Systems and methods for determining trust levels for computing components using blockchain

• US 10,628,578 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2017
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Imagine Communications Limited (Gores Broadcast Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Imagine Communications Limited (Gores Broadcast Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Eksten, Brick, White, Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): Pyzocha, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/850,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20180157825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography postage metering system using cryptography G06Q2250/05
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining trust levels for components of a computing application using a blockchain. The system may include a development framework, a trust matrix, a trust level calculation module, a visual design subsystem, and a deployment subsystem, where trust levels are associated with components, combinations of components, graphs, and blueprints, where trust levels relate to categories of use.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for determining trust levels for components of a computing application, wherein the computer comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store instructions executable by the processor to perform the method comprising:

storing components, blueprints and graphs in one or more linked repositories;

creating and outputting, using a visual design subsystem, at least one computing application by realizing requirements of a blueprint of the blueprints in the one or more linked repositories, the requirements identifying at least one graph from the graphs stored in the linked one or more repositories and a plurality of components from the components stored in the linked one or more repositories, and by sending a request to the linked repositories to load the blueprint, the at least one graph, and the plurality of components on at least one host system, each component defining a computing processing mechanism for processing data containers of computing data at application runtime, the plurality of components including at least one reusable component with a computing processing mechanism for a plurality of different functions, purposes, and categories of uses, the blueprint instantiating the at least one graph at application runtime, the at least one computing application processing at least one input data stream to provide at least one output data stream;

automatically calculating, using the processor, one or more available trust levels for the at least one reusable component identified in the graph, wherein each trust level defines a particular function, purpose, and category of use of the plurality of different functions, purposes, and categories of uses for the at least one reusable component and a trust value indicating suitability of the at least one reusable component for the particular function, purpose, and category of use;

using the at least one graph to represent a workflow of the plurality of components, the workflow defining an arrangement of the plurality of components for transforming the input data stream using their computing processing mechanisms to generate the output data stream for the at least one computing application, each component and its respective computing processing mechanism implementing an intended function, purpose, and category of use within the workflow;

detecting that the at least one reusable component within the workflow is for an intended function, purpose, and category of use that is an additional function, purpose, and category of use different than any of the plurality of different functions, purposes, and categories of uses defined by the one or more available trust levels for the at least one reusable component;

receiving a digital certificate associated with a component provider subsystem, wherein the component provider subsystem provides the at least one reusable component;

calculating the trust value of the one or more available trust levels based on trust of the component provider subsystem;

calculating, using the processor, an additional trust level for the at least one reusable component based on the trust levels and the trust of the component provider subsystem, the additional trust level for the additional function, purpose, and category of use and an additional trust value indicating suitability of the at least one reusable component for the additional function, purpose, and category of use;

providing an indication, using the visual design subsystem, of the additional trust level for the at least one reusable component for the additional function, purpose, and category of use and the additional trust value;

receiving a request to update a blockchain with the at least one reusable component for the additional function, purpose, and category of use and the additional trust value;

determining that the component is linked to the digital certificate;

authenticating the digital certificate as being associated with the component provider subsystem;

generating a digital signature for the at least one reusable component based on the digital certificate, the additional function, purpose, and category of use and the additional trust value;

generating a new block comprising the digital signature and a pointer to the at least one reusable component as stored in the one or more linked repositories;

updating the blockchain with the new block;

at application runtime, dynamically constructing the computing application on the at least one host system by loading the components identified in the graph to the at least one host system;

at application runtime, prior to deploying each component, determining that the component is linked to the digital certificate associated with the component provider subsystem;

processing, using the processor, the input data stream using the workflow to generate the output data stream, the workflow including the at least one reusable component for the additional function, purpose, and category of use different than any of the categories of use defined by the one or more available trust levels for the at least one reusable component;

determining, using the processor, whether the at least one reusable component executed successfully within the workflow and was suitable for the additional function, purpose, and category of use; and

updating, using the processor, the additional trust level based on the determination of whether the at least one reusable component executed successfully within the workflow and was suitable for the additional function, purpose, and category of use.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising calculating the additional trust level by comparing functional similarity of its function, purpose, and category of use to any of the plurality of different functions, purposes, and categories of uses defined by the one or more available trust levels associated with the at least one reusable component.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising calculating the additional trust level based on a breadth of functionality provided by the one or more functions, purposes, and categories of use of the one or more available trust levels associated with the at least one reusable component, wherein the breadth of functionality relates to differences between the one or more functions, purposes, and categories of use of the one or more available trust levels associated with the at least one reusable component.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one reusable component is associated with a developer, and wherein the method further comprises calculating the additional trust value based on trust of the developer of the at least one reusable component.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising calculating the additional trust value based on a trust level associated with another component identified in a graph that also identifies the at least one reusable component.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising calculating the additional trust value based on a number of times the at least one reusable component executed successfully for the additional function, purpose, and category of use within the blueprint used to instantiate the at least one graph identifying the at least one reusable component at application runtime.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising calculating the additional trust value based on popularity or ranking of the at least one reusable component.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising calculating the additional trust value based on compatibility of the at least one reusable component.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising calculating, using the processor, an overall trust level to the at least one reusable component, wherein the overall trust level is calculated based on the one or more available trust levels linked to the at least one reusable component.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more available trust levels relate to at least one level of trust selected from the group consisting of:

