Research On DRM-Supported Workflow Modeling

With the widely use of workflow system, the research on security technology of workflow system has drawn great interests. Presently, the mainly research efforts is on access control of workflow system and few on their permanent protection of digital contents in workflow, which leads the digital contents under the risk of unprotected during the whole workflow process. Digital contents in workflow are important asset and enterprises will suffer from their loss. Therefore, how to keep digital contents permanent safe during their workflow process has a significant meaning in scientific study.Although the Workflow Process Meta Model set up by Workflow Management Coalition can meet the requirements of workflow process definition, it cannot give a clear security description for digital contents in workflow, such as principals, rights and constraints etc. Moreover, DRM covers the description, identification, trading, protection, monitoring and tracking of all forms of rights usages over both tangible and intangible assets including management of rights holders relationships. DRM technology which is a good resolution to protect digital content has not been used in workflow region. Because of these reasons, this paper puts forward an extended DRM-supported Workflow Model (DRMWfModel). In the DRMWfModel, the right description object is defined to protect digital content in workflow from being filched, juggled, accessed without authorization and illegally distributed. Based on the DRMWfModel, this paper proposes a modeling Tool (DRMWfTool) and gives out the design of key components. At the end of this paper, a prototype is implemented.The main contributions in this dissertation are summarized as the followings:1) Analyze the deficiency of existing Workflow Process Meta Model and point out the necessity and significance of introducing DRM technology into Workflow region.2) Design the DRM security component referred to Digital Right Expression Language Basic Model and propose the DRM security component to DRMWfModel, which ensure the integrality and security of digital contents in workflow;3) Design the key components of DRMWfTool system according to DRMWfModel and implement a prototype to indicate the feasibility of DRMWfModel.