Abstract: A system and method for applying noise to data is described. The system accesses a metric value of a metric of each user from a group of users of an application. The metric indicates a measure of an operation of the application by a corresponding user. The system generates noise values and defines a distribution of the noise values to the group of users. The system modifies the metric value of the metric of each user with a corresponding noise value from the noise values based on the distribution.

Abstract: The disclosure herein describes generating and presenting a benchmark to a target entity. A peer group of entities associated with the target entity is determined based on at least one attribute of the target entity. Behavior data of the target entity and behavior data of the entities of the peer group is identified and the behavior data of the entities of the peer group is transformed using adjustment values, wherein the transformed behavior data differs from corresponding behavior data of the entities of the peer group by less than an accuracy threshold. Benchmark data of the benchmark associated with the behavior category is generated based on the behavior data associated with the target entity and the transformed behavior data associated with the entities of the peer group and the benchmark data of the benchmark is presented as a benchmark visualization via a user interface.

Abstract: A system and method for applying noise to data is described. The system accesses a metric value of a metric of each user from a group of users of an application. The metric indicates a measure of an operation of the application by a corresponding user. The system generates noise values and defines a distribution of the noise values to the group of users. The system modifies the metric value of the metric of each user with a corresponding noise value from the noise values based on the distribution.

Abstract: Translation of role-based authoring models for managing RBAC “roles” to resource authorization policy (RAP), such as ACL-based applications, is provided. A generic RBAC system is defined from which mappings to other authorization enforcement mechanism make possible the translation of RBAC “roles” to resource authorization policies applied to resources managed by a resource manager, e.g., a file system resource manager. An implementation is described that uses Windows Authorization Manager as a storage mechanism and object model to manage object types and relationships translated from an RBAC system.

Abstract: Systems and method can be provided for selecting advertising payloads for display in an available advertising impression location. The advertising payloads can be selected based on an auction between various types of hosted and third party campaigns, including hosted reserved advertising campaigns and hosted non-reserved advertising campaigns. The rules of the auction can be set and/or updated over time to allow hosted campaigns to meet desired goals, such as delivering a minimum number of impressions or spending an expect budget amount.

Abstract: A flexible use licensing system for an application comprising a plurality of licensable products is provided comprising an application level product policy definition license, and a licensable product policy definition license corresponding to each licensable product. The flexible use license further comprises a rights account certificate for validating the use license against a variety of environmental conditions, and an external validation component for validating the use license at a licensing authority without the transmittal of the entire use license.

Abstract: Abstracting access control policy from access check mechanisms allows for richer expression of policy, using a declarative model with semantics, than what is permitted by the access check mechanisms. Further, abstracting access control policy allows for uniform expression of policy across multiple access check mechanisms. Proof-like reasons for any access query are provided, such as who has access to what resource, built from the policy statements themselves, independent of the access check mechanism that provide access. Access is audited and policy-based reasons for access are provided based on the access control policy.

Abstract: A license is issued to a user as decryption and authorization portions. The decryption portion is accessible only by such user and has a decryption key (KD) for decrypting corresponding encrypted digital content and validating information including an identification of a root trust authority. The authorization portion sets forth rights granted in connection with the digital content and conditions that must be satisfied to exercise the rights granted, and has a digital signature that is validated according to the identified root trust authority in the decryption portion. The user issued accesses the decryption portion and employs the validation information therein to validate the digital signature of the authorization portion. If the conditions in the authorization portion so allow, the rights in the authorization portion are exercised by decrypting the encrypted content with the decryption key (KD) from the decryption portion and rendering the decrypted content.

