COMPUTER SYSTEM SECURITY DASHBOARD

• US 20130061169A1
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Pearcy, Derek Patton, Heinrich, Jessica Anne, Phillips, Craig Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 10,031,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/788
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

A computing system security dashboard is provided for presentation on a computer display device, the dashboard including a plurality of security view panes. Each security view pane, when expanded, presents a respective visualization of security conditions of a particular computing system. When the particular security view pane is collapsed it can hide at least a portion of particular visualizations of security conditions presented using the particular security view pane when expanded. The particular security view pane occupies a smaller area of the dashboard when collapsed than when expanded. A particular visual indicator is presented on the particular security view, at least when collapsed, summarizing at least a portion of the particular security conditions identified in the particular visualizations. A user interaction with the particular collapsed security view pane can prompt the particular security view pane to be expanded in area and present the particular visualizations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a computing system security dashboard for presentation on a computer display device, the dashboard including a plurality of security view panes, each security view pane, when expanded, presenting a respective visualization of security conditions of a particular computing system, wherein at least one particular security view pane is collapsed so as to hide at least a portion of particular visualizations of security conditions presented using the particular security view pane when expanded, the particular security view pane occupying a smaller area of the dashboard when collapsed than when expanded and presenting a particular visual indicator, at least when collapsed, summarizing at least a portion of the particular security conditions identified in the particular visualizations; and

identifying a user interaction with the particular collapsed security view pane prompting the particular security view pane to be expanded in area and present the particular visualizations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular visual indicator identifies representation of a particular security condition in the particular visualization.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the particular security condition is at least one of a critical security event, abnormality, vulnerability, or threat detected by at least one security tool.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the particular visual indicator is a stoplight indicator presented in red for detection of at least one negative security condition and presented in green in the absence of at least one detected negative security condition.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular visual indicator identifies absence of at least one negative security condition within the particular computing system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular visualization of the particular security view pane includes an interactive visualization of particular security conditions.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein interaction with the particular visualization by a user causes another visualization of the particular security conditions to be presented within the particular security view pane.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the particular visualization represents the particular security conditions at a first level of abstraction and the other visualization represents the particular conditions at a second level of abstraction.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein interaction with the particular visualization includes user inputs in connection with the performance of a particular security task.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein interaction with the particular visualization causes at least on interface to populate the particular security view pane, the interface adapted to receive the user inputs.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the security view panes included in the dashboard are in an expanded state.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the security view panes included in the dashboard are in a collapsed state.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each security view pane in the plurality of collapsed security view panes includes a respective visual indicator summarizing at least a portion of the particular security conditions identified in visualizations of the corresponding security view pane.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each visual indicator mimics a visualization technique used in visualizations of the corresponding security view pane.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one visual indicator of the plurality of collapsed security view panes is of a type different from that of the particular visual indicator.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of security view panes comprises a user-selected subset of security view panes from a set of available security view panes.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a user interaction with the particular security view pane;

changing the positioning of the particular security view pane relative to at least one other security view pane in the plurality of security view panes based on the user interaction.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein changing the positioning of the particular security view pane causes at least one other security view pane in the plurality of security view panes to be repositioned to accommodate the changing of the positioning of the particular security view pane.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the user interaction moves the particular security view pane to a primary viewing area included in the dashboard, wherein positioning a security view pane within the primary viewing area causes the security view pane to be expanded horizontally.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the primary viewing area occupies a position substantially near the top of the dashboard.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the primary viewing area is adapted to collapse when not occupied by at least one security view pane.

22. Logic encoded in non-transitory media that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor is operable to perform operations comprising:

providing a computing system security dashboard for presentation on a computer display device, the dashboard including a plurality of security view panes, each security view pane, when expanded, presenting a respective visualization of security conditions of a particular computing system, wherein at least one particular security view pane is collapsed so as to hide at least a portion of particular visualizations of security conditions presented using the particular security view pane when expanded, the particular security view pane occupying a smaller area of the dashboard when collapsed than when expanded and presenting a particular visual indicator, at least when collapsed, summarizing at least a portion of the particular security conditions identified in the particular visualizations; and

identifying a user interaction with the particular collapsed security view pane prompting the particular security view pane to be expanded in area and present the particular visualizations.

23. A system comprising:

at least one processor device;

at least one memory element; and

a dashboard engine, adapted when executed by the at least one processor device to;

provide a computing system security dashboard for presentation on a computer display device, the dashboard including a plurality of security view panes, each security view pane, when expanded, presenting a respective visualization of security conditions of a particular computing system, wherein at least one particular security view pane is collapsed so as to hide at least a portion of particular visualizations of security conditions presented using the particular security view pane when expanded, the particular security view pane occupying a smaller area of the dashboard when collapsed than when expanded and presenting a particular visual indicator, at least when collapsed, summarizing at least a portion of the particular security conditions identified in the particular visualizations; and

identify a user interaction with the particular collapsed security view pane prompting the particular security view pane to be expanded in area and present the particular visualizations.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the dashboard engine is further adapted to provide a primary viewing area in the dashboard, wherein positioning of one or more security view panes within the primary viewing area by a user causes the one or more security view panes positioned within the primary viewing area to be horizontally expanded.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the dashboard engine interfaces with one or more security tools adapted to perform one or more security tasks, and the dashboard engine is further adapted to allow users to initiate the one or more security tasks via the particular security view pane.