Security Considerations for a Distributed LocationService

  • Authors:
  • Ulf Leonhardt;Jeff Magee

  • Affiliations:
  • -;-

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Network and Systems Management
  • Year:
  • 1998

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Abstract

Mobile computing, wireless communications, andcheap location tracking and navigation systems have madelocation data a valuable and available commodity formany different kinds of computing applications. However, there are fears that this new wealthof personal location information will lead to newsecurity risks, to the invasion of the privacy of peopleand organizations. In this paper, we discuss security requirements faced by a location service indifferent organizational contexts. We argue thatfine-grained access control requires a symbolic locationmodel over which access control is specified. We outline the salient features of a location servicesupporting such a location model. The two main classicalsecurity models, Lampson's access matrix andBell-LaPadula's security labels, are analyzed with viewto their application to location information. Weargue that those schemes need to be generalized to dealwith multiple targets in order to be applicable tolocation information. Based on the generalized models, we propose a concrete security model forlocation information which protects both personal andorganizational privacy. We have implemented this modelover a prototype implementation of a general location service.