Sharedeither

Sharedeither is a term used in theoretical discussions of access control and distributed systems to describe a model in which access to a resource is granted if either of two independent conditions is satisfied. The idea emphasizes redundancy and availability: if one credential or pathway fails, the other can still authorize access. The term blends “shared” and “either,” signaling an inclusive OR semantics in policy evaluation.

Characteristics of sharedeither include independent authenticators, policies that evaluate to true when any one condition holds, and the potential for simpler recovery and higher accessibility compared with strict all-or-nothing models. It contrasts with models that require multiple confirmations by all parties, offering more flexible access while potentially increasing the attack surface. Implementations may rely on logical OR in access control rules, multi-factor tokens, or cryptographic schemes where a single valid key or signature suffices for authorization.

Common applications occur in secure file sharing, cloud storage access, and governance mechanisms in smart contracts or distributed ledgers, where a resource must be accessible to multiple participants without requiring full consensus. Implementations vary from credential-based OR (either token A or token B is valid) to cryptographic methods that permit authorization if either party can produce a valid signature or decryption key.

Security considerations for sharedeither include the risk that compromising a single credential grants access. Mitigations may involve revocation mechanisms, time-bound tokens, scoped permissions, auditing, and anomaly detection to balance convenience with protection.

See also: access control, OR logic, multi-signature, threshold cryptography. Example: a document opens if the owner’s token is valid or an administrator’s token is valid, providing resilience against a single point of failure.