ACTEN: A conceptual model for security systems design

This paper describes ACTEN, a conceptual model for the design of security systems. Security information is represented by action-entity pairs and organized into a framework composed of graphs and tables. The rules permitting the building and management of this framework are introduced.The model describes both static and dynamic aspects of the security system; in fact, it shows the access modalities between objects in the system and the evolution of such modalities due to grant and revocation of rights within the security system.ACTEN also allows the identification of the authority and protection level of each component of the system. The tools for this analysis are introduced and an example is given.