SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING COMPONENT VERSION COMPATIBILITY ACROSS A DEVICE ECOSYSTEM

• US 20150286479A1
• Filed: 06/18/2015
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Duo Security Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Oberheide, Jon, Song, Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 9,454,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A system and method that include collecting device version profiles from a plurality of device sources; classifying the device version profiles into a device profile repository; receiving a component version query request; querying the device profile repository according to the version query request; and responding to the query request with results of the query.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a network connected platform, collecting component version information from a plurality of device instances;

for each device instance, constructing a device version profile from the component version information;

classifying the device version profiles into a device profile repository;

at a network connected platform, receiving a component version query request, the component version query request including a set of constraints defined by specified component version information;

querying the device profile repository according to the component version query request; and

responding to the query request with results of the query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting component version information from a plurality of device instances comprises collecting at least one of operating system version information, firmware version information, and application version information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting component version information from a plurality of device instances comprises collecting at least one of carrier information, location information, and user configuration information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting component version information from a plurality of device instances comprises collecting hardware version identifiers and configuration information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the response specifies at least one recommended compatible device update.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the compatible device update is a vulnerability update.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the response specifies at least one recommended compatible application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a device version profile includes a set of physical components of a configurable hardware platform, and wherein the response specifies at least one recommended compatible physical device component.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the component version query request includes a first device version profile of a first device instance.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first device version profile of the first device instance includes software version identifiers, at least one carrier identifier, and at least one hardware identifier.

11. method of claim 9, wherein the results of the component version query include a set of component references compatible with the first device version profile.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising weighting component versions with trending adoption that are compatible with the first device version profile.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting component version information from a plurality of device instances further comprises periodically collecting component version information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein querying the device profile repository according to the component version query request comprises identifying emerging components.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising augmenting the device profile repository with component version annotation.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein querying the device profile repository comprises weighting component version information of a device version profile of at least one device instance according to a source classification.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein weighting the component version profile information comprises penalizing consideration of a device version profile with a first set of characteristics of tool version information.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a collection module to a plurality of device instances, and wherein collecting the component version information from a plurality of device instances is performed by the collection module.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the collection module is an application.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the collection module is a development kit.