Securing distributed systems: A survey on access control techniques for cloud, blockchain, IoT and SDN

Abstract

Access Control is a crucial defense mechanism organizations can deploy to meet modern cybersecurity needs and legal compliance with data privacy. The aim is to prevent unauthorized users and systems from accessing protected resources in a way that exceeds their permissions. The present survey aims to summarize state-of-the-art Access Control techniques, presenting recent research trends in this area. Moreover, as the cyber-attack landscape and zero-trust networking challenges require organizations to consider their Information Security management strategies carefully, in this study, we present a review of contemporary Access Control techniques and technologies being discussed in the literature and the various innovations and evolution of the technology. We also discuss adopting and applying different Access Control techniques and technologies in four upcoming and crucial domains: Cloud Computing, Blockchain, the Internet of Things, and Software-Defined Networking. Finally, we discuss the business adoption strategies for Access Control and how the technology can be integrated into a cybersecurity and network architecture strategy.