Automated digital certificate renewer

• US 7,650,497 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2004
• Issued: 01/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Venafi,Inc.
• Original Assignee: Venafi,Inc.
• Inventors: Thornton, Russell S., Seegmiller, Jayson, Hodson, Benjamin, Hollobon, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr.; Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARMOUCHE, HADI S
• Application Number:
  US10/918,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20050069136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,985 Days
• Field of Search: 713155-156, 713/158, 713/175, 713/180, 713/201, 380/30, 380/277, 715/741, 709/207, 726 5- 7
• US Class Current: 713/158
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/34 Encoding or coding, e.g. Huffman coding or error correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/76 Proxy, i.e. using intermediary entity to perform cryptographic operations network architectures or network communication protocols using hop-by-hop encryption H04L63/0464
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

The disclosure relates to the management of PKI digital certificates, including certificate discovery, installation, verification and replacement for endpoints over an insecure network. A database of certificates may be maintained through discovery, replacement and other activities. Certificate discovery identifies certificates and associated information including network locations, methods of access, applications of use and non-use, and may produce logs and reports. Automated requests to certificate authorities for new certificates, renewals or certificate signing requests may precede the installation of issued certificates to servers using installation scripts directed to a particular application or product, which may provide notification or require approval or intervention. An administrator may be notified of expiring certificates, using a database or scanning or server agents. Interaction with certificate authorities may be by an abstractor providing a common interface for issuing signing requests to disparate certificate authorities. Digital certificate management may also be applied to network-connecting client devices.

Claims

1. A certificate management and renewal system for automatically renewing digital certificates in a managed network, comprising:

a managing device, said managing device including processing facilities for executing software and further including network facilities for electronic communication over a network, said managing device further including a storage device group containing at least one storage device operable to contain operating system files and applications; and

instructions stored to said storage device group, said instructions being further executable by said processor to achieve the functions of;

(i) receiving notifications from a certificate authority regarding a managed digital certificate,

(ii) identifying a managed server corresponding to a digital certificate referred to in a received notification from a certificate authority,

(iii) communicating with the managed server, the communicating causing the managed server to generate a certificate signing request and return the request to the managing device,

(iv) transmitting a generated and received certificate signing request to a certificate authority,

(v) receiving a certificate signed by a certificate authority generated from a certificate signing request,

(vi) identifying a destination managed server corresponding to a received certificate signed by a certificate authority,

(vii) installing a received certificate signed by a certificate authority to an identified destination managed server, and

(viii) configuring an identified destination managed server to use a private key corresponding to an installed certificate.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to achieve the functions of:

(ix) generating a new asymmetric key pair, and

(x) installing a generated private key of a new asymmetric key pair to an identified destination managed server;

and wherein a generated certificate signing request includes a generated public key of a new asymmetric key pair.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to install a received certificate signed by a certificate authority by a network interface provided by a web interface of a web server installed to an identified destination managed server.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to install a received certificate signed by a certificate authority by a shell interface to an identified destination managed server.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to install a received certificate signed by a certificate authority by an agent program installed to an identified destination managed server.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to restart a destination server program.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to restart a destination server computer.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to notify an administrator to restart a destination server program or destination server computer.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to confirm the installation of a received certificate to a destination server following the performance of a set of installation steps.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said instructions are further executable to generate an alert to an administrator if the installation of a received certificate to a destination server is not confirmed.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to achieve the functions of:

(ix) informing an administrator of a certificate for which a notification has been received from a certificate authority,

(x) prior to said transmitting, requesting approval to renew a certificate for which a notification has been received from a certificate authority, and

(xi) receiving, in response to a request for approval, an indication from an administrator that a certificate is to be renewed.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to achieve the functions of:

(ix) following said receiving a certificate signed by a certificate authority, informing an administrator of that renewed certificate,

(x) prior to said installing, requesting approval to install a renewed certificate received from a certificate authority, and

(xi) receiving, in response to a request for approval, an indication from an administrator that a renewed certificate is to be installed.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to store a received certificate signed by a certificate authority to a backup storage device.

