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However, in XACML 3.0, the email of each user can be retrieved using PIP in a dynamic manner as we can define an expression element inside the ObligationExpression. Therefore Obligation , obligation can inform PEP to send an email to user@foo.com address.
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In XACML 2.0, obligations can only be added to policies and policy sets. However, with XACML 3.0, rules can also contain obligations.
Introducing Advice
Advice is a newly introduced feature with XACML 3.0 which is similar to obligations. PEPs do not have to comply with advice statements; PEPs can consider or discard the statement. A common scenario is to explain why something was denied: “User bob is denied because he does not have a valid email”.
Improvements in Target
Since it is possible to define custom attribute categories, there are improvements in some related elements in the XACML 3.0 policy, when compared to 2.0. With XACML 3.0, the Target element can be used to define more complex authorization logic within itself when compared with 2.0.
In XACML 2.0, the Target element contains the OR and AND relationship between the same category. However, in XACML 3.0, AllOf and AnyOf elements have been introduced to Target element. That clearly helps to define the OR and AND relationship between different categories.
As an example, let look at a Target element. In XACML 2.0, we have an AND relationship between foo1 and foo2 resources and an OR relationship between bar1 and bar2 actions. However, we cannot create an OR relationship between a foo1 resource and bar1 action. so we cannot define something such as “Target would be matched when Bob can access the foo resource or do a bar action” by using the Target element.
| Code Block |
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<Target>
<Resources>
<Resource>
<ResourceMatch MatchId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:function:string-equal">
<AttributeValue DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string">foo1</AttributeValue>
<ResourceAttributeDesignator AttributeId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:resource:resource-id" DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string"/>
</ResourceMatch>
<ResourceMatch MatchId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:function:string-equal">
<AttributeValue DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string">foo2</AttributeValue>
<ResourceAttributeDesignator AttributeId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:resource:resource-id" DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string"/>
</ResourceMatch>
</Resource>
</Resources>
<Actions>
<Action>
<ActionMatch MatchId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:function:string-equal">
<AttributeValue DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string">bar1</AttributeValue>
<ActionAttributeDesignator AttributeId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:action:action-id" DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string"/>
</ActionMatch>
</Action>
<Action>
<ActionMatch MatchId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:function:string-equal">
<AttributeValue DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string">bar2</AttributeValue>
<ActionAttributeDesignator AttributeId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:action:action-id" DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string"/>
</ActionMatch>
</Action>
</Actions>
</Target> |
XACML 3.0 has an AND relationship between “foo” resource and “bar1″ role and an OR relationship between “bar2″ action. So we cannot define something as “Target would be matched, when Bob can access foo resource and do bar1 action or do bar2 action”.
| Code Block |
|---|
<Target>
<AnyOf>
<AllOf>
<Match MatchId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:function:string-regexp-match">
<AttributeValue DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string">foo</AttributeValue>
<AttributeDesignator MustBePresent="false" Category="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:3.0:attribute-category:resource" AttributeId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:resource:resource-id" DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string"/>
</Match>
<Match MatchId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:function:string-equal">
<AttributeValue DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string">bar1</AttributeValue>
<AttributeDesignator MustBePresent="false" Category="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:3.0:attribute-category:action"
AttributeId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:action:action-id" DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string"/>
</Match>
</AllOf>
<AllOf>
<Match MatchId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:function:string-equal">
<AttributeValue DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string">bar2</AttributeValue>
<AttributeDesignator MustBePresent="false" Category="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:3.0:attribute-category:action"
AttributeId="urn:oasis:names:tc:xacml:1.0:action:action-id" DataType="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string"/>
</Match>
</AllOf>
</AnyOf>
</Target> |
More Functions and Algorithms
XACML3 has introduced new String functions such as:
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Some improvements to other functions such as
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Also improvements to existing combine algorithms (deny-overrides, permit-overrides, ordered-deny-overrides and ordered-permit-overrides) and new two combine algorithms for policy and rule combining.
| Panel |
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Improvements in XPath
New XPath data type is introduced with XACML 3.0. In XACML 2.0, XPath is defined as a String and cannot define the context that the namespace prefix is going to resolve. Also XPath based multiple decisions scheme is introduced with XACML 3.0.
Improvement in XACML Request and Response
As it is possible to define custom attribute categories, many types of attribute categories can be in the XACML 3.0 request. XACML 2.0 request can contain only subject, resource, environment or action categories.
The XACML Response can contain additional data such as:
- Request attributes that are defined in the XACML response.
- Applicable policy ids for a given XACML request are defined in the XACML response.
Multiple Decision Profile
This is new profile which comes with XACML 3.0 and is not included in the XACML3 core specification. However, this is very useful for performance improvement between PEP and PDP. This is especially the case since PEP can request decisions for multiple requests in one XACML request.
Administrative Delegation Profile
This is also a new profile which comes with XACML 3.0. This allows you to define policies about who can write policies about what. For example, “Bob may issue a policy but only about resources in department X”.