Methods and system for a key recovery plan

• US 8,364,952 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2006
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Ho, Shuk Yee, Fu, Christina, Kannan, Chandrasekar, Kwan, Nang Kon
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelagay, Shewaye
• Application Number:
  US11/446,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20080022086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,429 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/155
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0897 involving additional devices, e.g. trusted platform module [TPM], smartcard or USB

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer readable mediums are provided for recovering subject keys and/or certificates for a token. A unique identifier associated with the token is obtained. The token is associated with subject keys and with a first status of statuses, the statuses including a lost status state and an other status state. In response to the token being in the lost status state, a key recovery plan is determined to recover at least one of the subject keys and the certificates associated with the token.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a key recovery plan associated with a token comprising a plurality of lost status states, wherein each of the plurality of lost status states comprises at least one of a plurality of subject keys, an action to be taken for each of the plurality of subject keys or a token action;

receiving a unique identifier associated with the token;

identifying at least one of the subject keys associated with the token based on the unique identifier;

receiving an indication that the token was lost and a reason that the token was lost;

selecting, by a hardware processor, a key recovery plan based on the reason that the token was lost, wherein the key recovery plan identifies an action to be taken with the at least one subject key and wherein the action corresponds to the reason that the token was lost, and wherein the action to be taken is to recover at least one prior subject key associated with the same token; and

wherein the action further comprises;

generating a new subject key and certificate to be associated with the token and managing a certificate associated with the at least one prior subject key.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the key recovery plan further identifies a subset of the at least one subject key to be recovered and actions to recover the subset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the key recovery plan further identifies actions to be performed on information associated with the token.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the key recovery plan.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reason that the token was lost is that the token was destroyed, and wherein the action comprises recovering the at least one subject key.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reason that the token was lost is that the token was compromised, and wherein the action comprises:

generating a new subject key to replace the at least one subject key; and

revoking a certificate associated with the at least one subject key.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reason that the token was lost is that the token is on hold, and wherein the action comprises:

generating a replacement token; and

placing the token in an on-hold mode,

wherein the replacement token can be self-expiring, and

wherein the certificates corresponding to the token are revoked.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating a user associated with the token, before performing the determining.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a memory containing instructions; and

a hardware processor configured to execute the instructions contained in the memory to;

store a key recovery plan associated with a token comprising a plurality of lost status states, wherein each of the plurality of lost status states comprises at least one of a plurality of subject keys, an action to be taken for each of the plurality of subject keys or a token action;

receive a unique identifier associated with the token;

identify at least one of the subject keys associated with the token based on the unique identifier;

receive an indication that the token was lost and a reason that the token was lost;

select a key recovery plan based on the reason that the token was lost, wherein the key recovery plan identifies an action to be taken with the at least one of the subject keys and wherein the action corresponds to the reason that the token was lost, and wherein the action to be taken is to recover at least one prior subject key associated with the same token; and

wherein the action further comprises;

generating a new subject key and certificate to be associated with the token and managing a certificate associated with the at least one prior subject key.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing the hardware processor to perform a method comprising:

storing a key recovery plan associated with a token comprising a plurality of lost status states, wherein each of the plurality of lost status states comprises at least one of a plurality of subject keys, an action to be taken for each of the plurality of subject keys or a token action;

receiving a unique identifier associated with the token;

identifying at least one of the subject keys associated with the token based on the unique identifier;

receiving an indication that the token was lost and a reason that the token was lost;

selecting, by a hardware processor, a key recovery plan based on the reason that the token was lost, wherein the key recovery plan identifies an action to be taken with the at least one subject key and wherein the action corresponds to the reason that the token was lost, and wherein the action to be taken is to recover at least one prior subject key associated with the same token; and

wherein the action further comprises;

generating a new subject key and certificate to be associated with the token and managing a certificate associated with the at least one prior subject key.

11. A method comprising:

storing a key recovery plan associated with a token comprising a plurality of lost status states, wherein each of the plurality of lost status states comprises at least one of a plurality of subject keys, an action to be taken for each of the plurality of subject keys or a token action;

receiving an indication that the token was lost and a reason that the token was lost;

selecting, by a hardware processor, an action to be performed for the at least one of the subject keys associated with the token based on the reason that the token was lost;

performing the action for the at least one of the subject keys associated with the token, wherein the action to be taken is to recover at least one prior subject key associated with the same token; and

wherein the action further comprises at least one of generating a new subject key and certificate to be associated with the token; and

managing a certificate associated with the at least one prior subject key.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein performing the action comprises perform the action on information associated with the token.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one subject key associated with the token includes at least one of a signing key and an encryption key.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a new reason that the token is lost; and

selecting a new action for the at least one subject key associated with the token based on the new reason that the token is lost.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising authenticating a user associated with the token, before performing the action.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a memory containing instructions; and

a hardware processor configured to execute the instructions contained in the memory to;

store a key recovery plan associated with a token comprising a plurality of lost status states, wherein each of the plurality of lost status states comprises at least one of a plurality of subject keys, an action to be taken for each of the plurality of subject keys or a token action;

receive an indication that the token was lost and a reason that the token was lost;

select an action to be performed for at least one of the subject keys associated with the token based on the reason that the token was lost;

perform the action for the at least one of the subject keys associated with the token, wherein the action to be taken is to recover at least one prior subject key associated with the same token; and

wherein the action further comprises at least one of generating a new subject key and certificate to be associated with the token; and

managing a certificate associated with the at least one prior subject key.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a hardware processor to perform a method comprising:

storing a key recovery plan associated with a token comprising a plurality of lost status states, wherein each of the plurality of lost status states comprises at least one of a plurality of subject keys, an action to be taken for each of the plurality of subject keys or a token action;

receiving an indication that the token was lost and a reason that the token was lost;

selecting, by a hardware processor, an action to be performed for the at least one of the subject keys associated with the token based on the reason that the token was lost;

performing the action for the at least one of the subject keys associated with the token, wherein the action to be taken is to recover at least one prior subject key associated with the same token; and

wherein the action further comprises at least one of generating a new subject key and certificate to be associated with the token; and

managing a certificate associated with the at least one prior subject key.