SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SECURE COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN A COMPUTER TEST TOOL AND A CLOUD-BASED SERVER

• US 20170180239A1
• Filed: 12/16/2015
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Hittel, John Paul, Wooton, Clinton J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,097,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0802 Addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means, e.g. caches
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/154 Networked environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/60 Details of cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/30 Public key, i.e. encryption algorithm being computationally infeasible to invert or user's encryption keys not requiring secrecy
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/50 using a mobile data collecting device, e.g. walk by or drive by
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/86 Performing a diagnostic of the sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]

Abstract

A system for providing data communication is provided. The system includes at least one computer test tool configured to perform one or more diagnostic tests on a computer network. The system further includes at least one communication device configured to couple to the at least one computer test tool to receive and cache test data from the at least one computer test tool and to wirelessly couple to a communication network. In addition, the system includes a cloud-based server configured to couple to the communication network so as to receive test data transmitted from the at least one communication device wherein the test data is encrypted in the at least one computer test tool and decrypted in the cloud-based server.

Claims

1. A system for providing data communication, comprising:

at least one computer test tool configured to perform one or more diagnostic tests on a computer network and output associated test data;

at least one communication device configured to couple to the at least one computer test tool to receive and cache the test data from the at least one computer test tool and to wirelessly couple to a communication network; and

a cloud-based server configured to couple to the communication network so as to receive test data transmitted from the at least one communication device wherein the test data is encrypted in the at least one computer test tool and decrypted in the cloud-based server.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the test data is encrypted using a private key associated with the at least one computer test tool and decrypted in the cloud-based server using a public key associated with the at least one computer test tool.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the cloud-based server is further configured to send encrypted data to be received in the at least one computer test tool via the communication network and the at least one communication device.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the at least one computer test tool is further configured to decrypt the encrypted data sent from the cloud-based server.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the data sent from the cloud-based server is encrypted using a private key associated with the cloud-based server and is decrypted in the at least one computer test tool using a public key associated with the cloud-based server.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one computer test tool is further configured to cache test data resulting from one or more diagnostic tests until the at least one computer test tool establishes data communication with the at least one communication device.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one computer test tool establishes data communication with the at least one communication device from a communication protocol selected from one of:

Bluetooth, WiFi, USB coupling, and NFC.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one communication device is further configured to cache encrypted test data received from the at least one computer test tool until a communication is established between the at least one communication device and the cloud-based server.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one communication device is selected from the group consisting of:

smart phone devices and tablet devices.

10. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein

the computer test tool transmits to the at least one communication device multiple copies of the test data, each copy being associated with the same identification tag that identifies the associated test data,

in response to receiving a copy of the test data, the cloud-based server sends an acknowledgment of receipt of the identified test data to the computer test tool, and

in response to receipt of the acknowledgment of receipt, the computer test tool transmits a message to the at least one communication device with instructions to delete all copies of the test data having the identification tag associated thereto.

11. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein

the cloud-based server transmits to the at least one communication device multiple copies of control or configuration data, each copy being associated with the same identification tag that identifies the associated control or configuration data,

in response to receiving a copy of the test data, the computer test tool sends an acknowledgment of receipt of the identified control or configuration data to the cloud-based server, and

in response to receipt of the acknowledgment of receipt, the cloud-based server transmits a message to the at least one communication device with instructions to delete all copies of the control or configuration data having the identification tag associated thereto.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one computer test tool and the cloud-based server are further configured to associate the data to be exchanged with the at least one communication device with an associated expiration time that indicates a time after which any copy of the diagnostic data stored by any of the at least one computer test tool, the at least one communication device, or the cloud-based server is designated to be deleted.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one computer test tool, the at least one communication device, and the cloud-based server are further configured to delete any copy of stored or received data that has an associated expiration time that is after a current time.

14. A computer test tool for communicating test data comprising:

a memory configured to store executable instructions; and

a processor disposed in communication with said memory, wherein said

processor upon execution of the instructions is configured to;

perform one or more diagnostic tests on a computer network and

output associated test data;

cache the test data;

encrypt the test data;

transmit the encrypted test data to a communication device, wherein the transmitted encrypted test data is configured to be decrypted by a cloud-based server coupled to the communication device.

15. The computer test tool system as recited in claim 14, wherein the computer test tool receives encrypted data from the cloud-based server via the communication network and the at least one communication device.

16. The computer test tool as recited in claim 15, wherein the computer test tool is further configured to decrypt the encrypted data received from the cloud-based server.

17. The computer test tool as recited in claim 16, wherein the data received from the cloud-based server is encrypted using a private key associated with the cloud-based server and is decrypted in the computer test tool using a public key associated with the cloud-based server.

18. The computer test tool as recited in claim 14, wherein the computer test tool caches the test data until the computer test tool establishes data communication with the at least one communication device.

19. A cloud-based server for providing data communication, comprising:

a memory configured to store executable instructions; and

a processor disposed in communication with said memory, wherein said processor upon execution of the instructions is configured to;

receive encrypted test data from a communication device upon establishment of communication of the communication device with the cloud-based server via a communication network, wherein the test data is captured during a diagnostic test performed in a computer test device, cached and encrypted in the computer test device, configured to be decrypted in the cloud-based server and transmitted to the communication device upon establishment of communication between the communication device and the computer test device; and

decrypt the encrypted test data.