Accessible Spatio-Temporal Role-Based Access Control

The rapid emergence of GPS enabled devices, sensors, and mobile equipment in commercial as well as government organizations has led to considerable research in location-based access control schemes. This paper introduces the concept of timeand location-based access control, and shows how role-based access control (RBAC) model can be extended to incorporate these parameters for granting access. Location based access policies enhance the security of an application by restricting access to an object only from specified locations. On the other hand, temporal constraints limit access to a specific time interval. This paper presents an understandable user interface for a spatio-temporal RBAC (STRBAC) system we are developing. It shows both the complexity of the decisions that must be made, and the relative understandability of the system for users and for administrators who must configure the system. It is critical not only to be able to express and enforce desired policies, but also to determine what the current policies are. This interface provides an accessible mechanism for this form of access control. keywords: Location-aware Computing, Time-dependent Access, Security Policies, RBAC, Access Control Model.