Program product for maintaining certificate on client network devices1

• US 20060015716A1
• Filed: 08/13/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Imcentric Incorporated, Venafi,Inc.
• Original Assignee: Imcentric Incorporated
• Inventors: Thornton, Russell S., Seegmiller, Jayson, Hodson, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US10/917,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20060015716A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/155
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/34 Encoding or coding, e.g. Huffman coding or error correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/76 Proxy, i.e. using intermediary entity to perform cryptographic operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

Disclosed herein are several digital certificate discovery and management systems. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A set of computer readable media containing computer instructions for operating a certificate management system for automatically managing placement of digital certificates to client devices, the certificate management system including network facilities for communication over an electronic communication network, the set of computer readable media comprising at least one medium upon which is stored the computer instructions executable by a computing system to achieve the functions of:

receiving requests for connections from clients,

attempting to retrieve a digital certificate from the client device by way of the network facilities and a client executable component,

if in said attempting a digital certificate is retrieved, checking for expiration of the retrieved digital certificate,

if in said attempting a digital certificate is retrieved, querying a revocation server by way of the network facilities for revocation of the retrieved digital certificate,

if the retrieved digital certificate is expired or revoked, retrieving a newly issued certificate from a network certificate server,

if in said attempting a digital certificate is not retrieved, accessing a certificate store to retrieve an authentication certificate,

following said accessing a network certificate server to retrieve an authentication certificate, placing the retreived authentication certificate in a certificate store of said client device, and

authenticating the client device for data transfer.

2. A set of computer readable media according to claim 1, wherein said authenticating indicates authentication of an individual for a financial transaction.

3. A set of computer readable media according to claim 1, wherein said authenticating indicates authentication of an individual for a contractual transaction.

4. A set of computer readable media according to claim 1, wherein said authenticating indicates authentication of an individual for a loan application.

5. A set of computer readable media according to claim 1, wherein said computer instructions are further executable to provide access to resources within an organization based on an authenticated individual'"'"'s access rights.

6. A set of computer readable media according to claim 1, wherein said computer instructions are further executable access to email messages for authenticated individuals.

7. A set of computer readable media according to claim 1, wherein said computer instructions are further executable access to applications on the client device for authenticated individuals.

8. A set of computer readable media containing computer instructions for operating a certificate management system for automatically managing placement of digital certificates to client devices, the certificate management system including network facilities for communication over an electronic communication network, the set of computer readable media comprising at least one medium upon which is stored the computer instructions executable by a computing system to achieve the functions of:

receiving requests for connections from clients,

attempting to retrieve a digital certificate from the client device by way of the network facilities and a client executable component,

if in said attempting a digital certificate is retrieved, checking for expiration of the retrieved digital certificate,

if in said attempting a digital certificate is retrieved, querying a revocation server by way of the network facilities for revocation of the retrieved digital certificate,

if the retrieved digital certificate is expired or revoked, retrieving a newly issued certificate from a network certificate server,

if in said attempting a digital certificate is not retrieved, accessing a certificate store to retrieve an authentication certificate,

following said accessing a network certificate server to retrieve an authentication certificate, placing the retreived authentication certificate in a certificate store of said client device, and

authenticating the client device for data transfer.

9. A set of computer readable media according to claim 8, wherein said authenticating indicates authentication of an individual for a financial transaction.

10. A set of computer readable media according to claim 8, wherein said authenticating indicates authentication of an individual for a contractual transaction.

11. A set of computer readable media according to claim 8, wherein said authenticating indicates authentication of an individual for a loan application.

12. A set of computer readable media according to claim 8, wherein said computer instructions are further executable to provide access to resources within an organization based on an authenticated individual'"'"'s access rights.

13. A set of computer readable media according to claim 8, wherein said computer instructions are further executable to provide access to email messages for authenticated individuals.

14. A set of computer readable media according to claim 8, wherein said computer instructions are further executable to provide access to applications on the client device for authenticated individuals.

15. A set of computer readable media according to claim 8, wherein said computer instructions are further executable to provide an access rights configuration interface operable from the client device upon authentication.

16. A set of computer readable media containing computer instructions for operating a certificate management system for automatically managing placement of digital certificates to client devices, the certificate management system including network facilities for communication over an electronic communication network, the set of computer readable media comprising at least one medium upon which is stored the computer instructions executable by a computing system to achieve the functions of:

receiving requests for connections from clients,

attempting to retrieve a digital certificate from the client device by way of the network facilities and a client executable component,

if in said attempting a digital certificate is retrieved, checking for expiration of the retrieved digital certificate,

if in said attempting a digital certificate is retrieved, querying a revocation server by way of the network facilities for revocation of the retrieved digital certificate,

if the retrieved digital certificate is expired or revoked, retrieving a newly issued certificate from a network certificate server,

if in said attempting a digital certificate is not retrieved, accessing a certificate store to retrieve an authentication certificate,

following said accessing a network certificate server to retrieve an authentication certificate, placing the retreived authentication certificate in a certificate store of said client device,

authenticating the client device for data transfer, said authenticating identifying the client device to the certificate management system, said authenticating further identifying a user to the certificate management system;

providing access to services conditioned on the enablement of the services for the identified client device and user.

17. A set of computer readable media according to claim 16, wherein said computer instructions are further executable to provide an access rights configuration interface operable from the client device upon authentication.

18. A set of computer readable media according to claim 16, wherein said authenticating indicates authentication of an individual for a financial transaction.

19. A set of computer readable media according to claim 16, wherein said authenticating indicates authentication of an individual for a contractual transaction.

20. A set of computer readable media according to claim 16, wherein said authenticating indicates authentication of an individual for a loan application.

21. A set of computer readable media according to claim 16, wherein said computer instructions are further executable to provide access to resources within an organization based on an authenticated individual'"'"'s access rights.

22. A set of computer readable media according to claim 16, wherein said computer instructions are further executable access to email messages for authenticated individuals.

23. A set of computer readable media according to claim 16, wherein said computer instructions are further executable access to applications on the client device for authenticated individuals.