Patent ID: 7770006
Filing Date: 2010-08-03
Classification: G06F,H04L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for authorizing a sensitive database operation, the method comprising: receiving, at a database, a request to perform a sensitive database operation, wherein the sensitive database operation changes a database user's privilege to access database records; determining a multiparty authorization requirement for the sensitive database operation, wherein the multiparty authorization requirement specifies a set of approvals required for authorizing the sensitive database operation and a database user type associated with the set of approvals, and wherein the multiparty authorization requirements associated with database operations that create, delete, or modify a multiparty authorization requirement are hard coded into the database execution engine, thereby preventing a malicious user from modifying the multiparty authorization requirements; sending approval requests to one or more approving parties based on the multiparty authorization requirement; receiving approvals for authorizing the sensitive database operation; if the approvals satisfy the multiparty authorization requirement, authorizing the sensitive database operation.