Secure computer system

• US 5,937,159 A
• Filed: 03/28/1997
• Issued: 08/10/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Data General Corp. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Data General Corp. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Meyers, William J., Spencer, Jon F., Fraioli, Marc J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E.
• Application Number:
  US08/829,648
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 395/186, 395/187.01, 395/188.01, 395/200.59, 395/200.3, 395/200.33, 395/200.47, 395/200.49, 380/3, 380/4, 380/25
• US Class Current: 726/20
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/009 Trust
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data

Abstract

A system and method for controlling the access of users to a trusted computer system using an authentication and authorization database, containing information used to authenticate human users and information establishing what each user can do, and a number of software processes, including session initiation, authorization, credentials and database management daemons. The software processes are implemented in an independent fashion to prevent any process from performing an operation that would affect another process in an unauthorized way.

Claims

1. A trusted computer system including computer system hardware for at least storing an authentication and authorization database and an operating system for controlling operation of said system hardware comprising:

a plurality of user software processes controlled by said operating system;

said user software processes including a like plurality of software daemons, each one of said daemons being associated with a respective one of said processes and functioning separately from the others;

said computer system hardware and said operating system including means for isolating each one of said daemons from the other to prevent any unauthorized operation of any one of said daemons from affecting the operation of any other of said daemons;

means for selecting one of said daemons to be responsible for accessing said authentication and authorization database;

said operating system including means for preventing any of said processes and their respective daemons other than said selected daemon from reading from or writing into said authentication and authorization database whereby said database is protected from unauthorized access.

2. A method for initiating a session in a trusted computer system having:

(a) computer system hardware;

(b) an operating system for controlling said hardware;

(c) an authentication and authorization database stored in said hardware;

(d) user software controlled by said operating system;

(e) said user software including a plurality of software processes, each one of said processes functioning separately from the others;

(f) said computer system hardware including means for isolating each one of said processes from the other to prevent any unauthorized operation of any one of said processes from affecting the operation of any other of said processes;

(g) means for selecting one of said plurality of software processes as a Session Initiator (SI);

(h) means for selecting a different one of said plurality of processes as the Credentials Daemon (CD);

said method comprising the steps of;

(I) determining the parameters and constraints for said session;

(II) sending an inquiry from the SI to the CD to ask the CD if said session is authorized;

(III) the CD responding to said inquiry by determining if the session is authorized; and

(IV) if the CD determines that said session is authorized, sending a first set of session credentials from the CD to the SI to initiate said session.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the SI has a second set of credentials and where step (IV) additionally comprises merging said first set of credentials and said second set of credentials to form a merged set of credentials used by the new session.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said computer system is initiating a session for a user and has means for selecting one of said plurality of software processes as a first Authentication Daemon (AD);

and said determining step (III) additionally comprises;

(I) sending a first message from the CD to said first AD;

(II) authenticating in said first AD the identity of said user;

(III) sending a second message from said first AD to the CD indicating success or failure of said authenticating step.

5. The method according to claim 4 including said first message containing the location of said user.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said computer system includes a means for selecting one of said plurality of software processes as a first Authentication Daemon (AD) and includes the additional step of initiating a session for a user;

and said checking step (III) additionally comprises;

(I) sending a first message from the CD to said first AD;

(II) authenticating in said first AD the identity of said user;

(III) sending a second message from said first AD to the CD, if said first AD needs keyboard input from said user;

(IV) sending a third message from the CD to the SI in response to said second message;

(V) the SI requesting keyboard input from said user;

(VI) sending said keyboard input from the SI to the CD in a fourth message;

(VII) sending said keyboard input from the CD to said first AD in a fifth message; and

(VIII) sending a sixth message from said first AD to the CD indicating success or failure of said authenticating step.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein:

(a) said second and said third messages each contain authentication information; and

(b) step (V) displays said authentication information to said user prior to requesting keyboard input.

8. The method according to claim 6 including said first message containing the location of said user.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein said computer system has:

(a) means for selecting one of said plurality of software processes as a first Authentication Daemon (AD); and

(b) means for selecting one of said plurality of software processes as a second Authentication Daemon (AD);

said method including the additional step of initiating a session for a user and wherein said determining step (III) additionally comprises;

(I) sending a first message from the CD to said first AD;

(II) authenticating in said first AD the identity of said user;

(III)sending a second message from said first AD to the CD indicating success or failure of said first authenticating step;

(IV) sending a third message from the CD to said second AD;

(V) authenticating in said second AD the identity of said user; and

(VI) sending a fourth message from said second AD to the CD indicating the success or failure of said second authenticating step.

10. The method according to claim 9 additionally comprising:

(VII) sending a fifth message to said first AD and a sixth message to said second AD after both first and second authenticating steps are complete to indicate if said user was authenticated.

