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Chapter 6
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-0945-5.ch006
ABSTRACT
The proliferation of mobile devices has changed the way that individuals access digital information with
desktop applications now performed seamlessly in mobile applications. Mobile applications related to
healthcare, fnance/banking, etc., have highly sensitive data where unsecure access could have serious
consequences. This chapter demonstrates an approach to Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) for mobile
applications that allows an information owner to defne who can do what by role, which is then enforced
within a mobile application’s infrastructure (UI, API, server/database). Towards this objective, the chap-
ter: motivates the usage of RBAC for mobile applications; generalizes the structure and components of
a mobile application so that it can be customized by role; defnes a confgurable framework of locations
where RBAC can be realized in a mobile application’s infrastructure; and, proposes an approach that
realizes RBAC for mobile security. To demonstrate, the proposed RBAC approach is incorporated into
the Connecticut Concussion Tracker mobile application.
INTRODUCTION
The proliferation of mobile devices in all aspects of daily living has fundamentally altered the way that
individuals interact with mobile applications. Evidence includes: the worldwide shipments of 1.9 billion
Role-Based Access Control
for Mobile Computing
and Applications
Yaira K. Rivera Sánchez
University of Connecticut, USA
Steven A. Demurjian
University of Connecticut, USA
Joanne Conover
University of Connecticut, USA
Thomas P. Agresta
University of Connecticut Healthcare Center,
USA
Xian Shao
University of Connecticut, USA
Michael Diamond
Pomona College, USA