2400147 – Access Control Systems: Models and Technology

Access control systems are everywhere and the backbone of secure services as they incorporate who is and who is not authorized: think of operating systems, information systems, banking, vehicles, robotics, cryptocurrencies, or decentralized applications as examples. The course starts with current challenges of access control in the era of hyperconnectivity, i.e., in cyber-physical or decentralized systems. Based on the derived needs for next generation access control, we first study how to specify access control and analyze strengths and weaknesses of various approaches. We then focus on up-to-date proposals, like IoT and AI access control. We look at current cryptographic access control aspects, blockchains and cryptocurrencies, and trusted execution environments. We also discuss the ethical dimension of access management. Students prepare for lecture and exercise sessions by studying previously announced literature and by preparation of exercises that are jointly discussed in the sessions.