Trust map management and user interface

• US 10,126,910 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2015
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Venafi,Inc.
• Original Assignee: Venafi,Inc.
• Inventors: Harjula, Tero Petteri, Lence, Bryan Robert, DeBate, Daniel G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chai, Longbit
• Application Number:
  US14/944,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20160154565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 726 6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

In an example embodiment, a user interface is presented for interacting with a trust map identifying trust relationships between clients/users and servers/hosts. The trust relationships are defined by public/private key pairs in Secure Shell (SSH), Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), Transport Layer Security/Secure Sockets Layer (TLS/SSL), Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME), Internet Protocol Security (IPsec), and so forth. A selected entity such as a server, client, client/server, key set, policy, and so forth is selected and displayed at the center of a hub/spoke diagram. Non-selected entities having a trust relationship with the hub entity are displayed as spokes. Similar spoke entitles may be grouped together. Trust relationships and related properties are displayed as lines between the hub and spoke entities. A user performs actions on the entities by manipulation of the hub, spoke, trust relationship and related user interface elements.

Claims

1. A method for operating a computing device, the method comprising:

obtaining a data set comprising a plurality of entities, the plurality of entities including at least one cryptographic key instance, at least one system identifier, at least one client identifier and at least one server identifiers, at least one key instance defining at least one trust relationship between a client identified by the at least one client identifier and a server identified by the at least one server identifier;

identifying a selected entity from the data set;

displaying at a hub region of a display device, a representation of the selected entity;

displaying at a spoke region of the display device, a representation of a plurality of non-selected entities;

displaying between the hub region and the spoke region a representation of a trust relationship between the selected entity and the plurality of non-selected entities which is illustrated on a trust map with an annotation indicating a direction of the represented trust relationship such that upon identifying the selected hub entity, all other non-selected spoke entities are displayed in the spoke region arranged radially relative to the selected hub entity, wherein the trust relationship is determined by at least one public/private key pair between the hub entity and each of the plurality of spoke entities;

receiving a gesture or a command with an indication of a desired action to be taken; and

executing the desired action on the computing device.