Access control for computers

• US 20020066016A1
• Filed: 03/14/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Riordan, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,134,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response

Abstract

The invention provides a general and flexible mechanism for a secure access control on a computer. Cryptographic checksums are applied for the identification of a program to another program. These cryptographic checksums are generated automatically for the programs. Each program has its program-specific identifier which can be regarded as a substantially unique value or name. Such a program-specific identifier can be used to verify the validity of one program to another program. Mutual trust relationships between different programs can therewith be set up easily.

Claims

1. A method for verifying the identity of a message-originator program (D) by a message-receiver program (S), the method comprising the steps of:

receiving from said message-originator program (D) a message comprising a program-specific identifier (H(D)), which has been provided for said message-originator program (D) by means of a trusted computing base (TCB); and

verifying whether said received program-specific identifier (H(D)) is known to said message-receiver program (S).

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the message-receiver program (S) afterwards becomes a response-message-originator program and sends a response-message to the message-originator program (D) comprising:

a response-program-specific identifier (H(S)), which has been provided for said response-message-originator program by means of the trusted computing base (TCB); and

an acknowledgment if the program-specific identifier (H(D)) has been verified as being known.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein a substantially unique cryptographic identifier that is derived by applying a cryptographic function (H) to the message-originator program (D), preferably a hash function, and more preferably a one-way-hash function, such as MD5 or SHA-1, is used as the program-specific identifier (H(D)).

6. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of signing the program-specific identifier (H(D)) and/or the message by use of a private cryptographic key (k⁻

1) to establish trust between different programs.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the message further comprises an additional program-specific identifier (H(G)) that is signed by use of the private cryptographic key (k⁻

1) to establish a membership of an additional program in a trust relationship.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the message-receiver program (S) has a public cryptographic key (k).

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the message-receiver program (S) and/or the trusted computing base (TCB) use(s) a list comprising pre-stored program-specific identifiers and wherein said message-receiver program (S) verifies whether the program-specific identifier (H(D)) is identical to one of said pre-stored program-specific identifiers.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein the message-receiver program (S) sends a rejection-message if the program-specific identifier (H(D)) is not verified as being known.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein the message-originator program (D) and the message-receiver program (S) are executed on different systems and are connectable via a network, each having its trusted computing base (TCB) for providing program-specific cryptographic identifiers.

12. A computer program comprising program code means for performing the steps of claim 1, when said program is run on a computer.

13. A computer program product comprising program code means stored on a computer readable medium for performing the method of claim 1, when said program product is run on a computer.

2. A method for disclosing the identity of a message-originator program (D) to a message-receiver program (S), the method comprising:

sending from said message-originator program (D) to said message-receiver program (S) a message comprising a program-specific identifier (H(D)), which has been provided for said message-originator program (D) by means of a trusted computing base (TCB), said program-specific identifier (H(D)) being verifiable at said message-receiver program (S) whether it is known to said message-receiver program (S).

3. A method for verifying the identity of a message-originator program (D) by a message-receiver program (S), the method comprising the steps of:

providing a program-specific identifier (H(D)) for said message-originator program (D) by means of a trusted computing base (TCB);

sending from said message-originator program (D) to said message-receiver program (S) a message comprising said program-specific identifier (H(D));

receiving at said message-receiver program (S) said message; and

verifying whether said received program-specific identifier (H(D)) is known to said message-receiver program (S).

14. An apparatus for verifying the identity of a message-originator program (D) by a message-receiver program (S) on a computer, the apparatus comprising:

computing means;

a receiver-module for receiving from said message-originator program (D) a message comprising a program-specific identifier (H(D)), which has been provided for said message-originator program (D) by means of a trusted computing base (TCB); and

a verifier-module that verifies whether said program-specific identifier (H(D)) is known to said message-receiver program (S).

15. An apparatus for disclosing the identity of a message-originator program (D) by a message-receiver program (S) on a computer, the apparatus comprising:

computing means;

a trusted computing base (TCB) comprising a generator-module for creating a program-specific identifier (H(D)); and

a sender-module for sending from said message-originator program (D) a message comprising said program-specific identifier (H(D)), said program-specific identifier (H(D)) being verifiable at said message-receiver program (S) whether it is known to said message-receiver program (S).