Methods and systems for managing enterprise assets

• US 20040010571A1
• Filed: 10/04/2002
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: OʼBrien, Darci, Hutchinson, Robin, Giubileo, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,047,582 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

The disclosed methods and systems can be used to manage at least one asset in an Enterprise, where the methods and systems include providing a first server, the first server configured to include at least one asset profile associated with the at least one asset, the first server controlled by the Enterprise, and receiving at the first server, in response to a request to a distinct second server, data associated with at least one vulnerability associated with the at least one asset, where the second server is outside the control of the Enterprise.

Claims

1. A method for managing at least one asset in an Enterprise, the method comprising:

providing a first server, the first server configured to include at least one asset profile associated with the at least one asset, the first server controlled by the Enterprise,

receiving at the first server, in response to a request to a distinct second server, data associated with at least one vulnerability associated with the at least one asset, where the second server is outside the control of the Enterprise.

2. A method according to claim 1, where receiving includes receiving at least one of a software patch and a link to a software patch.

3. A method according to claim 1, where receiving includes receiving via at least one of the internet and a portable memory.

4. A method according to claim 1, further including requesting data from the distinct second server, the request based on at least one of:

the at least one asset and the at least one asset profile.

5. A method according to claim 1, where receiving includes receiving data at periodic intervals.

6. A method according to claim 1, where receiving includes filtering received data based on at least one of:

at least one vulnerability profile, the at least one asset profile, at least one configuration standard, at least one risk assessment, and at least one task list.

7. A method according to claim 1, further including requesting data from the at least one distinct second server, the request including at least one of a time and a date.

8. A method according to claim 1, further including responding to the request based on at least one of a time and a date included in the request.

9. A method according to claim 1, where providing includes providing at least one vulnerability profile associated with at least one of:

the at least one asset and the at least one asset profile.

10. A method according to claim 9, where receiving includes querying at least one of the at least one asset profile, at least one configuration standard, at least one risk assessment, the at least one vulernability profile, and at least one task list, to determine whether the received data affects the at least one asset.

11. A method according to claim 10, where receiving includes,

receiving a patch based on the received data, and,

applying the patch to the at least one asset affected by received data.

12. A method according to claim 1, where receiving includes receiving at least one vulnerability profile.

13. A method according to claim 1, further including querying vulnerability data at the second server based on at least one of:

at least one asset, at least one asset profile, a time, and a date.

14. A method according to claim 1, further including obtaining a patch based on the received data.

15. A method according to claim 1, further including applying a patch to the at least one asset, the patch based on the received data and at least one of a global asset configuration and an individual asset configuration associated with that at least one asset.

16. A method according to claim 1, where receiving includes receiving over a secure communications link.

17. A method according to claim 16, where the secure communications link includes anonymous secure socket layer (SSL).

18. A method according to claim 1, further including requesting data from the distinct second server at fixed intervals.

19. A method according to claim 1, further including,

receiving the request at the distinct second server, and

associating the request with at least one of an account and privileges.

20. A method according to claim 1, where the request includes data identifying the at least one asset.

21. A method according to claim 1, further including performing an auto-discovery of the Enterprise.

22. A method according to claim 1, further including performing an inventory of the Enterprise.

23. A method according to claim 1, further including:

performing an auto-discovery of the Enterprise,

performing an inventory of the Enterprise,

and conditionally performing, based on the least one of the auto-discovery and the inventory;

creating at least one asset profile, and,

modifying the at least one asset profile.

24. A method according to claim 23, where modifying the at least one asset profile includes modifying the at least one profile based on a remediation module.

25. A method according to claim 1, further including,

employing an automatic remediation process based on the received data and at least one of:

the at least one asset profile, at least one configuration standard, at least one risk assessment, at least one vulnerability profile, and at least one task list.

26. A method according to claim 1, further including,

automatically generating at least one asset task list based on at least one of an automatic inventory and an automatic discovery module, and,

updating the at least one asset task list based on an automatic remediation module.

27. A method according to claim 26, where updating includes,

identifying at least one of:

at least one configuration standard and at least one vulnerability profile associated with the asset task list, and,

based on the at least one asset task list and the identified at least one of at least one configuration standard and the at least one vulnerability profile, modifying at least one of;

at least one asset and at least one asset component.

28. A method according to claim 1, further including,

associating account information with a request for data to the second server,

performing at least one of a validation and an authentication at the second server, and,

based on the at least one of the validation and authentication, responding to the request.

29. A system for managing at least one asset in an Enterprise, the system comprising:

a first server controlled by the Enterprise and configured to include at least one asset profile associated with the at least one asset, and,

a distinct second server outside the control of the Enterprise, the second server to provide data to the first server in response to a request from the first server, the data associated with at least one vulnerability associated with the at least one asset.

30. A system according to claim 29, where at least one of the first server and the second server include a vulnerability module.

31. A system according to claim 29, where the second server includes account data associated with the first server, the account data including privilege data.

32. A system according to claim 29, where the first server includes at least one of a workflow module, a scanning module, an auto-discovery module, an auto-inventory module, and an auto-remediation module.

33. A system according to claim 29, where the first server includes at least one vulnerability profile associated with the at least one asset profile.