Method and apparatus for assigning access control levels in providing access to networked content files

• US 20060069668A1
• Filed: 10/01/2004
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Simmons, Timothy Ernest, Braddy, Ricky Gene, Cockerill, Aaron David
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/88 Mark-up to mark-up conversion conversion for visualization in web browsing G06F16/9577
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• 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: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A method and apparatus for assigning access control levels when providing access to networked content files includes a client node, a collection agent, and a policy engine. The client node requests access to a resource. The collection agent gathers information about the client node. The policy engine receives the gathered information and assigns one of a plurality of levels of access responsive to application of a policy to the received information.

Claims

1. A system of granting access to resources comprising:

a client node requesting access to a resource;

a collection agent gathering information about the client node; and

a policy engine receiving the gathered information and assigning one of a plurality of levels of access responsive to application of a policy to the received information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the policy engine further comprises a database storing configurable policies.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein a system administrator configures policies in the policy engine to provide a level of access control rights to the client node.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the policy engine transmits instructions to the collection agent determining the type of information the collection agent gathers.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the policy engine further comprises a logon agent.

6. The logon agent of claim 5 wherein the logon agent receives the gathered information from the collection agent.

7. The logon agent of claim 5 wherein the logon agent identifies for the policy engine authentication information received from the collection agent.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the policy engine further comprises a plurality of logon agents.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein at least one of the plurality of logon agents resides on each network domain from which a client node may transmit a resource request.

10. The system of claim 9 where the client node transmits the resource request to a particular logon agent.

11. The system of claim 10 where the logon agent identifies for the policy engine the network domain from which the client node transmits the resource request.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent executes on the client node.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the policy engine transmits the collection agent to the client node.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent comprises at least one script.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent comprises bytecode.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent gathers the information by running at least one script on the client node.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent gathers information about the client node, said information residing on a server.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the collection agent gathers information comprising HTTP headers.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the collection agent gathers information comprising the network zone of the client node.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the collection agent gathers information comprising the method of authentication used by the client node.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent gathers a machine ID of the client node.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent gathers information comprising operating system type.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent gathers information comprising existence of a patch to an operating system.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent gathers information comprising MAC addresses of installed network cards.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent gathers information comprising a watermark on the client device.

26. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent gathers information comprising membership in an Active Directory.

27. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent gathers information comprising existence of a virus scanner.

28. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent gathers information comprising existence of a firewall.

29. The system of claim 1 wherein the collection agent gathers information comprising an HTTP header.

30. A method of granting access to resources, the method comprising:

(a) requesting, by a client node, access to a resource;

(b) gathering, by a collection agent, information about the client node;

(c) receiving, by the policy engine, the gathered information; and

(d) making an access control decision based on the received information.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein step (a) further comprises requesting the resource over a network connection.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein step (b) further comprises gathering the information over a network connection.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein step (b) further comprises gathering information by executing at least one script on the client node.

34. The method of claim 30 wherein step (c) further comprises determining if the received information satisfies a condition.

35. The method of claim 34 further comprising determining if the received information satisfies a condition by comparing the received information to at least one condition.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein step (d) further comprises making an access control decision by applying a policy to the condition.

37. A policy engine comprising:

a first component receiving information about a client node, and generating a data set from the information;

a second component receiving the data set, and providing to the first component an enumeration of resources available to the client based on the data set.

38. The policy engine of claim 37 wherein the first component receives the information from a collection agent.

39. The policy engine of claim 37 wherein the first component includes at least one condition to which received information is compared.

40. The policy engine of claim 37 wherein the second component further comprises a database.

41. The policy engine of claim 40 wherein the database stores at least one policy.

42. The policy engine of claim 41 wherein the second component further comprises identifying available resources by applying the at least one policy to the data set.

43. The policy engine of claim 37 wherein the policy engine further comprises a logon agent.

44. The logon agent of claim 43 wherein the logon agent receives the gathered information from the collection agent.

45. The logon agent of claim 44 wherein the logon agent identifies for the policy engine the authentication information received from the collection agent.

46. The policy engine of claim 43 wherein the policy engine further comprises a plurality of logon agents.

47. The policy engine of claim 46 wherein at least one of the plurality of logon agents resides on each network domain from which a client node may transmit a resource request.

48. The policy engine of claim 47 where the client node transmits the resource request to a particular logon agent.

49. A method of granting access with a policy engine, the method comprising:

(a) receiving, by a first component, information about a client node;

(b) generating, by the first component, a data set from the information; and

(c) providing, by a second component, an enumeration of resources available to the client.

50. The method of claim 49 further comprising the step of identifying, by a second component, resources available to the client node based on the data set.

51. The method of claim 50 further comprising identifying available resources by applying a policy to the received data set.

52. The method of claim 49 further comprising the step of requesting

53. The method of claim 49 further comprising the step of receiving further information about the client node.

54. The method of claim 49 wherein step (c) further comprises applying, by the second component, a policy to the received information to determine access methods available to the client node.

55. The method of claim 49 wherein step (c) further comprises receiving, by the first component, the enumeration of available resources.

56. The method of claim 55 wherein step (c) further comprises receiving, by the first component, an enumeration of a subset of available resources.

57. The method of claim 55 wherein step (c) further comprises providing, by the first component, the enumeration to the client node.

58. The method of claim 55 wherein step (c) further comprises providing, by the first component, the enumeration to the client node on an HTML page.