Dynamic allocation of network security credentials for alert notification recipients

• US 8,875,278 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bennah, Albert D., Rudda, David J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Michael S
• Application Number:
  US13/524,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 726/15, 714/57
• US Class Current: 726/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0766 Error or fault reporting or storing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0627 by acting on the notification or alarm source
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• 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

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for dynamic allocation of network security credentials for alert notification recipients are provided. Embodiments include receiving from a managed system, by an alert management system, an alert indicating one of a failure in the managed system and a pending failure in the managed system; selecting, by the alert management system, a remote device from a plurality of remote devices registered for remote access with the alert management system; preapproving, by the alert management system, network security clearance of the selected remote device, the network security clearance for remote access to the management system via a virtual private network (VPN) interface; and transmitting to the selected remote device, by the alert management system, an alert notification that includes an internet address corresponding to the VPN interface.

Claims

1. A method of dynamic allocation of network security credentials for alert notification recipients, the method comprising:

receiving from a managed system, by an alert management system, an alert indicating one of a failure in the managed system and a pending failure in the managed system;

selecting, by the alert management system, a remote device from a plurality of remote devices registered for remote access with the alert management system;

preapproving, by the alert management system, virtual private network security clearance of the selected remote device, the virtual private network security clearance granting remote access to the managed system via a virtual private network (VPN) interface; and

transmitting to the selected remote device, by the alert management system, an alert notification that includes an internet address corresponding to the VPN interface.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving from a particular remote device, by the alert management system, a VPN connection request that includes the internet address corresponding to the VPN interface;

determining, by the alert management system, whether the particular remote device is the selected remote device preapproved for remote access to the managed system via the VPN interface at the internet address;

if the particular remote device is the selected remote device, establishing via the VPN interface, by the alert management system, a VPN connection between the particular remote device and the managed system based on the preapproval of the network security clearance of the selected remote device; and

if the particular remote device is not the selected remote device, preventing, by the alert management system, a VPN connection between the particular remote device and the managed system.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising specifying, by the alert management system, a duration between preapproval of the network security clearance for remote access at the VPN interface and receipt of a request for a VPN connection.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising registering, by the alert management system, one or more remote devices for remote access to the managed system.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying, by the alert management system, one or more user-configurable policies corresponding to the received alert, the user-configurable policies indicating notification procedures.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the alert notification is transmitted via a SMS message to the selected remote device.