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

• US 7,761,606 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2003
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Channel IP BV
• Original Assignee: Ipass Incorporated (Pareteum Corp.)
• Inventors: Sunder, Singam, Edgett, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Sorrell; Eron J
• Application Number:
  US10/365,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,715 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/228, 709/230, 709/236, 709/237, 709/250, 380/255, 713150-152, 713/168, 713/176
• US Class Current: 709/250
• 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 computer-implemented method for enabling a customer to customize a connection application that provides access to the Internet, the computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting customization preferences for selection by the customer, wherein the customization preferences include one or more of

points of presence for addition to a phonebook used with the connection application; and

pricing plans associated with the customer;

receiving the customization preferences from one of a plurality of customer systems associated with the customer, wherein the plurality of customer systems are configured to provide Internet access to end-user systems that are connected to the customer systems;

generating, based on the customization preferences, a customized connection application, the customized connection application configured to connect ones of the end users to ones of the customer systems, the customized connection application being in the form of a self-extracting executable to automatically install the connection application; and

digitally signing the customized connection application using a digital certificate, the customized connection application being for installation by ones of the end user systems that are associated with the one of the plurality of customer systems, the digital certificate obtained from a certificate authority, the digital certificate allowing for identification of a signer of the customized application and verification that the customized application is unmodified.

2. The method of claim 1, in which digitally signing the customized connection application includes signing a file that includes the customized connection application.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

distributing the connection application to the plurality of service providers via a computer network for downloading by the ones of the end-user systems.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized connection application selects at least one network access point that is displayed at the client machine, wherein the selection is based on a location of the client machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein digitally signing the customized connection application includes generating a secured signature file associated with the customized connection application.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting the customized connection application and the secured signature file destined for the one of the plurality of customer systems.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein ones of the user systems are configured to selectively install the customized connection application based on identifying the signer of the customized application and verifying that the customized application has not been tampered with since it was signed.

8. A machine-readable storage medium, embodying a sequence of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to execute a method comprising:

presenting customization preferences for selection by a customer, wherein the customization preferences are associated with a customized connection application, and wherein the customization preferences include one or more of

a plurality of graphical logos for presentation in the customized connection application; and

a plurality of dialer connect actions configured to execute selected programs while the customized connection application is connected to the Internet;

receiving customization preferences from one of a plurality of customer systems associated with the customer, wherein the plurality of customer systems are configured to provide Internet access to user systems that are connected to the customer systems;

generating, based on the customization preferences, the customized connection application, the customized connection application configured to connect ones of the end users to ones of the customer systems, the customized connection application being in the form of a self-extracting executable to automatically install the connection application; and

digitally signing the customized connection application using a digital certificate, the customized connection application being for installation by ones of the user systems that are associated with the one of the plurality of customer systems, the digital certificate obtained from a certificate authority, the digital certificate facilitating identification of a signer of the customized application and verification that the customized application is not modified.

9. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, in which digitally signing the customized connection application includes signing a file that includes the customized connection application.

10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

distributing the connection application to the plurality of customer systems via a computer network, the connection application for downloading by the end user.

11. A computerized system comprising:

a server machine including computer components configured to

receive customization preferences from one of a plurality of service providers wherein the customization preferences include one or more of points of presence for addition to a phonebook used with the connection application, pricing plans associated with the customer, graphical logos, and dial connect actions identifying programs to execute during Internet connections; and

generate, based on the customization preferences, a customized connection application, the customized connection application being in the form of a self-extracting executable to automatically install the connection application; and

a computerized build server including an encryption module to digitally sign the customized connection application using a digital certificate, the customized connection application being for installation by an end-user that is associated with the one of the plurality of customer systems, the digital certificate obtained from a certificate authority, the digital certificate allowing for identification of a signer of the customized application and verification that the customized application has not been tampered with since it was digitally signed.

12. The system of claim 11, in which digitally signing the customized connection application includes signing a file that includes the customized connection application.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further to distribute the connection application to the plurality of service providers via a computer network for downloading by the end user.

14. A computerized system including hardware and software operational to facilitate customization of connection applications, the computerized system comprising:

means for presenting customization preferences for selection by a customer, wherein the customization preferences include one or more of

points of presence for addition to a phonebook used by the connection application; and

pricing plans associated with the customer;

means for receiving customization preferences from one of a plurality of service providers;

means for, based on the customization preferences, generating a customized connection application, the customized connection application being in the form of a self-extracting executable to automatically install the connection application; and

means for digitally signing the customized connection application using a digital certificate the customized connection application being for installation by an end user that is associated with the one of the plurality of customer systems, the digital certificate obtained from a certificate authority, the digital certificate allowing for identification of a signer of the customized application and verification that the customized application has not been tampered with since it was signed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating of the customized connection application includes customizing the customized connection application to automatically perform a predetermined action responsive to detecting a condition in a connection process.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the condition in the connection process includes any one of a group of conditions including establishing of a connection, dialing of a point of access number, logging of an error, canceling of a connection session, and disconnecting from the Internet.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein automatically performing the predetermined action includes automatically establishing a virtual private network connection.