Access control use-cases

[Norman Gray]

Roy, hello.

On 2006 Jul 11 , at 20.57, Roy Williams wrote:

> The Nesssi system is predicated on graduated security: the  
> certificate and the request are considered *together* to decide  
> whether to devote resources to the request. This is a contrast to  
> traditional systems, where you must prove who you are first in a  
> rigorous way before getting anything at all.

Thanks for this -- I've added a suitable case to the list, making the  
general observation that access isn't necessarily a simple function  
of identity, but will depend on other factors, or other features of  
the certificate, which will vary in time.

> We are adding the idea of a "Dataset Visa", meaning that your  
> certificate allows access to private data. Nesssi imaging services  
> are available to anyone for public surveys, but reject those  
> without the proper visa if you try to use the service on private data.

It's not completely clear to me, from what you say here or what's on  
the NESSSI pages, where this `visa' lives.  Is it effectively an ACL  
at the resource owner's site, which says `this certificate is allowed  
this access', or (as the name `visa' and the web page rather  
suggests), an endorsement made to the user's certificate by the  
resource owner -- that is, a signed modification of the user's  
certificate, which the resource owner will recognise when the  
certificate is subsequently presented?  If the latter, do you see  
these endorsements being made to HotGrid certificates, or just to the  
intermediate and power-user certificates?

See you,

Norman


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Norman Gray  /  http://nxg.me.uk
eurovotech.org  /  University of Leicester, UK