14. A certificate management and renewal system for automatically renewing digital certificates in a managed network, comprising:

a managing device, said managing device including processing facilities for executing software and further including network facilities for electronic communication over a network, said managing device further including a storage device group containing at least one storage device operable to contain operating system files and applications;

a plurality of servers configured in a network, each of said servers configured to transmit a digital certificate and further configured to provide a service to client devices, each of said servers further including a certificate managing agent installed thereto, each of said certificate managing agents configured to produce certificate signing requests and further to install certificates signed by a certificate authority to the server on which the agent is installed;

and instructions stored to said storage device group, said instructions being further executable by said processor to achieve the functions of;

(i) receiving notifications from a certificate authority regarding a managed digital certificate,

(ii) identifying a managed server corresponding to a digital certificate referred to in a received notification from a certificate authority,

(iii) communicating with the managed server, the communicating causing the managed server to generate a certificate signing request and return the request to the managing device,

(iv) transmitting a generated and received certificate signing request to a certificate authority,

(v) receiving a certificate signed by a certificate authority generated from a certificate signing request,

(vi) identifying a destination managed server corresponding to a received certificate signed by a certificate authority,

(vii) installing a received certificate signed by a certificate authority to an identified destination managed server, and

(viii) configuring an identified destination managed server to use a private key corresponding to an installed certificate.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to achieve the functions of:

(ix) generating a new asymmetric key pair, and

(x) installing a generated private key of a new asymmetric key pair to an identified destination managed server; and

wherein a generated certificate signing request includes a generated public key of a new asymmetric key pair.

16. A system according to claim 14, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to install a received certificate signed by a certificate authority by a network interface provided by a web interface of a web server installed to an identified destination managed server.

17. A system according to claim 14, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to install a received certificate signed by a certificate authority by a shell interface to an identified destination managed server.

18. A system according to claim 14, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to install a received certificate signed by a certificate authority by an agent program installed to an identified destination managed server.

19. A system according to claim 14, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to restart a destination server program.

20. A system according to claim 14, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to restart a destination server computer.

21. A system according to claim 14, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to notify an administrator to restart a destination server program or destination server computer.

22. A system according to claim 14, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to confirm the installation of a received certificate to a destination server following the performance of a set of installation steps.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein said instructions are further executable to generate an alert to an administrator if the installation of a received certificate to a destination server is not confirmed.

24. A system according to claim 14, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to achieve the functions of:

(ix) informing an administrator of a certificate for which a notification has been received from a certificate authority,

(x) prior to said transmitting, requesting approval to renew a certificate for which a notification has been received from a certificate authority, and

(xi) receiving, in response to a request for approval, an indication from an administrator that a certificate is to be renewed.

25. A system according to claim 14, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to achieve the functions of:

(ix) following said receiving a certificate signed by a certificate authority, informing an administrator of that renewed certificate,

(x) prior to said installing, requesting approval to install a renewed certificate received from a certificate authority, and

(xi) receiving, in response to a request for approval, an indication from an administrator that a renewed certificate is to be installed.

26. A certificate management and renewal system for automatically renewing digital certificates in a managed network, comprising:

a managing device, said managing device including processing facilities for executing software and further including network facilities for electronic communication over a network, said managing device further including a storage device group containing at least one storage device operable to contain operating system files and applications;

a plurality of servers configured in a network, each of said servers configured to transmit a digital certificate and further configured to provide a service to client devices, each of said servers further including a certificate managing agent installed thereto, each of said certificate managing agents configured to produce certificate signing requests and further to install certificates signed by a certificate authority to the server on which the agent is installed;

authentication objects stored to said storage device, said authentication objects including authentication tokens needed to install a certificate to said plurality of servers;

and instructions stored to said storage device group, said instructions being further executable by said processor to achieve the functions of;

(i) receiving notifications from a certificate authority regarding a managed digital certificate,

(ii) receiving, in response to a request for approval, an indication from an administrator that a certificate is to be renewed or installed,

(iii) identifying a managed server corresponding to a digital certificate referred to in a received notification from a certificate authority,

(iv) communicating with the managed server, the communicating causing the managed server to generate a new asymmetric key pair, the communicating further causing the managed server to generate a certificate signing request and return the request to the managing device,

(v) transmitting a generated and received certificate signing request to a certificate authority,

(vi) receiving a certificate signed by a certificate authority generated from a certificate signing request,

(vii) identifying a destination managed server corresponding to a received certificate signed by a certificate authority,

(viii) installing a received certificate signed by a certificate authority to an identified destination managed server, the installing being performed by accessing the identified destination managed server using a corresponding object of said authentication objects, the installing utilizing a protocol selected from the group of a shell interface, an agent interface and a network interface provided by a web interface of a web server,

(ix) configuring an identified destination managed server to use a private key corresponding to an installed certificate, and

(x) performing a restart action selected from the group of commanding an identified destination managed server to perform a restart, commanding an identified destination managed server to restart and notifying an administrator to restart a destination server program or destination server computer.

27. A system according to claim 26, wherein said instructions are further executable by said processor to confirm the installation of a received certificate to a destination server following the performance of a set of installation steps.

28. A system according to claim 27, wherein said instructions are further executable to generate an alert to an administrator if the installation of a received certificate to a destination server is not confirmed.