Abstract: A resource of a first organization provides access thereto to a requestor of a second organization. A first administrator of the first organization issues a first credential to a second administrator of the second organization, including policy that the second administrator may issue a second credential to the requestor on behalf of the first administrator. The second administrator issues the second credential to the requester, including the issued first credential. The requestor requests access from the resource and includes the issued first and second credentials. The resource validates that the issued first credential ties the first administrator to the second administrator, and that the issued second credential ties the second administrator to the requester. The resource thus knows that the request is based on rights delegated from the first administrator to the requester by way of the second administrator.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a technique for certifying distributable objects. The technique involves creating a certification for each distributable object to indicate properties of the object. Using certifications such as this, it is possible to accept objects having certain properties only from specified entities.

Abstract: Supporting statements are provided to help safely and efficiently construct and verify proofs necessary for deciding whether to grant a request from one entity for accessing a resource owned or administered by another entity.

Abstract: A computer-implemented mechanism for granting rights to a resource is described. A license identifies one or more principals, resources, rights and conditions in fields of the license. The license fields include one or more instances of one or more variables. The variables are universally quantified so that each variable may be any one of a set of values. All instances of any given variable are bound to the same value.

Abstract: A digital certificate is employed to produce a digital signature for a digital construct. In the digital certificate is set forth a certificate validity period defining for the digital certificate a time period during which the digital certificate is to be honored as valid for producing digital signatures, and a signature validity period defining for each digital signature produced based on the digital certificate a time period during which the digital signature is to be honored as valid.

Abstract: An improved certificate issuing system may comprise a certificate translation engine for translating incoming certificates and certificate requests from a first format into a second format. A certificate issuing engine may then operate on incoming requests in the common format. The issuing engine can issue certificates to clients according to its certificate issuing policy. The policy may be expressed as data in a policy expression language that can be consumed at runtime, which provides for flexible and efficient changing of issuing policy. Issued certificates can be translated back into a format that is consumed by the requesting client. Such translation can be performed by the translation engine prior to delivery of certificates to requesting clients.

Abstract: An improved certificate issuing system may comprise a novel arrangement for expressing certificate issuing policy. The policy may be expressed in a human-readable policy expression language and stored for example in a file that is consumed by a certificate issuing system at runtime. The policy may thus be easily changed by altering the digital file. Certain techniques are also provided for extending the capabilities of the certificate issuing system so it may apply and enforce new policies.

Abstract: Techniques for distributed knowledge access control are disclosed herein. These techniques may enable access control information to be provided in the form of a statement that includes an assertion and a construct that targets the assertion to one or more intended entities. By targeting the statement to intended entities, the construct may help protect resources from unauthorized use and may also help protect the issuer of the statement from accountability resulting from misuse of the statement.

Abstract: Access control as it relates to policies or permissions is provided based on a created model. A security policy is abstracted and can be independent of a mechanism used to protect resources. An asbstract model of a potential user, user role and/or resource is created without associating a specific individual and/or resource with a model. These abstract user models and abstract resource models can be used across applications or within disparate applications. The abstracted security policies can be selectively applied to the model. Specific users and/or resources can be associated with one or more abstract user model or abstract resource model. The models can be nested to provide configurations for larger systems.

Abstract: Abstracting access control policy from access check mechanisms allows for richer expression of policy, using a declarative model with semantics, than what is permitted by the access check mechanisms. Further, abstracting access control policy allows for uniform expression of policy across multiple access check mechanisms. Proof-like reasons for any access query are provided, such as who has access to what resource, built from the policy statements themselves, independent of the access check mechanism that provide access. Access is audited and policy-based reasons for access are provided based on the access control policy.

Abstract: Translation of role-based authoring models for managing RBAC “roles” to resource authorization policy (RAP), such as ACL-based applications, is provided. A generic RBAC system is defined from which mappings to other authorization enforcement mechanism make possible the translation of RBAC “roles” to resource authorization policies applied to resources managed by a resource manager, e.g., a file system resource manager. An implementation is described that uses Windows Authorization Manager as a storage mechanism and object model to manage object types and relationships translated from an RBAC system.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a technique for certifying distributable objects. The technique involves creating a certification for each distributable object to indicate properties of the object. Using certifications such as this, it is possible to accept objects having certain properties only from specified entities.