DEFERRED CONFIGURATION OR INSTRUCTION EXECUTION USING A SECURE DISTRIBUTED TRANSACTION LEDGER

• US 20160261685A1
• Filed: 06/05/2015
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, YuLing, Ford, Daniel A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,967,333 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention provide systems and methods that allow that facilitate communicating a message, independent of a centralized resource, to be retrieved at a future time. In embodiments, a computing device receives a configuration-related message via a block chain maintained by a plurality of decentralized nodes. In embodiments, upon verification of the authenticity of the message, the device will execute the deferred instructions indicated in the message. In embodiments, the instructions may be add functionality or not allow functionality in the device. In embodiments, the instructions may indicate that a smart package should allow the end user to access contents of the package or to not allow access to the contents.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating deferred configuration of an information handling device, the method comprising:

attempting to access a distributed peer network that maintains a block chain, the block chain comprising a cryptographically linked sets of data blocks;

responsive to being able to access the distributed peer network, obtaining at least part of the block chain;

examining one or more of the data blocks for a message directed to the device;

responsive to identifying a message directed to the information handling device, verifying whether the message was sent by an authorized entity; and

responsive to the message being from a verified authorized entity, executing one or more instructions in the message.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the message comprising instructions for configuring the information handling device to add or enable one or more features of the information handling device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein the step of configuring the information handling device to add or enable one or more features of the information handling device comprises:

initiating an auto-configuration process on the information handling device;

downloading code from one or more sources; and

completing code installation and configuration processes of the information handling device to add or enable the one or more features.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the message comprises instructions for configuring the information handling device to remove or disable one or more features of the information handling device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the information handling device is part of a smart package that comprises contents and the message comprises instructions for affecting access to the contents.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein affecting access to contents comprises:

granting access to the contents of the smart package responsive to the message comprising instructions to grant access to the contents; and

denying access to the contents of the smart package responsive to the message comprising instructions to deny access to the contents.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein denying access to the contents comprises rendering the contents unusable.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

gathering data about the information handling device regarding execution of the one or more instructions in the message; and

submitting at least some of the gathered data to one or more nodes in the distributed peer network for inclusion into a data block that is added to the block chain.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to not being able to access the distributed peer network, determining whether a threshold number of attempts to access the distributed peer network has been exceeded;

responsive to the threshold number of attempts to access the distributed peer network not having been exceeded;

waiting until a condition has been met; and

retrying to access the distributed peer network; and

responsive to the threshold number of attempts to access the distributed peer network having been exceeded, taking one or more actions related to securing the information handling device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 wherein the step of taking one or more actions related to securing the information handling device comprises at least one of:

disabling access to, operation of, or both of one or more features of the information handing device.

11. An information handling device comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory components communicatively coupled to the processor;

one or more network interfaces, communicatively coupled to the processor, that provides access to one or more networks; and

a deferred instructions subsystem comprising;

a block chain communication proxy, communicatively coupled to the network interface, that interfaces with one or more decentralized nodes of a peer network, the peer network comprising a plurality of nodes that maintain a cryptographically secure and public block chain comprising a cryptographically linked sets of data blocks;

a message receiving component that identifies a message in the block chain directed to the information handling device and extracts the message;

a user authentication component, communicatively coupled to the message receiving component, that receives at least part of the message from the message receiving component and authenticates that the message originated from an authorized entity from which the information handling device should take instruction; and

an execution component, communicatively coupled to the message receiving module, that executes one or more instructions in the message that affect a feature related to the information handling device.

12. The information handling device of claim 11 wherein one or more instructions in the message that affect a feature related to the information handling device comprises instructions for configuring the information handling device to add or enable one or more features of the information handling device.

13. The information handling device of claim 12 wherein the execution component performs the step of configuring the information handling device to add or enable one or more features by performing the steps comprises:

initiating an auto-configuration process on the information handling device;

downloading code from one or more sources; and

completing code installation and configuration processes of the information handling device to add or enable the one or more features.

14. The information handling device of claim 11 wherein the one or more instructions in the message that affect a feature related to the information handling device comprises the execution component executing one or more instructions that remove or disable one or more features of the information handling device.

15. The information handling device of claim 11 wherein the information handling device is part of a smart package that comprises contents and wherein the one or more instructions in the message that affect a feature related to the information handling device comprises the information handling device affecting access to the contents.

16. The information handling device of claim 15 wherein affecting access to contents comprises:

granting access to the contents of the smart package responsive to the message comprising instructions to grant access to the contents; and

denying access to the contents of the smart package responsive to the message comprising instructions to deny access to the contents.

17. The information handling device of claim 16 wherein denying access to the contents comprises rendering the contents unusable.

18. A computer-implemented method for deferred configuration of an information handling system comprising:

configuring the information handling system to be able to access a distributed peer network that maintains a block chain, the block chain comprising a cryptographically linked sets of data blocks;

shipping the information handling system to a recipient;

generating a message regarding a confirmation state for the information handling system; and

submitting the message to one or more nodes in the distributed peer network for inclusion in a data block in the block chain.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18 wherein the message comprising instructions for configuring the information handling device to add or to remove one or more features of the information handling device.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18 wherein the message comprises a containerized computational task for setting the configuration state for the information handling system.