Patent ID: 9401930
Filing Date: 2016-07-26
CPC Classification: G06F,H04L

Claim Text:
1. A method of evaluating an attribute-based access control (ABAC) policy, for an access request, wherein: the method is implemented at a processing means communicatively connected to a nearby attribute value source and at least one remote attribute value source; and the access request contains one or more explicit attribute values, which together with the ABAC policy define at least one implicit reference to a further attribute value, which is retrievable from one of said attribute value sources, the method comprising the steps of: reducing the ABAC policy at least by substituting said one or more explicit attribute values for corresponding attributes appearing in the policy and by substituting further attribute values, to which the access request and the policy make implicit reference and which are retrievable from the nearby attribute value source; caching references to further attributes to which the access request and the simplified policy make implicit reference and which are retrievable from a remote attribute value source only; after completion of said reducing, caching the policy as a simplified policy; retrieving attribute values from the at least one remote attribute value source based on the cached references; and evaluating the cached simplified policy by substituting the retrieved attribute values.