11. The method according to claim 9 including said first AD storing some information as a result of receiving said fifth message.

12. The method according to claim 9 including said first AD sending a seventh message to said CD as a result of receiving said fifth message.

13. The method according to claim 12 including said CD causing said authentication and authorization database to be updated as a result of receiving said seventh message.

14. A method for increasing the difficulty of penetration of a trusted computer system and having minimal effect on legitimate users of said system where said computer system has:

(a) an authentication and authorization database having a plurality of authentication records;

(b) some of said authentication records containing a user identity, an authentication scheme for said user, and an action said user is authorized to perform; and

,

(c) a plurality of ports for accessing said computer system;

said method comprising;

(I) suspending the authentication record of an authorized user who fails to be authenticated after a predetermined number of attempts;

(II) suspending the account of a user who fails to be authorized after a predetermined number of attempts; and

(III)suspending the port of a user who fails to present a valid account name after a predetermined number of attempts.

15. A method for verifying the integrity of an authentication and authorization database in a trusted computer system having:

(a) an operating system;

(b) computer system hardware controlled by said operating system;

(c) user software controlled by said operating system;

(d) said user software including a plurality of software processes, each one of said processes functioning separately from the others;

(e) said computer system hardware and said operating system together isolating each one of said processes from the other to prevent any unauthorized operation of any one of said processes from affecting the operation of any other of said processes;

(f) a selected one of said plurality of software processes being designated as a first Authentication Daemon (AD); and

(g) a selected one of said plurality of software processes being designated as a second Authentication Daemon (AD).

said method comprising the steps of;

(I) reading each record from said authentication and authorization database;

(II) if said record is an authentication record presenting said record to the correct one of said ADs; and

(III)determining in said AD the status of said record.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the determining step (III) includes the further step of concluding status of said record as either valid or invalid.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein if the status is valid establishing it as being one of frozen, normal, warning, expired, or extinct.

18. A trusted computer system, said system comprising;

computer hardware;

an authentication and authorization database;

means for providing a plurality of user software processes certain of said processes being daemons each one of said daemons functioning separately from and being isolated from all other processes to prevent unauthorized operation of any one of said certain and said other processes from affecting operation of any of said software daemons; and

,

means for selecting one of said daemons to control access to said authentication and authorization database whereby all of said processes and their respective daemons other than said selected daemon are prevented from reading from or writing into said database to protect against unauthorized access thereto.

19. Software methodology including an authentication and authorization database for use in a trusted computer system, said methodology comprising:

(I) providing a plurality of user software processes certain of said processes being daemons, each one of said daemons functioning separately from and being isolated from all other software processes to prevent unauthorized operation of any one of said certain and said other processes from affecting operation of any of said software daemons; and

,

(II) selecting one of said daemons to control access to said authentication and authorization database whereby all of said processes and their respective daemons other than said selected daemon are prevented from reading from or writing into said database to protect against unauthorized access thereto.

20. A trusted computer system comprising:

(a) computer system hardware;

(b) an operating system for controlling said hardware;

(c) an authentication and authorization database stored in said hardware;

(d) user software controlled by said operating system;

(e) said user software including a plurality of software processes, each one of said processes functioning separately from the others;

(f) said computer system hardware including means for isolating each one of said processes from the other to prevent any unauthorized operation of any one of said processes from affecting the operation of any other of said processes; and

(g) means for selecting at least one of said plurality of software processes as an Authentication Daemon (AD) each said AD comprising;

(i) means for validating authorization data; and

(ii) means for changing authorization data.

21. The computer system of claim 20 further including means to allow a user to modify said authentication and authorization database comprising:

(a) means for accepting new information from said user;

(b) means for sending said new information to the appropriate one of said ADs; and

(c) means for verifying said new information in said appropriate AD whereby no other component of said computer system is required to validate said new information.

22. The computer system of claim 20 further including means to allow a user to modify said authentication and authorization database comprising:

(a) means for requesting each of said at least one AD to format the authentication data for said user in a human readable format whereby no other process of said computer system is required to format said authentication data;

(b) means for displaying said authentication data to said user to provide displayed data;

(c) means for allowing said user to select from said displayed data to be modified to provide selected data;

(d) means for accepting new information from said user;

(e) means for sending said new information to the appropriate one of said ADs; and

(f) means for verifying said new information in said appropriate AD whereby no other process of said computer system is required to validate said new information.

23. The computer system of claim 20 wherein at least one of said ADs additionally comprises means for creating initial authorization records in said authorization and authentication database when said computer system is installed.

24. The computer system of claim 20 wherein at least one of said ADs additionally comprises means for allowing a system administrator to add authorization records to said authorization and authentication database.

25. The computer system of claim 20 wherein at least one of said ADs additionally comprises means for allowing a system administrator to modify authorization records in said authorization and authentication database.