Framework for security analysis and access control in a distributed service medical imaging network

Abstract

A data security system framework on a Distributed Service Medical Imaging Network (DSMIN) is given in this paper. The DSMIN was previously proposed based on the notion that a general distributed services medical network is the future of a computational medicine model in which imaging plays a significant role. In the DSMIN, both data and code migrate through the network with a goal of optimizing performance while maintaining security. After an empirical analysis of the security demands of this system, a hierarchical access control model that combines user authentication and name-space interposition is proposed to deal with security in the DSMIN. Agent technology is adapted to fulfill the security demands in two ways. First, an active stream enabled by agents combines image compression and encryption when the image is transmitted over the network. Active streams are built on top of the transportation layer. Secondly, data and code are shipped by an agent ferry, which wraps the raw data on the channel. With in-built mechanisms in the agent ferry, access control logic is implemented, and name space interposition is enforced in combination with existing security technologies.