Access Control Method And Apparatus

A method of requesting access to a remote computing resource from a user computing device, comprising:

• providing said user computing device with data indicative of a security capability of said user computing device;
• transmitting to a remote computing device said security capability and data indicative of a desired access, so that said remote computing device can assess whether said security capability meets a minimum level of required security capability specified for said desired access;
• and
• receiving data indicative of allowance of said desired access if said security capability meets said minimum level of required security capability specified for said desired access.

A user computing device for use in accessing a remote computing resource, comprising:

• a telecommunications module for communicating accessing said remote computing resource;
• a processor in data communication with said telecommunications module;
• and
• software executable on said processor;
• wherein said user computing device is controllable to transmit a request for access to said remote computing resource, to receive in response a request for security data pertaining to said user computing device software from or on behalf of said remote computing resource, and to respond to said request by returning said security data.