a component level of trust, a system level of trust, a graph level of trust, a social level of trust.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one reusable component comprises one or more components embedded within other components, wherein the available trust level associated with the embedded component may be used to determine the available trust level associated with the other components.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

deploying the computing application realized by the blueprint, using a cloud agents and one or more cloud engines configured on the at least one host system;

providing, by the cloud agent, a running environment for the one or more cloud engines and instantiating the one or more cloud engines one the one or more host systems; and

at application runtime, using the one or more cloud engines to dynamically construct the computing application on the at least one host system.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the digital certificate associated with a user computing subsystem, wherein the user computing subsystem is associated with the computing application, wherein the computing application involves the at least one reusable component provided by the component provider computing system;

providing a license server configured to digitally sign the at least one reusable component by linking the component to the digital certificate associated with the user computing subsystem and the digital certificate associated with the component provider subsystem to indicate that the user computing system and the component provider subsystem accept performance of the digitally signed component;

receiving, at a license server, acceptance of the component provided by the component provider subsystem in the computing application associated with user computing system by receiving the digital certificate from the user computing subsystem and the digital certificate from the component provider computing system; and

linking, at the license server, the component provided by the component provider subsystem in the computing application associated with user computing system to the digital certificate from the user computing subsystem and the digital certificate from the component provider computing system at application runtime prior to deploying each component, querying the license server to determine whether the component is linked to the digital certificate associated with the user computing subsystem and the digital certificate associated with the component provider subsystem.

14. A system for determining trust levels for components of a computing application comprising:

one or more linked repositories storing components, blueprints and graphs;

at least one processor configuring;

a visual design subsystem to create and output at least one computing application by realizing requirements of a blueprint of the blueprints in the one or more linked repositories, the requirements identifying at least one graph from the graphs stored in the linked one or more repositories and a plurality of components from the components stored in the linked one or more repositories, and by sending a request to the linked repositories to load the blueprint, the at least one graph, and the plurality of components on at least one host system, each component defining a computing processing mechanism for processing data containers of computing data at application runtime, the plurality of components including at least one reusable component with a computing processing mechanism for a plurality of different functions, purposes, and categories of uses, the blueprint instantiating the at least one graph at application runtime, the at least one computing application processing at least one input data stream to provide at least one output data stream;

a trust matrix to link one or more trust levels to the at least one reusable component identified by the graph, wherein each trust level comprises a particular function, purpose, and category of use of the plurality of different functions, purposes, and categories of use for the at least one reusable component and a trust value indicating suitability of the at least one reusable component for implementing the function, purpose, and category of use;

the at least one graph to represent a workflow of the plurality of components, the workflow defining an arrangement of the plurality of components for transforming the input data stream using their computing processing mechanisms to generate the output data stream for the at least one computing application, each component and its respective computing processing mechanism implementing an intended function, purpose, and category of use within the workflow;

a digital certificate associated with a component provider subsystem, wherein the component provider subsystem provides the at least one reusable component; and

a trust level calculation module to detect that the at least one reusable component within the workflow is for an intended function, purpose, and category of use that is an additional function, purpose, and category of use different than any of the plurality of different functions, purposes, and categories of uses defined by one or more available trust levels for the at least one reusable component and, in response, to automatically calculate trust value of the one or more available trust levels based on trust of the component provider subsystem, and calculate an additional trust level for the plurality of components based on the one or more trust levels associated with the at least one reusable component and the trust of the component provider subsystem, the additional trust level defining the additional function, purpose, and category of use and an additional trust value indicating suitability of the at least one reusable components for the additional function, purpose, and category of use, the additional function, purpose, and category of use being different than any of the plurality of different functions, purposes, and categories of uses defined by the one or more available trust levels for the at least one reusable component; and

the visual design subsystem providing an indication of the additional trust level for the at least one reusable component for the additional function, purpose, and category of use and the additional trust value;

wherein the processor is configured to;

receive a request to update a blockchain with the at least one reusable component for the additional function, purpose, and category of use and the additional trust value;

determine that the component is linked to the digital certificate;

authenticate the digital certificate as being associated with the component provider subsystem;

generate a digital signature for the at least one reusable component based on the digital certificate, the additional function, purpose, and category of use and the additional trust value;

generate a new block comprising the digital signature and a pointer to the at least one reusable component as stored in the one or more linked repositories; and

update the blockchain with the new block;

wherein, the processor, at application runtime, dynamically constructs the computing application on the at least one host system by loading the components identified in the graph to the at least one host system, and, prior to deploying each component, determines that the component is linked to the digital certificate associated with the component provider subsystem;

wherein the processor processes the input data stream using the workflow to generate the output data stream, the workflow including the at least one reusable component for the additional function, purpose, and category of use different than any of the plurality of different functions, purposes, and categories of uses defined by the one or more available trust levels for the at least one reusable component;

