Configuring software agent security remotely

• US 20080071888A1
• Filed: 12/15/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MEC Management, LLC (Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cohen, Alexander J., Mangione-Smith, William Henry, Lord, Robert W., Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,752,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A device, method, computer program product, and network subsystem are described for receiving information from a remote agent locally and responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information from a remote agent locally; and

responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent.

2. The method of claim 1 in which receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

receiving agent status information as the information from the remote agent.

3. The method of claim 1 in which receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

applying one or more criteria to a timing attribute of the information from the remote agent.

4. The method of claim 1 in which responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent comprises:

deciding to signal the change of the security configuration of the remote agent responsive to local user input.

5. The method of claim 1 in which responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent comprises:

causing the change of the security configuration of the remote agent responsive to the information from the remote agent.

6. The method of claim 1 in which responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent comprises:

storing an indication of the change of the security configuration of the remote agent responsive to the information from the remote agent.

7. The method of claim 1 in which receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

requesting data from the remote agent.

8. The method of claim 1 in which receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

receiving the information from the remote agent at least partly through a wireless medium.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

deciding whether to signal a change of a local security configuration responsive to the information from the remote agent.

10. The method of claim 1 in which receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

receiving a location history via the remote agent as the information.

11. The method of claim 1 in which receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

receiving at least an indication of a source data object as the information.

12. The method of claim 1 in which responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent comprises:

signaling a change of an integrity policy as the change of the security configuration of the remote agent.

13. A first method comprising:

performing a reception of or a transmission of one or more instructions relating to a second method including;

receiving information from a remote agent locally; and

responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent.

14. The first method of claim 13 in which performing a reception of or a transmission of one or more instructions relating to a second method comprises:

performing a reception of or a transmission of one or more instructions relating to responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent.

15. A method comprising:

receiving information from a remote agent locally;

responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent responsive to local user input, by causing the change of the security configuration of the remote agent responsive to the information from the remote agent, and by storing an indication of the change of the security configuration of the remote agent responsive to the information from the remote agent; and

transmitting a response to the information from the remote agent.

16. A network subsystem comprising:

means for receiving information from a remote agent locally; and

means for responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent.

17. The network subsystem of claim 16 in which the means for receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

means for receiving one or more processing environment attributes as the information from the remote agent.

18. The network subsystem of claim 16 in which the means for receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

means for receiving agent status information as the information from the remote agent.

19. The network subsystem of claim 16 in which the means for receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

means for receiving resource status information as the information from the remote agent.

20. The network subsystem of claim 16 in which the means for receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

means for receiving one or more service handles as the information from the remote agent.

21. The network subsystem of claim 16 in which the means for responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent comprises:

means for deciding to signal the change of the security configuration of the remote agent responsive to local user input.

22. The network subsystem of claim 16 in which the means for responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent comprises:

means for causing the change of the security configuration of the remote agent responsive to the information from the remote agent.

23. The network subsystem of claim 16 in which the means for responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent comprises:

means for storing an indication of the change of the security configuration of the remote agent responsive to the information from the remote agent.

24. The network subsystem of claim 16 in which the means for receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

means for receiving status information as the information from the remote agent.

25. The network subsystem of claim 16 in which the means for receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

means for receiving the information from the remote agent at least partly through a wireless medium.

26. The network subsystem of claim 16 further comprising:

means for deciding whether to authorize a transaction responsive to the information from the remote agent.

27. The network subsystem of claim 16 further comprising:

means for receiving information from one or more other agents.

28. The network subsystem of claim 16 further comprising:

means for deciding whether to signal a change of a local security configuration responsive to the information from the remote agent.

29. The network subsystem of claim 16 further comprising:

means for transmitting a response to the information from the remote agent.

30. The network subsystem of claim 16 in which the means for receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

means for receiving a cost-indicative value as the information.

31. The network subsystem of claim 16 in which the means for receiving information from a remote agent locally comprises:

means for receiving at least an indication of a source data object as the information.

32. The network subsystem of claim 16 in which the means for responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent comprises:

means for deciding to signal at least a partial security increase as the change of the security configuration of the remote agent.

33. The network subsystem of claim 16 further comprising:

means for causing a processing core security configuration change including more than the change of the security configuration of the remote agent.