-awareness has long been an important building block in designing systems that vary their operating behavior based on an analysis of rapidly changing operating conditions. There is the need however to define context more formally so that context data- sharing can take place between systems and more complex interactions between connected systems can be developed. The area of computer security is examined in particular as an area where the representation and sharing of context data can lead to more effective policy enforcement. A framework is proposed for sharing data between assessment sensors and enforcement mechanisms in order to facilitate more accurate policy enforcement. A detailed performance analysis of the proposed system is offered along with conclusions on the feasibility of such systems.