Method and system of monitoring vulnerabilities

• US 20030140250A1
• Filed: 03/07/2002
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushikigaisha Toshiba
• Original Assignee: Kabushikigaisha Toshiba
• Inventors: Taninaka, Yoshihito, Ohura, Noriaki
• Application Number:
  US10/093,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20030140250A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security

Abstract

A system to monitor the vulnerability of a computer system is provided. The system comprises an configuration information storing unit to store the configuration information on the computer system to be monitored, a manager information storing unit to register the information on the system manager who does the vulnerability management work for the computer system to be monitored, a vulnerability information storing unit to store various types of vulnerability information, a vulnerability information offering unit to retrieve from the aforementioned vulnerability information storing unit the vulnerability information to be applied to the computer system to be monitored based on the aforementioned configuration information and to offer it to the aforementioned system manager, and a vulnerability measure information submission unit to generate vulnerability measure information based on the work log of the vulnerability modification measures that the system manager has taken and to submit this to the supervisor of the system manager who has done the aforementioned vulnerability modification work.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a vulnerability of a computer system comprising the steps of:

specifying vulnerability information to be applied to the computer system based on configuration information on the computer system, and offering the vulnerability information to a system manager of the computer system;

receiving from the system manager an input of a record of vulnerability modification work applied to the computer system, and storing the input as a work log in a work log storing unit; and

generating vulnerability modification work information based on the work log stored in the work log storing unit, and offering the vulnerability modification work information to a supervisor of the system manager.

2. The method according to claim 1, said method further comprising the steps of:

computing a present security level of the computer system based on the vulnerability information and the work log; and

generating security level information based on the security level and outputting the security level information to the supervisor of the system manager.

3. A system for monitoring the vulnerability of a computer system to be monitored, comprising:

a configuration information storing unit for storing configuration information on the computer system;

a manager information storing unit for registering information on a system manager who conduct a vulnerability management work to the computer system;

a vulnerability information storing unit for storing various types of vulnerability information; and

a vulnerability information offering unit for extracting the vulnerability information from the vulnerability information storing unit based on the configuration information of the computer system, and offering the vulnerability information to the system manager of the computer system

4. The system according to claim 3 further comprising:

a work log storing unit for receiving from the system manager a input of a record of vulnerability modification work applied to the computer system based on the vulnerability information and storing a record of vulnerability modification as a work log.

5. The system according to claim 4 further comprising:

a vulnerability modification information submission unit for generating vulnerability modification information based on the work log stored in the work log storing unit and submitting the vulnerability modification information to the supervisor of the system manager who conduct the vulnerability modification work.

6. The system according to claim 4 further comprising:

a security level computing unit for computing a present security level of the computer system based on the aforementioned work log; and

a security information outputting unit for generating and outputting security level information based on the security level.

7. The system according to claim 3, wherein said system monitors a plurality of computer systems, and registers the information on the system manager for each of the computer systems.

8. The system according to claim 3, wherein said system monitors a plurality of computer systems, and the vulnerability information offering unit presents the vulnerability information for each computer system based on the configuration information of each computer system.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the vulnerability information offering unit presents the vulnerability information for each of the computer system security manager based on the vulnerability manager information.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the vulnerability information offering unit presents the vulnerability information for each location when the computer system is dispersed to a plurality of locations.

11. The system according to claim 3, wherein the configuration information comprises hardware configuration, software configuration, setting and security measure information on the computer system.