Self-authorization: a methodology for secured network access in a distributed paradigm

One of the key concerns of system designs in enterprise networks is security. Security from a systems perspective involves limiting and controlling accessibility to the services provided by that system. Existing authorization mechanisms do not provide the tools for the ever-changing paradigm associated with distributed networks such as the Internet, and deployment of mobile and pervasive computing devices that users attach to these networks. A self-authorizing system for authentication in a distributed environment is a concept that addresses some of the inadequacies of a traditional authentication mechanism. This paper examines existing authorization and authentication methods and their respective inadequacies, while developing the concept of self-authorization and the basic principles that underlie transparency and re-authentication.