Secure Communications

• US 20110283110A1
• Filed: 01/12/2011
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Junod, Forrest, Dapkus, Peter, Vangpat, Alan, Prokopev, Nikita
• Granted Patent: US 8,850,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for communicating between a client machine and a server. A security token message may be transmitted from the server to the client machine. The security token message may include a first security token. The first security token may include a communication interaction identifier that identifies a communication interaction between the client machine and the server and an action request identifier that identifies an action request message capable of being sent from the client machine to the server to request that an action be performed on the server. An action request message including a second security token and transmitted in association with the communication interaction may be received at the server. When it is determined that the first security token matches the second security token, the requested action may be performed.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between a client machine and a server, the method comprising:

transmitting a security token message from the server to the client machine, the security token message including a first security token, the first security token comprising a communication interaction identifier that identifies a communication interaction between the client machine and the server, the first security token further comprising an action request identifier that identifies an action request message capable of being sent from the client machine to the server to request that an action be performed on the server;

receiving the action request message at the server, the action request message including a second security token, the action request message transmitted in association with the communication interaction;

determining whether the first security token matches the second security token;

when the first security token matches the second security token, performing the requested action.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the communication interaction is a communication session, wherein the communication interaction identifier is a session identifier, and wherein the security token message and the action request message are transmitted within the communication session.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the communication session is associated with a session key stored at the server, and wherein the communication interaction identifier and the action request identifier are encrypted using the session key to create the first security token.

4. The method recited in claim 3, wherein determining whether the first security token matches the second security token comprises:

decrypting the second security token to create a decrypted security token, the decrypted security token comprising a first identifier and a second identifier,

determining whether the first identifier matches the communication interaction identifier, and

determining whether the second identifier matches the action request identifier.

5. The method recited in claim 4, the method further comprising:

when the first identifier does not match the communication interaction identifier or the second identifier does not match the action request identifier, storing an indication of which of the first and second identifiers did not match.

6. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the communication session is associated with a session key stored at the server, and wherein the communication interaction identifier and the action request identifier are hashed using the session key to create the first security token.

7. The method recited in claim 6, wherein determining whether the first security token matches the second security token comprises:

hashing the communication interaction identifier and the action request identifier to create a third security token that matches the first security token, and

determining whether the third security token matches the first security token.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein one or both of the communication interaction identifier and the action request identifier are modified using a cryptographic salt value, and wherein the first security token further comprises the cryptographic salt value.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the action request message is an HTML form submission using a GET request method or a POST request method, and wherein the action request identifier comprises a uniform resource indicator (URI) at which the HTML form is capable of being submitted.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the requested action includes a transmission of a web page from the server to the client machine, and wherein the action request identifier comprises a uniform resource indicator that specifies an address of the web page.

11. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the server is operable to provide on-demand computing services to a plurality of entities in communication with the server, and wherein the client machine is associated with a first one of the entities.

12. The method recited in claim 11, wherein data associated with the plurality of entities is stored in a multi-tenant database system accessible via the on-demand computing services environment.

13. One or more computer readable media having instructions stored thereon for performing a method of communicating between a client machine a server, the method comprising:

transmitting a security token message from the server to the client machine, the security token message including a first security token, the first security token comprising a communication interaction identifier that identifies a communication interaction between the client machine and the server, the first security token further comprising an action request identifier that identifies an action request message capable of being sent from the client machine to the server to request that an action be performed on the server;

receiving the action request message at the server, the action request message including a second security token, the action request message transmitted in association with the communication interaction;

determining whether the first security token matches the second security token;

when the first security token matches the second security token, performing the requested action.

14. The one or more computer readable media recited in claim 13, wherein the communication interaction is a communication session, wherein the communication interaction identifier is a session identifier, and wherein the security token message and the action request message are transmitted within the communication session.

15. The one or more computer readable media recited in claim 14, wherein the communication session is associated with a session key stored at the server, and wherein the communication interaction identifier and the action request identifier are encrypted using the session key to create the first security token.

16. The one or more computer readable media recited in claim 15, wherein determining whether the first security token matches the second security token comprises:

decrypting the second security token to create a decrypted security token, the decrypted security token comprising a first identifier and a second identifier,

determining whether the first identifier matches the communication interaction identifier, and

determining whether the second identifier matches the action request identifier.

17. The one or more computer readable media recited in claim 16, the instructions further comprising:

when the first identifier does not match the communication interaction identifier or the second identifier does not match the action request identifier, storing an indication of which of the first and second identifiers did not match.

18. The one or more computer readable media recited in claim 14, wherein the communication session is associated with a session key stored at the server, and wherein the communication interaction identifier and the action request identifier are hashed using the session key to create the first security token.

19. The one or more computer readable media recited in claim 18, wherein determining whether the first security token matches the second security token comprises:

hashing the communication interaction identifier and the action request identifier to create a third security token that matches the first security token, and

determining whether the third security token matches the first security token.

20. The one or more computer readable media recited in claim 13, wherein one or both of the communication interaction identifier and the action request identifier are modified using a cryptographic salt value, and wherein the first security token further comprises the cryptographic salt value.

21. The one or more computer readable media recited in claim 13, wherein the action request message is an HTML form submission using a GET request method or a POST request method, and wherein the action request identifier comprises a uniform resource indicator (URI) at which the HTML form is capable of being submitted.

22. A system comprising:

a client machine; and

a server in communication with the client machine via a network, the server being configured to;

transmit a security token message to the client machine, the security token message including a first security token, the first security token comprising a communication interaction identifier that identifies a communication interaction between the client machine and the server, the first security token further comprising an action request identifier that identifies an action request message capable of being sent from the client machine to the server to request that an action be performed on the server;

receive the action request message, the action request message including a second security token, the action request message transmitted in association with the communication interaction;

determine whether the first security token matches the second security token;

when the first security token matches the second security token, perform the requested action.

23. The system recited in claim 22, wherein the communication interaction is a communication session, wherein the communication interaction identifier is a session identifier, and wherein the security token message and the action request message are transmitted within the communication session.

24. The system recited in claim 23, wherein the communication session is associated with a session key stored at the server, and wherein the communication interaction identifier and the action request identifier are encrypted using the session key to create the first security token.

25. The system recited in claim 24, wherein determining whether the first security token matches the second security token comprises:

decrypting the second security token to create a decrypted security token, the decrypted security token comprising a first identifier and a second identifier,

determining whether the first identifier matches the communication interaction identifier, and

determining whether the second identifier matches the action request identifier.

26. The system recited in claim 25, the server being further configured to:

when the first identifier does not match the communication interaction identifier or the second identifier does not match the action request identifier, storing an indication of which of the first and second identifiers did not match.

27. The system recited in claim 23, wherein the communication session is associated with a session key stored at the server, and wherein the communication interaction identifier and the action request identifier are hashed using the session key to create the first security token.

28. The system recited in claim 27, wherein determining whether the first security token matches the second security token comprises:

hashing the communication interaction identifier and the action request identifier to create a third security token that matches the first security token, and

determining whether the third security token matches the first security token.

29. The system recited in claim 22, wherein one or both of the communication interaction identifier and the action request identifier are modified using a cryptographic salt value, and wherein the first security token further comprises the cryptographic salt value.