Method and system for managing security material and services in a distributed database system

A system for managing security material in a database system comprising at least one database server, the system comprising:

• at least one dedicated security management master database arranged to manage security material of said database system, the security material to be used for authentication of a plurality of application databases within the database system through a non-user-identification challenge-response phase;
• the at least one dedicated security management master arranged to define the security material with the security material comprising at least some content information derived from contents of an application program having authority to access any of the application databases;
• at least one dedicated security management replica database arranged to copy at least a partial copy of data of the dedicated security management master database to manage at least part of the security material of said database system;
• the at least one dedicated security management replica database arranged to receive from an application program an authorization request to access at least one of the application databases;
• the at least one dedicated security management replica database arranged to send at least one challenge as a response to the authorization request, the at least one challenge relating to the security material;
• the at least one dedicated security management replica database arranged to receive as a response to the challenge data produced by the requesting application program using the content information of the application program;
• the at least one dedicated security management replica database arranged to evaluate the received response to the challenge using the security material;
• and
• based on the result of the evaluation, the requesting application program is authorized or unauthorized to access the at least one application database.

A computer readable medium having computer executable program code arranged to cause a computer to perform at least steps of:

• managing in at least one dedicated security management master database security material of a database system, the security material to be used for authentication of a plurality of application databases within the database system through a non-user-identification challenge-response phase;
• defining in at least one dedicated security management master database the security material to include at least some content information derived from contents of an application program having authority, to access any of the application databases;
• copying at least a partial copy of data of the dedicated security management master database to at least one dedicated security management replica database to manage at least part of security material of said database system;
• receiving in the at least one dedicated security management replica database from an application program an authorization request to access at least one of the application databases;
• sending at least one challenge as a response to the authorization request, the at least one challenge relating to the security material;
• receiving in the at least one dedicated security management replica database as a response to the challenge data produced by the requesting application program using the content information of the application program;
• evaluating the received response to the challenge using the security material;
• and
• based on the result of the evaluation, authorizing the requesting application program to access the at least one application database or denying the requesting application program from accessing the at least one application database.