The focus of this effort is to extend the concepts of Role Based Access Control (RBAC) to tasks, processes, activities and functions of an enterprise. In other words, we take the subject-object approach of RBAC to a broader scope of specifying authorization to enterprise processes that use the objects. This effort will result in a framework, called Workflow-Enhanced Role-Based Authorization Control (WERBAC).

WERBAC is well suited for specifying access control in enterprise-wide information processes systems such as workflow systems, distributed processing, transaction management, and automated document management systems. Implementation of WERBAC in such systems will result in greater level of security, enabling easier granting, tracking and revoking of permissions.

In addition to this effort, we will prototype a WERBAC modeler that will be used to either enforce or validate a WERBAC model. The modeler will also guide us in fine-tuning the WERBAC framework and in discovering tighter workflow-access control mechanisms. Finally we intend for the WERBAC modeler to bridge to leading workflow management systems.

Additional information on RBAC can be found in the NIST WEB page on RBAC.