An OAuth-Based Authorization Framework for Access Control in Remote Collaboration Systems

Advanced human-computer interaction systems have made it possible for helpers (professionals) to remotely collaborate with workers (individuals seeking assistance from the professionals). For example, a professional can remotely help a worker fix automobiles or electronics, identify how much of what medication to take, or perform household repairs. We have presented a system, Collaborative Appliance for Remote-help (CARE) that allows for such collaborations. Our system allows a skilled professional or other helper to remotely access and control a worker's locally deployed resources over the Internet. These locally deployed resources may include cameras, microphones, speakers, processors, and memory. The remote helper then directs the worker to perform specific tasks to complete the job at hand. Like other Internet of Things (IoT) based systems, CARE is input-constrained. That is, a worker cannot provide input via a touch screen or keyboard. The resources are accessed over the Internet. Thus, security and privacy are big concerns. In this paper, we present the authorization and access control framework for the input-constrained CARE system. This framework has been implemented using the OAuth 2.0 Authorization Framework and has been designed to meet the needs of resource owners who have no technical knowledge. We have shown that our proposed framework is very effective and consistent with the access control guidelines set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).