Issues on the design and implementation of an intelligent database inference controller

The authors discuss the issues involved in designing and implementing an intelligent database inference controller, referred to as a knowledge-based inference controller. An inference controller is a device that prevents and/or detects security violations via inference. The knowledge-based inference controller, called XINCON, is able to deduce unauthorized inferences that users could make via logical deduction, certain types of non-classical logical deduction, and analogical reasoning. The need for knowledge-based inference control and the functions of an ideal knowledge-based inference controller are considered. The modules of XINCON, knowledge representation, reasoning strategies, and a preliminary prototype implementation are described