Policy-based auditing of identity credential disclosure by a secure token service

• US 8,370,913 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2007
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hodgkinson, Andrew A., Buss, Duane F., Doman, Thomas E., Felsted, Patrick R., Sermersheim, James G.
• Primary Examiner(s): REVAK, CHRISTOPHER A
• Application Number:
  US11/843,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20080229384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,994 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

A user defines an audit policy. The audit policy identifies one or more triggers that, when related information is included in a security token, trigger the performance of the audit. The audit can include notifying the user in some manner that the trigger occurred. The audit can require in-line confirmation of the audit, so that the security token is not transmitted until the user confirms the audit.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a machine (135) operative as an identity provider;

a receiver (705) to receive a request for a security token (160), said request for said security token (160) including a security policy (150) and identifying at least one datum (715, 720) to be included in said security token (160);

a transmitter (710) to transmit said security token (160) responsive to said request, said security token (160) responsive to said security policy (150);

at least one audit policy (725) associated with said datum (715, 720) including a trigger (730) based on said security token (160) and an audit action (735); and

an audit operator (740) operative to perform said audit action (735) if said trigger (730) occurs.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said audit action (735) includes at least one of an e-mail message (810) to send to a user, an SMS message (805) to send to said user, a log responsive to said audit policy, and an RSS feed responsive to said audit policy.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said audit action (735) includes at least one of a first message (810) relating to said security token (160) to send to a user and a second message (810) identifying a client (105) requesting said security token (160) to send to said user.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said audit action (735) further includes a third message (810) including details of a transaction (815) involving said security token (160) to send to said user.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said details of a transaction (815) include an identity of a relying party (130) receiving said security token (160).

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiver (705) is operative to receive the audit policy (725) from a user.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter (710) is operative to transmit said security token (160) responsive to a user approving said audit action (735).

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the machine (135) includes the receiver (705), the transmitter (710), the at least one audit policy (725), and the audit operator (740).

9. A method for triggering an audit, comprising:

receiving (1410) at an identity provider (135) a request for a security token (160), the request including a security policy (150) and identifying at least one datum (715, 720);

accessing (1415) an audit policy (710) associated with the datum (715, 720);

identifying (1420) a trigger (730) associated with the security token (160);

performing (1425) an audit action (735) responsive to the identified trigger (730); and

transmitting (1450) from the identity provider (135) the security token (160) responsive to the received security policy (150).

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein:

performing (1425) an audit action (735) includes performing at least one of sending an e-mail (810) to a user, sending an SMS message (805) to the user, logging information generated from the security token, and an RSS feed generated from the security token.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein performing (1425) an audit action (735) includes informing a user (810) about at least one of the contents of the security token (160) and an identity of a client (105) requesting the security token (160).

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein performing (1425) an audit action (735) further includes informing the user about details of a transaction (815) involving the security token (160).

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein informing the user about details of a transaction (815) includes identifying a relying party (130) receiving the security token (160).

14. A method according to claim 9, further comprising receiving (130) the audit policy (725) from a user, the audit policy (725) identifying the trigger (730) and the audit action (735).

15. A method according to claim 9, wherein:

performing (1425) an audit action (735) includes requesting (1435) a user to approve the transmission of the security token (160); and

transmitting (1450) a security token (160) includes transmitting (1450) the security token (160) only if the user approves (1440) the transmission of the security token (160).

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein transmitting (1450) the security token (160) includes denying (1445) a transaction (815) if the user does not approve the transmission of the security token (160).

17. An article, comprising a non-transitory storage medium, said non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, result in:

receiving (1410) a request for a security token (160), the request including a security policy (150) and identifying at least one datum (715, 720);

accessing (1415) an audit policy (710) associated with the datum (715, 720);

identifying (1420) a trigger (730) associated with the security token (160);

performing (1425) an audit action (735) responsive to the identified trigger (730); and

transmitting (1450) the security token (160) responsive to the received security policy (150).

18. An article according to claim 17, wherein:

performing (1425) an audit action (735) includes performing at least one of sending an e-mail (810) to a user, sending an SMS message (805) to the user, logging information generated from the security token, and an RSS feed generated from the security token.

19. An article according to claim 17, wherein performing (1425) an audit action (735) includes informing a user (810) about at least one of the contents of the security token (160) and an identity of a client (105) requesting the security token (160).

20. An article according to claim 19, wherein performing (1425) an audit action (735) further includes informing the user about details of a transaction (815) involving the security token (160).

21. An article according to claim 20, wherein informing the user about details of a transaction (815) includes identifying a relying party (130) receiving the security token (160).

22. An article according to claim 17, wherein said non-transitory storage medium has stored thereon further instructions that, when executed by the machine, result in receiving (130) the audit policy (725) from a user, the audit policy (725) identifying the trigger (730) and the audit action (735).

23. An article according to claim 17, wherein:

performing (1425) an audit action (735) includes requesting (1435) a user to approve the transmission of the security token (160); and

transmitting (1450) a security token (160) includes transmitting (1450) the security token (160) only if the user approves (1440) the transmission of the security token (160).

24. An article according to claim 23, wherein transmitting (1450) the security token (160) includes denying (1445) a transaction (815) if the user does not approve the transmission of the security token (160).