Methods and systems for establishing secure authenticated bidirectional server communication using automated credential reservation

• US 9,762,578 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric IT Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric IT Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Emerick, Gregory M., Gifford, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Desrosiers, Evans
• Application Number:
  US12/911,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20120102554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,514 Days
• Field of Search: 726 6, 726 1, 726 13, 726 22- 33, 713153-154, 713187-188, 713193-194, 709206, 709249, 709389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0846 using time-dependent-passwords, e.g. periodically changing passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

A method of authenticating communications includes receiving, by a computer, a first set of credentials, verifying the first set of credentials by comparing the first set of credentials to a plurality of sets of credentials stored in a database, subsequent to verifying the first set of credentials, deriving a second set of credentials, and transmitting notification of the second set of credentials to a remote computer.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating communications, the method comprising acts of:

receiving, by a computer, a first set of credentials;

verifying the first set of credentials by comparing the first set of credentials to a plurality of sets of credentials stored in a database;

subsequent to verifying the first set of credentials, creating a second set of credentials by the computer;

transmitting the second set of credentials to a remote computer;

receiving, by the computer, the second set of credentials from the remote computer;

providing, by the computer to the remote computer, unsolicited access to services provided by the computer responsive to receiving the second set of credentials, the services being configured to receive events posted to the computer by the remote computer; and

in response to at least one event, automatically changing at least one of the first set of credentials and the second set of credentials using the at least one of the first set of credentials and the second set of credentials as a seed for determining a new set of credentials to replace the at least one of the first set of credentials and the second set of credentials.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of receiving, by the computer, contact information for the remote computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of verifying the first set of credentials is performed by the remote computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of credentials is created by a user of the computer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first set of credentials is created on the remote computer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of credentials includes a username and password.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first set of credentials and the second set of credentials is encrypted by the computer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of credentials is stored in a database accessible by the computer.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of establishing, by the remote computer, secure communications with the computer using at least the second set of credentials.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of automatically changing occurs periodically.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of automatically changing occurs in response to at least one of a user event, a system event, and a security event.

12. A method of authenticating communications between a first computer and a second computer, the method comprising acts of:

receiving, from a user, a first set of credentials at the first computer;

receiving, from the user, the first set of credentials at the second computer;

calling, by the second computer, a first service operating on the first computer, the first service configured to provide verification of the first set of credentials to the second computer;

responsive to receiving the verification of the first set of credentials from the first computer, creating a second set of credentials by the second computer;

transmitting, by the second computer, the second set of credentials to the first computer;

receiving, by the second computer, the second set of credentials from the first computer;

providing, by the second computer to the first computer, unsolicited access to services provided by the second computer responsive to receiving the second set of credentials, the services being configured to receive events posted to the second computer by the first computer; and

in response to at least one event, automatically changing at least one of the first set of credentials and the second set of credentials using the at least one of the first set of credentials and the second set of credentials as a seed for determining a new set of credentials to replace the at least one of the first set of credentials and the second set of credentials.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising an act of establishing, by the second computer, secure communications with the first computer using at least the second set of credentials.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising an act of establishing, by the first computer, secure communications with the second computer using at least the first set of credentials.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the act of automatically changing occurs periodically.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the act of automatically changing occurs in response to at least one of a user event, a system event, and a security event.

17. A data center infrastructure management system, comprising:

a network;

a first server connected to the network;

a plurality of data center infrastructure devices connected to the first server, the first server being configured to maintain device data related to management of the plurality of data center infrastructure devices; and

a second server connected to the network and configured to verify a set of user-created credentials, to be supplied by the first server, by comparing the set of user-created credentials to a plurality of sets of user-created credentials stored in a database, the second server further configured to receive requests from a user, the second server further configured to create a set of server-created credentials based on the set of user-created credentials subsequent to verifying the set of user-created credentials, the second server further configured to transmit the set of server-created credentials to the first server subsequent to creating the set of server-created credentials;

wherein the first server uses the set of server-created credentials to secure communication with the second server for exchanging the device data with the second server,

wherein the second server provides the first server with unsolicited access to services provided by the second server responsive to receiving the server-created credentials, the services being configured to receive events posted to the second server by the first server based, and

wherein in response to at least one event, automatically changing at least one of the first set of credentials and the second set of credentials using the at least one of the first set of credentials and the second set of credentials as a seed for determining a new set of credentials to replace the at least one of the first set of credentials and the second set of credentials.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the system is configured to establish secure communication between the first server and the second server through the network using at least the set of user-created credentials and the set of server-created credentials.