Security scanning system and method

• US 20070226794A1
• Filed: 03/21/2006
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Howcroft, Jerald, Del Carmine, Rocco, Markley, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,387,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a computer-readable medium, method and system for determining security vulnerabilities for a plurality of application programs used to provide television services to a customer device over a communications network. The method includes running a first scanning program against a first application program relating to a control panel for the customer device; running a second scanning program against a second application program that provides Internet content to the customer device; running a third scanning program against a third application program that relates to a component management system of customer premises equipment; and correlating security vulnerabilities identified utilizing the first, second, and third scanning programs.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium accessible to a processor for executing instructions contained in a computer program embedded in the computer readable medium, the computer program comprising:

instructions to run a first scanning program against a first application program relating to a control panel for use on customer device;

instructions to run a second scanning program against a second application program that provides Internet content to the customer device over a communications network to identify security vulnerabilities with the second application program;

instructions to run a third scanning program relating to a component management system for a customer premises equipment (CPE) against a third application program to identify security vulnerabilities with the third application program; and

instructions to correlate the identified security vulnerabilities with the first, second, third and fourth application programs.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first scanning program is a network scanner, the second scanning program is a web-based scanner, the third and fourth scanning programs each is one of the network scanner and the web-based scanner.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the customer device is a set-top-box for providing content to a television set.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to run a fourth scanning program against an applications program that is used in the set-top-box.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to run at least one of the first, second, and third scanning programs on a first server located in the communications network against at least one of the first, second and third application programs located at a second server at a remote location.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to obtain access to the second server from the first server.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to assign a risk level to each of the identified vulnerabilities and provide a report that indicates the risk level.

8. A method of determining security vulnerabilities for a plurality of application programs for use in providing television services to a set-top-box (STB) over a communications network, comprising:

running a first scanning program against a first application program relating to a control panel for the STB provided over a communications network;

running a second scanning program against a second application program that provides Internet content to the STB over the communications network;

running a third scanning program against a third application program that relates to component management system of a CPE; and

correlating security vulnerabilities identified utilizing the first, second, and third scanning programs.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first scanning program is a network scanner, the second scanning program is a web-based scanner, and third scanning program is at least one of a network and web-based scanners.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising assigning a risk level to each of the identified security vulnerabilities and providing a consolidated report that identifies the assigned risk.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the third application program relates to a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first, second and third scanning programs is run remotely from a first server in the backbone network against a second server located at an application program provider via the Internet.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising running a network scanner and a web-based scanner against a fourth application program adapted for use in the STB in an environment that simulates a DSL network.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the second server has an associated firewall and the method further comprising obtaining access to the second server utilizing a selected identifier.

15. A system, comprising:

a database that stores information relating to security vulnerabilities for a plurality of application programs associated with a customer device;

a server having access to a computer program, the server utilizing the database and executing instructions contained in the computer program that includes;

instructions to run a first scanning program against a first application program relating to a control panel for use on customer device that interfaces with a television set to identify security vulnerabilities with the first application program;

instructions to run a second scanning program against a second application program that provides Internet content to the customer device over a communications network to identify security vulnerabilities with the second application program;

instructions to run a third scanning program against a third application program that is a component management system for a CPE to identify security vulnerabilities with the third application program;

instructions to run a fourth scanning program against a fourth application program that is used in the customer device to identify security vulnerabilities with the fourth application program; and

instructions to correlate the identified security vulnerabilities with the first, second, third and fourth application programs.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first scanning program is a network scanner, the second scanning program is a web-based scanner, the third and fourth scanning programs each is one of the network scanner and the web-based scanner.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the customer device is a set-top-box for providing content to a television set.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to run at least one of the first, second, and third scanning programs on a first server located in the communications network against at least one of the first, second and third application programs located at a second server at a remote location.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to assign a risk level to each of the identified vulnerabilities and provide a report that indicates the risk level.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the second server has a firewall associated therewith and the computer program further comprises:

instructions to obtain access to the second server over the Internet using a selected identifier.