Storage security using cryptographic splitting

• US 8,392,682 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Dodgson, David, Neill, Joseph, Farina, Ralph, Chin, Edward, French, Albert, Summers, Scott, Johnson, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HIEP T
• Application Number:
  US12/336,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,539 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/163
• 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 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/085 Secret sharing or secret splitting, e.g. threshold schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/088 Usage controlling of secret information, e.g. techniques for restricting cryptographic keys to pre-authorized uses, different access levels, validity of crypto-period, different key- or password length, or different strong and weak cryptographic algorithms network architectures or network communication protocols for using time-dependent keys in a packet data network H04L63/068
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0897 involving additional devices, e.g. trusted platform module [TPM], smartcard or USB

Abstract

Methods and systems for administrative management of a secure data storage network are disclosed. One system includes a secure storage appliance configured to host a plurality of volumes, each volume associated with a plurality of shares stored on a corresponding plurality of physical storage devices and having a plurality of volume management settings, wherein each volume is accessible by a group of one or more users, each user assigned an administrative access level, the volume management settings are editable by a first user from the group of one or more users associated with the volume and assigned an administrative access level sufficient to edit the volume management settings, and the volume management settings are inaccessible by a second user from outside the group of one or more users associated with the volume and assigned an administrative access level at least equal to that of the first user.

Claims

1. A system for administrative management of a secure data storage network utilizing cryptographically splitting data as it is stored and retrieved from storage devices, the system comprising:

a secure storage appliance configured to host a plurality of volumes, each volume associated with a plurality of shares stored on a corresponding plurality of physical storage devices and having a plurality of volume management settings;

wherein each volume is accessible by a group of one or more users, each user assigned an administrative access level, the group of one or more users defines a separate community of interest;

wherein the volume management settings are editable by a first user from the group of one or more users associated with the volume and assigned an administrative access level sufficient to edit the volume management settings;

wherein the volume management settings are inaccessible by a second user from outside the group of one or more users associated with the volume and assigned an administrative access level at least equal to that of the first user;

wherein the cryptographically splitting data utilize a plurality of encryption keys to create a plurality of separate community of interest data sets in which the primary write requests and corresponding plurality of secondary write request are members of the community of interest associated with the one of the plurality of encryption keys used in the write requests.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the volume management settings are inaccessible by a third user from among the group of one or more users associated with the volume and assigned an administrative access level lower than that of the first user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the administrative access level is selected from among a group of administrative access levels.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the volume management settings include user rights relating to the volume.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the volume management settings include an ability to create or destroy volumes.

6. A system for administrative management of a secure data storage network network utilizing cryptographically splitting data as it is stored and retrieved from storage devices, the system comprising:

a secure storage appliance configured to host a plurality of volumes, each volume associated with a plurality of shares stored on a corresponding plurality of physical storage devices and having a plurality of volume management settings;

a security group definition designating a plurality of security groups, each security group associated with a volume and assigned to a security administrator, wherein volume management settings of a volume associated with one of the plurality of security groups are editable by the security administrator associated with the security group, the security group of one or more users defines a separate community of interest;

wherein the cryptographically splitting data utilize a plurality of encryption keys to create a plurality of separate community of interest data sets in which the primary write requests and corresponding plurality of secondary write request are members of the community of interest associated with the one of the plurality of encryption keys used in the write requests.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the security group definition is editable by a security group administrator different from the security administrator.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the security administrator is a domain administrator.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the secure storage appliance is located within a domain, and wherein the security group corresponds to the users able to access the domain.

10. A method of accessing administrative settings in a secure storage appliance network utilizing cryptographically splitting data as it is stored and retrieved from storage devices, the method comprising:

receiving a request for administrative access to a volume managed by the secure storage appliance, the volume associated with a plurality of shares stored on a plurality of physical storage devices, the request including an identifier of an administrative user;

checking an administrative access level to determine access rights of the administrative user;

responding to the request for administrative access based on an outcome of checking the administrative access level; and

generating a log record of the received request for administrative access;

wherein the administrative user lacks access rights to a second volume different from the volume associated with a share stored on the plurality of physical storage devices;

wherein the cryptographically splitting data utilize a plurality of encryption keys to create a plurality of separate community of interest data sets in which the primary write requests and corresponding plurality of secondary write request are members of the community of interest associated with the one of the plurality of encryption keys used in the write requests.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein responding to the request for administrative access includes, upon determining that the administrative user has sufficient access rights to the volume, providing administrative access to the volume to the administrative user.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein responding to the request for administrative access includes, upon determining that the administrative user lacks sufficient access rights to the volume, denying administrative access to the volume to the administrative user.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein a second administrative user has an associated administrative access level sufficient to allow administrative access to the second volume to the second administrative user.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising allowing a security administrator to edit the access rights of the administrative user.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the security administrator lacks at least one of the access rights associated with the administrative user.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising allowing an audit administrator to view the log record.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the request for administrative access includes a request to perform an administrative function of the secure storage appliance.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the administrative access level defines administrative functions allowable to the administrative user.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the administrative functions include editing cryptographic settings, viewing audit logs, editing volume settings, editing user group settings, accessing encryption keys, and defining administrative access levels.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein checking an administrative access level to determine access rights of the administrative user is based on the identifier of the administrative user.