wherein the trust level calculation module determines whether the at least one reusable component executed successfully within the workflow and was suitable for the additional function, purpose, and category of use, and updates the additional trust level based on the determination of whether the at least one reusable component executed successfully within the workflow and was suitable for the additional function, purpose, and category of use.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one graph delivers functionality defined by the plurality of components identified by the graph, and wherein the blueprint connects the functionality to a running environment, and wherein the trust level calculation module calculates a graph trust level for the at least one graph.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the blueprint provides business logic for a corresponding graph, and wherein the trust level calculation module calculates a trust level for the blueprint.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the visual design subsystem is operable to define the workflow and arrange the plurality of components into functional blocks, define specific orders of operation for the functional blocks, define connections between the functional blocks to instantiate the at least one computing application, and provide a visual indication of the trust levels for the at least one reusable component.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one reusable component is associated with one or more versions, wherein the trust matrix links one or more trust levels to each of the versions of the component, wherein a trust level for one version of the at least one reusable component is different from a trust level for another version of the same at least one reusable component, and wherein the blueprint comprises a reference to a solution set of components, wherein the solution set of components identifies a version for the at least one reusable component.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one reusable component is associated with one or more versions and wherein the one or more linked repositories enable loading of an appropriate version of the at least one reusable component at application runtime, wherein a trust level for one version of the at least one reusable component is different from a trust level for another version of the same at least one reusable component.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

one or more cloud agents and one or more cloud engines configured on the at least one host system, wherein each cloud agent provides a running environment for the one or more cloud engines and controls instantiation of the one or more cloud engines on the at least one host system, wherein at runtime the one or more cloud engines dynamically construct the computing application on the at least one host system by sending a request to the one or more linked repositories for the at least one graph and the plurality of components identified therein,

wherein the trust level calculation module is operable to determine whether the at least one reusable component executed successfully within the blueprints at application runtime, and update the one or more trust levels based on the determination of whether the at least one reusable component executed successfully within the blueprints at application runtime.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising a license server, wherein the license server dynamically manages licenses and associates licenses with components and graphs, wherein use of the plurality of components and the at least one graph at application runtime requires the associated license, wherein the trust level calculation module is operable to calculate the one or more trust levels for the at least one reusable component based on the associated license.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising a job manager, wherein the job manager dispatches the blueprint and the at least one graph to cloud agents based on available licenses managed by the license server, wherein the job manager is operable to determine whether the at least one reusable component executed successfully within the blueprints at application runtime, and wherein the trust level calculation module is operable to update the one or more trust levels based on the determination of whether the at least one reusable component executed successfully within the blueprints at application runtime.

23. The system of claim 20, further comprising a security manager, wherein the security manager provides for secure connections and communications between the plurality of components.

24. The system of claim 20, further comprising a job manager configured to provide job and cloud engine dispatch, failover, tracking and reporting, wherein the job manager is operable to determine whether the at least one reusable component executed successfully within the blueprints at application runtime, and wherein the trust level calculation module is operable to update the one or more trust levels based on the determination of whether the at least one reusable component executed successfully within the blueprints at application runtime.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more linked repositories manages versioning of components and graphs to keep track of updates made thereto, wherein the repository serves the components and graphs at application runtime using appropriate versions of the at least one graph and the plurality of components, wherein the trust matrix links one or more trust levels to each of the versions of the at least one reusable component, wherein a trust level for one version of the at least one reusable component is different from a trust level for another version of the same at least one reusable component.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein a cloud agent is provided to each host system to manage local resources of the host system, wherein the cloud agents interact with cloud engines to instantiate the at least one graph using the blueprint.

27. The system of claim 20, further comprising a normalization module operable to receive, as the input data stream, input data files and convert and parse the input data files into data containers for processing by the at least one graph.

28. The system of claim 20, further comprising a code signing module operable to digitally sign each component of the at least one reusable component to associate at least one of a developer and license with the respective component, wherein the trust level calculation module is operable to calculate the one or more trust levels based on the at least one developer and license.

29. The system of claim 20 further comprising:

a digital certificate associated with a user computing subsystem, wherein the user computing subsystem is associated with a computing application, wherein the computing application involves a component of the at least one reusable component provided by the component provider computing system;

a license server configured to digitally sign the component by linking the component to the digital certificate associated with the user computing subsystem and the digital certificate associated with the component provider subsystem to indicate that the user computing system and the component provider subsystem accept performance of the digitally signed component;

wherein at runtime prior to deploying each of the at least one reusable component a deployment subsystem queries the license server to determine whether the component is linked to the digital certificate associated with the user computing subsystem and the digital certificate associated with the component provider subsystem; and

wherein the trust level calculation module is operable to calculate the trust level for the component based on the component provider subsystem.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein the deployment subsystem is further configured to partition a graph into two or more subgraphs and handle interprocess communications between the two or more subgraphs, and wherein the trust level calculation module is operable to calculate a trust level for the two or more subgraphs based on trust levels of components therein.