Certificate lookup and validation

• US 20050262345A1
• Filed: 05/10/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Moreau, Thomas O.
• Granted Patent: US 7,664,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• 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

Abstract

A certificate validation framework allows for the use of plug-ins for a certificate path builder and certificate path validator. Clients can include a web server clients, SSL certificate validation or application code.

Claims

1. A certificate validation framework having a client software interface for client software requesting security certificate look-up or validation through the certificate validation framework, the framework interacting with a plugin to do security certificate look-up or validation through a plugin interface, the certificate validation framework having access to stored plugin specific configuration data, the certificate validation framework providing information from the client software interface and stored configuration information to the plugin across the plugin interface.

2. The certificate validation framework of claim 1, wherein the stored plugin specific configuration data includes server location information.

3. The certificate validation framework of claim 1, wherein the plugin is a certificate path builder plugin.

4. The certificate validation framework of claim 3, further comprising a certificate path validator plugin.

5. The certificate validation framework of claim 1, wherein the plugin is a certificate path validator plugin.

6. The certificate validation framework of claim 1, wherein the client software is a web service client certificate validation.

7. The certificate validation framework of claim 1, wherein the stored plug in specific configuration data is stored in a configuration data file for a server product.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a security certificate look-up or validation request from client software across a client software interface to a certificate validation framework, the certificate validation framework having access to stored plugin specific configuration data; and

using the framework to provide information from the client software interface and stored configuration information to a plugin across a plugin interface so as to interact with the plugin to do security certificate look-up or validation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the stored plugin specific configuration data includes server location information.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the plugin is a certificate path builder plugin.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising a certificate path validator plugin.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the plugin is a certificate path validator plugin.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the client software is a web service client certificate validation.

14. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor cause a system to:

receive a security certificate look-up or validation request from client software across a client software interface to a certificate validation framework, the certificate validation framework having access to stored plugin specific configuration data; and

use the framework to provide information from the client software interface and stored configuration information to a plugin across a plugin interface so as to interact with the plugin to do security certificate look-up or validation.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the stored plugin specific configuration data includes server location information.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the plugin is a certificate path builder plugin.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 16, further comprising a certificate path validate or plugin.

18. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the plugin is a certificate path validator plugin.

19. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the client software is a web service client certificate validation.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the stored plugin specific configuration data is stored in a configuration data file for a server product.