Remote authorization for operations

• US 8,327,417 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2010
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Carter, Stephen R, Burch, Lloyd Leon
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABEDIN, SHANTO
• Application Number:
  US12/871,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 726/14, 726/21, 726 1- 6, 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 713/168, 713182-185
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/081 applying self-generating credentials, e.g. instead of receiving credentials from an authority or from another peer, the credentials are generated at the entity itself cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords H04L9/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

Techniques for the remote authorization of secure operations are provided. A secure security system restricts access to a secure operation via an access key. An authorization acquisition service obtains the access key on request from the secure security system when an attempt is made to initiate the secure operation. The authorization acquisition service gains access the access key from a secure store via a secret. That is, the secret store is accessible via the secret. The secret is obtained directly or indirectly from a remote authorization principal over a network.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method to execute on a machine, comprising:

detecting, by the machine, a request for initiating a secure operation;

evaluating, by the machine, a policy associated with authorizing the secure operation for initiation, the policy drives a processing flow and procedures that must be used to acquire one or more access keys and content for the one or more access keys that are expected before the request is authenticated and initiated, the processing flow and procedures randomly generated via the policy evaluation;

making, by the machine, a request to an authorization acquisition service to acquire the one or more access keys pursuant to the policy from one or more remote authorization principals; and

receiving and verifying, by the machine, the one more access keys, which are received from the authorization acquisition service in response to one or more secrets obtained from the one or more remote authorization principals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein making further includes supplying one or more identifiers for the one or more access keys or supplying a procedure for acquiring the one or more access keys with the request to the authorization acquisition service.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, periodically synchronizing, by the machine, with a secret store to ensure the secret store has the one or more access keys, and wherein the secret store is accessed by the authorization acquisition service in response to one or more secrets obtained from the one or more remote authorization principals.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, supplying, by the machine, the one or more access keys successfully received from the authorization acquisition service to a secure loader, wherein the secure loader initiates the secure operation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting further includes detecting an attempt to boot up a particular device or particular service associated with a security system, which raises the request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting further includes detecting an attempt to shutdown a running service, which raises the request.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein making further includes voiding the one or more access keys when the authorization acquisition service fails to deliver the one or more access keys within a defined period of time included in the policy.

8. A machine-implemented method to execute on a machine, comprising:

receiving, by the machine, a request to initiate a secure operation within a secure system;

acquiring, by the machine, multiple keys from multiple different certified crypto officers, each crypto officer having one of the multiple keys and each crypto officer remotely communicating his/her key from a remote geographic location from that geographical location associated with the secure system and each crypto officer given different instructions on how each of his/her keys are to be communicated and the instructions change with every subsequent request to initiate the secure operation and the instructions are randomly generated, wherein acquiring further includes identifying each of the certified crypto officers via a policy associated with the secure operation of the secure system;

using, by the machine, the multiple keys to acquire a secret from a secret store to initiate the secure operation; and

initiating, by the machine, the secure operation via the secret.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein acquiring further includes interacting with one crypto officers via a phone using voice instructions and interacting with another crypto officer via a phone using text messages to acquire the multiple keys.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein acquiring further includes using a policy that defines a particular mechanism for each certified crypto officer to deliver his/her key.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein acquiring further includes using a policy to instruct each of the certified crypto officers on how and where to obtain his/her key.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein using further includes randomly changing the secret within the secret store and configuring the secure operation to accept the changing secret.