Verifying human interaction to a computer entity by way of a trusted component on a computing device or the like

• US 20050278253A1
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Meek, Christopher A., Peinado, Marcus, Benaloh, Josh D., Heckerman, David Earl, Goodman, Joshua Theodore
• Application Number:
  US10/868,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20050278253A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication

Abstract

A method describes user interaction in combination with sending a send item from an application of a computing device to a recipient. The computing device has an attestation unit thereon for attesting to trustworthiness. The application facilitates a user in constructing the send item, and pre-determined indicia are monitored that can be employed to detect that the user is in fact expending effort to construct the send item. The attestation unit authenticates the application to impart trust thereto, and upon the user commanding the application to send, a send attestation is constructed to accompany the send item. The send attestation is based on the monitored indicia and the authentication of the application and thereby describes the user interaction. The constructed send attestation is packaged with the constructed send item and the package is sent to the recipient.

Claims

1. A method of sending a send item from an application of a computing device to a recipient, the computing device having an attestation unit thereon for attesting to trustworthiness, the method comprising:

the application on the computing device constructing the send item;

one of the application and the attestation unit monitoring for pre-determined indicia that can be employed to detect that a minimum effort is in fact expended to construct the send item;

the attestation unit authenticating the application to impart trust thereto;

one of the application and the attestation unit, upon a command being issued to send the constructed send item to the recipient, constructing a send attestation to accompany the send item, the send attestation being based on the monitored indicia and the authentication of the application and thereby describing effort expended to construct the send item;

one of the attestation unit and the application packaging the constructed send attestation with the constructed send item; and

one of the attestation unit and the application sending the packaged send item and send attestation to the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1 describing user interaction in combination with sending the send item from the application of the computing device to the recipient, the computing device having the attestation unit thereon for attesting to trustworthiness, the method comprising:

the application on the computing device facilitating a user in constructing the send item;

one of the application and the attestation unit monitoring for pre-determined indicia that can be employed to detect that the user is in fact expending effort to construct the send item;

the attestation unit authenticating the application to impart trust thereto;

one of the application and the attestation unit, upon the user commanding the application to send the constructed send item to the recipient, constructing a send attestation to accompany the send item, the send attestation being based on the monitored indicia and the authentication of the application and thereby describing the user interaction;

one of the attestation unit and the application packaging the constructed send attestation with the constructed send item; and

one of the attestation unit and the application sending the packaged send item and send attestation to the recipient.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising an electronic mail application on the computing device constructing an electronic mail message to be sent to the recipient.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising a requesting application on the computing device constructing a request to be sent to the recipient.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising one of the application and the attestation unit monitoring for pre-determined indicia comprising at least one of keyboard activity, tablet activity, mouse activity, and lack of a run script by which activity of the application is controlled.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising one of the application and the attestation unit monitoring for pre-determined indicia comprising at least one of a minimum construction time for constructing the send item and a maximum number of send items sent per unit time.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising the attestation unit authenticating the application by reviewing a digital certificate proffered thereby.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device includes hardware and resources, the method further comprising the attestation unit authenticating at least some of the hardware and/or resources of the computing device that are used in constructing the send item.

9. The method of claim 8 comprising the attestation unit authenticating each piece of the hardware and/or resources by reviewing a digital certificate proffered thereby.

10. The method of claim 1 comprising one of the application and the attestation unit, determining based on the monitored indicia whether predetermine requirements have been met and if so constructing the send attestation.

11. The method of claim 1 comprising constructing the send attestation to include:

a statement describing the application and information relating to the application; and

a statement describing the send item and information relating to the send item including information relating to at least a portion of the monitored indicia.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the computing device includes hardware and resources, the method further comprising the attestation unit authenticating at least some of the hardware and/or resources of the computing device that are used in constructing the send item, the method further comprising constructing the send attestation to include a statement describing the hardware and/or resources and information relating to such hardware and/or resources.

13. The method of claim 1 comprising packaging the constructed send attestation with the constructed send item by appending the send attestation to the send item, signing the packaged send item/send attestation based on a key of the attestation unit to form a digital signature, and appending the digital signature to the packaged send item/send attestation.

14. A method of verifying a minimum expended effort in combination with a send item received by a recipient from an application of a computing device, the send item being in a package with a send attestation based on monitored indicia that can be employed to detect that a minimum effort was in fact expended to construct the send item and an authentication of the application and thereby describing the expended effort, the method comprising:

receiving the package with the send item and the send attestation;

verifying at least one signature included within the package;

examining the send attestation of the package in view of a pre-determined policy to decide whether to honor the send item, the policy detailing the minimum expended effort, whereby each aspect of policy can be measured as against information obtained from the send attestation; and

honoring the send item if the policy is in fact satisfied by the send attestation, and thereby accepting and acting upon the send item.

15. The method of claim 14 for verifying user interaction in combination with the send item received by the recipient from the application of the computing device, the send item being in the package with the send attestation based on the monitored indicia that can be employed to detect that a user in fact expended effort to construct the send item and the authentication of the application and thereby describing the user interaction, the method comprising:

receiving the package with the send item and the send attestation;

verifying at least one signature included within the package;

examining the send attestation of the package in view of a pre-determined policy to decide whether to honor the send item, whereby each aspect of policy can be measured as against information obtained from the send attestation; and

honoring the send item if the policy is in fact satisfied by the send attestation, and thereby accepting and acting upon the send item.

16. The method of claim 15 comprising receiving the package with the send item comprising a request originating by way of an intermediary that is to be rewarded therefor, and dishonoring the send item if it is determined that the intermediary sent the request without verified user interaction.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising dishonoring the send item if the policy is not in fact satisfied by the send attestation, and thereby not accepting and acting upon the send item, and returning to the computing device a denial message.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising dishonoring the send item if the policy is not in fact satisfied by the send attestation, and thereby not accepting and acting upon the send item, and notifying a denial filter of same, whereby the denial filter would then filter out further send items from the computing device.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising dishonoring the send item if the policy is not in fact satisfied by the send attestation, and thereby not accepting and acting upon the send item, and adding the computing device to a denial list, whereby further send items from the computing device would be treated differently based on being on such list.

20. The method of claim 14 comprising receiving the package with the send item comprising an electronic mail message.

21. The method of claim 14 comprising receiving the package with the send item comprising a request.

22. The method of claim 14 comprising receiving the package with the send attestation comprising indicia monitored during construction of the send item, the indicia including at least one of keyboard activity, tablet activity, mouse activity, and lack of a run script by which activity of the application is controlled.

23. The method of claim 14 comprising receiving the package with the send attestation comprising indicia monitored during construction of the send item, the indicia including at least one of a minimum construction time for constructing the send item and a maximum number of send items sent per unit time.

24. The method of claim 14 comprising receiving the package with the send attestation including:

a statement describing the application and information relating to the application; and

a statement describing the send item and information relating to the send item including information relating to at least a portion of the monitored indicia.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the computing device includes hardware and resources, the method comprising receiving the package with the send attestation further including a statement describing the hardware and/or resources and information relating to such hardware and/or resources.

26. The method of claim 14 comprising receiving the package with the send attestation appended to the send item, and an appended digital signature based on the packaged send item/send attestation.