Method for authorizing a program sequence

A computer-implemented method for authorizing a program sequence (P) in particular of a computer program or a portion of a computer program comprising:

• a. using a computer processor to maintain data (T) of the program sequence (P) in various provided states (Z0,. . . , Zn) having state indices (0, . . . n, where n≧1);
• b. using a computer processor to maintain at least one instruction (F) of the program sequence (P) which accesses the data (T) in functionally equivalent implementations (F(i,j)), the index (i,j) passing through a non-empty finite multiset (M) (|M|≧1 ) over the Cartesian product of the set of the state indices with itself ({0, . . . , n}×{0, . . . , n}) wherein each implementation (F(i,j)) converts the data (T) from an input state (Zi) into an output state (Zj);
• c. using a computer processor to transfer transfer data (D) within at least one authorization program sequence path (APP) of the program sequence (P) to an authorization component (A) which returns authorized information (AD) only when predefined conditions are present;
• d. using a computer processor, the authorized information (AD) changes the state of the data (T) into another of the provided states (Z0, . . . , Zn) or changes the data (T) when the data (T) and/or the state of the data is unchanged since the transfer data (D) has been transferred;
• e. forming a directed acyclic multigraph (G) using a computer processor by the set of the state indices ({0 , . . . , n}) and the multiset (M), and the multigraph (G) has the provided states (Z0, . . . , Zn) as nodes and the implementations (F(i,j)) as edges and/or multiple edges;
• f. using a computer processor to call up the instruction (F) in the program sequence (P) when at least one output edge in the graph (G) exists for the instantaneous state (Zi) and the computer processor executes an implementation (F(i,j))which corresponds to the at least one output edge;
• g. and wherein the computer processor uses the instruction (F) of the program sequence (P) in a mandatory authorization state (ZA) of the data (T) corresponding to a sink in the graph (G) only when
• I. the at least one authorization program sequence path (APP) is called up and the authorized information (AD) is returned from the authorization component (A), and
• II. after the at least one authorization program sequence path (APP) is executed, the data (T) is in one of the provided states (Z0, . . . , Zn), wherein the instantaneous state (Zi) does not represent a mandatory authorization state (ZA).