System and method for secure communications between a computer test tool and a cloud-based server

• US 10,097,443 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2015
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Hittel, John Paul, Wooton, Clinton J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arani, Taghi
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAMPAKESAN, BADRI NARAYANAN
• Application Number:
  US14/971,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 713150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0802 Addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means, e.g. caches
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/154 Networked environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/60 Details of cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/30 Public key, i.e. encryption algorithm being computationally infeasible to invert or user's encryption keys not requiring secrecy
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/50 using a mobile data collecting device, e.g. walk by or drive by
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/86 Performing a diagnostic of the sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]

Abstract

A system for providing data communication is provided. The system includes at least one computer test tool configured to perform one or more diagnostic tests on a computer network. The system further includes at least one communication device configured to couple to the at least one computer test tool to receive and cache test data from the at least one computer test tool and to wirelessly couple to a communication network. In addition, the system includes a cloud-based server configured to couple to the communication network so as to receive test data transmitted from the at least one communication device wherein the test data is encrypted in the at least one computer test tool and decrypted in the cloud-based server.

Claims

1. A system for providing data communication, comprising:

at least one computer test tool configured to perform one or more diagnostic tests on a computer network and to generate associated test data;

a plurality of communication devices that are each in communication with the at least one computer test tool via corresponding communication channels and in wireless communication with a communication network that is distinct from the computer network being tested and from the corresponding communication channels; and

a cloud-based server in communication with the communication network;

wherein the at least one computer test tool includes a processor that executes computer instructions to;

encrypt the test data and append a non-encrypted identification tag of the test data to the encrypted test data;

provide a copy of the encrypted test data having the identification tag to each of the plurality of communication devices over the corresponding communication channels; and

in response to receiving from the cloud-based server an acknowledgment that the cloud-based server received the encrypted test data, provide an instruction to each of the plurality of communication devices to delete the encrypted test data having the identification tag;

wherein each corresponding communication device of the plurality of communication devices includes a processor that executes computer instructions to;

determine if the corresponding communication device is in communication with the cloud-based server over the communication network;

in response to a determination by the corresponding communication device that the corresponding communication device is in communication with the cloud-based server, send the encrypted data from the corresponding communication device to the cloud-based server; and

in response to receipt of the instruction from the at least one computer test tool by the corresponding communication device, delete the encrypted test data having the identification tag so that the corresponding communication device no longer sends the encrypted test data to the cloud-based server; and

wherein the cloud-based server includes a processor that executes computer instructions to;

decrypt the encrypted test data received from one of the plurality of communication devices; and

provide the acknowledgement to the at least one computer test tool.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the test data is encrypted using a private key associated with the at least one computer test tool and decrypted in the cloud-based server using a public key associated with the at least one computer test tool.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor of the cloud-based server executes further computer instructions to send encrypted data to be received in the at least one computer test tool via the communication network and at least one of the plurality of communication devices.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the processor of the at least one computer test tool executes further computer instructions to decrypt the encrypted data sent from the cloud-based server.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the data sent from the cloud-based server is encrypted using a private key associated with the cloud-based server and is decrypted in the at least one computer test tool using a public key associated with the cloud-based server.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor of the at least one computer test tool executes further computer instructions to cache test data resulting from one or more diagnostic tests until the at least one computer test tool establishes data communication with at least one communication device of the plurality of communication devices.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one computer test tool establishes data communication with the at least one communication device from a communication protocol selected from one of:

BLUETOOTH®

, WiFi, USB coupling, and NFC.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor of each corresponding communication device of the plurality of communication device executes further computer instructions to cache encrypted test data received from the at least one computer test tool until a communication is established between the corresponding communication device and the cloud-based server.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication devices are selected from the group consisting of:

smart phone devices and tablet devices.

10. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein:

the processor of the cloud-based server executes further computer instructions to transmit to each of the plurality of communication devices a copy of control or configuration data, each copy being associated with a same identification tag that identifies the associated control or configuration data;

the processor of the computer test tool executes further computer instructions to, in response to receiving the control or configuration data, send an acknowledgment of receipt of the control or configuration data to the cloud-based server; and

the processor of the cloud-based server executes the further computer instructions to, in response to receipt of the acknowledgment of receipt, transmit a message to each of the plurality of communication devices with instructions to delete all copies of the control or configuration data having the identification tag associated thereto.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the processor of the at least one computer test tool executes further computer instructions to append an expiration time to the encrypted test data that indicates a time after which any copy of the encrypted test data stored by any of the plurality of communication devices is designated to be deleted; and

the processor of the cloud-based server executes further computer instructions to append to control or configuration data sent to the at least one computer test tool via the plurality of communication devices an expiration time that indicates a time after which any copy of the control or configuration data stored by any of the plurality of communication devices is designated to be deleted.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one computer test tool, the plurality of communication devices, and the cloud-based server delete any copy of stored or received data that has an associated expiration time that is after a current time.

13. A computer test tool for communicating test data comprising:

a memory configured to store executable instructions; and

a processor disposed in communication with said memory, wherein said processor upon execution of the instructions performs actions, including;

perform one or more diagnostic tests on a computer network and generate associated test data;

cache the test data;

encrypt the test data;

append a non-encrypted identification tag to the encrypted test data, wherein the non-encrypted identification tag identifies the test data;

transmit a copy of the encrypted test data to a plurality of communication devices over communication links that are distinct from the computer network being tested, wherein the transmitted encrypted test data is configured to be decrypted by a cloud-based server in communication with at least one of the communication devices over a wireless network that is distinct from the communication links between the computer test tool and the plurality of communication devices and the computer network being tested; and

in response to receiving from the cloud-based server an acknowledgment that the cloud-based server received the encrypted test data, provide an instruction to each of the plurality of communication devices to delete the encrypted test data having the identification tag so that the plurality of communication devices no longer transmit the encrypted test data to the cloud-based server.

14. The computer test tool as recited in claim 13, wherein the computer test tool receives encrypted data from the cloud-based server via at least one of the plurality of communication devices.

15. The computer test tool as recited in claim 14, wherein the processor of the computer test tool executes further instructions to decrypt the encrypted data received from the cloud-based server.

16. The computer test tool as recited in claim 15, wherein the encrypted data received from the cloud-based server is encrypted using a private key associated with the cloud-based server, and the computer test tool decrypts the encrypted data using a public key associated with the cloud-based server.

17. The computer test tool as recited in claim 13, wherein the computer test tool caches the test data until the computer test tool establishes a communication link with at least one of the plurality of communication devices.

18. A cloud-based server for providing data communication, comprising:

a memory configured to store executable instructions; and

a processor disposed in communication with said memory, wherein said processor upon execution of the instructions performs actions, including;

encrypt control or configuration data that is associated with operation of a computer test device to perform a diagnostic test on a computer network;

transmit a copy of the control or configuration data to each of a plurality of communication devices via corresponding first communication connections for forwarding to the computer test device via second communication connections, wherein the first and second communication connections are distinct from the computer network being tested by the computer test device;

in response to receiving an acknowledgment that the computer test device received the control or configuration data, provide an instruction to each of the plurality of communication devices to delete the copies of the control or configuration data so that the plurality of communication devices no longer transmit the encrypted test data to the cloud-based server;

receive encrypted test data from at least one communication device of the plurality of communication devices upon establishment of communication of the at least one communication device with the cloud-based server via a corresponding first communication connection, wherein the test data is captured during the diagnostic test performed on the computer network by the computer test device, cached and encrypted in the computer test device to be decrypted in the cloud-based server, and transmitted by the computer test device to the plurality of communication devices upon establishment of a corresponding second communication connection between the plurality of communication devices and the computer test device; and

decrypt the encrypted test data.