Method and system to secure a connection application for distribution to multiple end-users

• US 20030182556A1
• Filed: 02/12/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Channel IP BV
• Original Assignee: Ipass Incorporated (Pareteum Corp.)
• Inventors: Sunder, Singam, Edgett, Jeff
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,606 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method and system is provided to secure a connection application in a multi-party access environment including a plurality of service providers. The method includes generating a customized connection application, and cryptographically signing the customized connection application, the customized connection application being for installation on a client machine. In certain embodiments, the customized connection application is in the form of a self-extracting executable to automatically install the connection application on the client machine. The customized connection application may be signed using Authenticode technology.

Claims

1. A method to secure a connection application in a multi-party access environment including a plurality of service providers, the method including:

generating a customized connection application; and

cryptographically signing the customized connection application, the customized connection application being for installation on a client machine.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the customized connection application is in the form of a self-extracting executable to automatically install the connection application on the client machine.

3. The method of claim 1, in which cryptographically signing the customized connection application includes signing the file using Authenticode technology.

4. The method of claim 1, which includes distributing the connection application to the plurality of service providers via a computer network for downloading by the client machine.

5. A machine-readable medium, embodying a sequence of instructions that, when executed by a machine cause the machine to execute a method to secure a connection application in a multi-party access environment including a plurality of service providers, the method including:

generating a customized connection application; and

cryptographically signing the customized connection application, the customized connection application being for installation on a client machine.

6. The machine-readable medium of claim 5, in which the customized connection application is in the form of a self-extracting executable to automatically install the connection application on the client machine.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 5, in which cryptographically signing the customized connection application includes signing the file using Authenticode technology.

8. The machine-readable medium of claim 5, which includes distributing the connection application to the plurality of service providers via a computer network for downloading by the client machine

9. A system to secure a connection application in a multi-party access environment including a plurality of service providers, the system including:

a server to generate a customized connection application; and

an encryption module to cryptographically sign the customized connection application, the customized connection application being for installation on a client machine.

10. The system of claim 9, in which the customized connection application is in the form of a self-extracting executable to automatically install the connection application on the client machine.

11. The system of claim 9, in which cryptographically signing the customized connection application includes signing the file using Authenticode technology.

12. The system of claim 9, which distributes the connection application to the plurality of service providers via a computer network for downloading by the client machine

13. A system to secure a connection application in a multi-party access environment including a plurality of service providers, the system including:

means to generate a customized connection application; and

means to cryptographically sign the customized connection application, the customized connection application being for installation on a client machine.