Patent ID: 7853993

Claim:
A computer-readable storage medium whose contents cause a computer to: receive an authorization query regarding a request to access a first resource; identify a principal requesting to access the first resource; perform an access control check to determine whether to deny authorization to access the first resource, the access control check being based on the principal and a first policy applicable to the principal, wherein the first policy is maintained as part of a centralized policy store and the first policy comprises one or more rules; and responsive to determining to deny authorization to access the first resource, return a deny decision denying authorization to access the first resource; enter an entry into an audit log, the entry recording the denial of authorization; and responsive to receiving a subsequent authorization query regarding a request from the identified principal to access a second resource, determine whether the requested access to the second resource comprises an inherently dangerous operation; responsive to determining that the requested access to the second resource does not comprise an inherently dangerous operation, perform an access control check to determine whether to deny authorization to access the second resource, the access control check being based on the principal and the first policy applicable to the principal; and responsive to determining that the requested access to the second resource comprises an inherently dangerous operation, impose a second policy applicable to the principal, wherein the first policy and the second policy are different policies, and wherein the second policy is more restrictive than the first policy; and perform an access control check to determine whether to deny authorization to access the second resource, the access control check being based on the principal and the second policy applicable to the principal, wherein the computer instructions are executed as an integral component of an operating system suitable for executing on the computer; and wherein the computer-readable storage medium is not a signal.