Micro and macro trust in a decentralized environment

• US 8,250,639 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Wouhaybi, Rita H., Vicente, John, Li, Hong
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, SHIN HON
• Application Number:
  US11/943,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20090133096A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,736 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/10
• 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 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2145 Inheriting rights or properties, e.g., propagation of permissions or restrictions within a hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed. In one embodiment the method includes calculating a trust level of a first entity. The first entity has a plurality of components. Each component in the first entity has at least the trust level of the first entity.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, on a first computing device entity, a first trust level between the first computing device entity and a second computing device entity;

determining, on the first computing device, a second trust level between a first component of the first computing device entity and a second component of the second computing device entity;

calculating, on the first computing device, a third trust level between a third component of the first computing device entity and the second component of the second computing entity as a function of the first trust level and the second trust level;

wherein the third trust level is utilized, at least in part, by the third component of the first computing device entity in determining whether to communicate with the second component of the second computing device entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first trust level is a function of, at least in part, a length of time the first computing device entity has had knowledge of the second computing device entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first trust level is a function of, at least in part, a length of time since the first computing device entity has last been in communication with the second computing device entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second trust level is greater than the first trust level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second computing device entity comprises a plurality of components and further comprising:

establishing a trust level between the first component of the first computing device entity and each of the plurality of components of the second computing device, wherein each of the trust levels between the first component of the first computing device entity and each of the plurality of components of the second computing device is no less than the first trust level.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, on the first computing device, a fourth trust level between the third component of the first computing device and the first component of the first computing device,

wherein calculating the third trust level comprises calculating the third trust level as a function of the first trust level, the second trust level, and the fourth trust level.

7. A method, comprising:

determining, on a first computing device entity, a first trust level between the first computing device entity and a second computing device entity;

determining, on the first computing device, a second trust level between a first component of the first computing device entity and a second component of the second computing device entity;

determining, on the first computing device, a third trust level between a third component of the first computing device entity and the first component of the first computing device entity; and

calculating, on the first computing device, a fourth trust level between a third component of the first computing device entity and the second component of the second computing entity as a function of the first trust level, the second trust level, and the third trust level.

8. A method, comprising:

determining, on a first computing device entity, a first trust level between a first component of a plurality of components of the first computing device entity and a second computing device entity;

receiving, on the first computing device, a second trust level between a second component of a plurality of components of the second computing device entity and a third component of a third computing device entity; and

calculating, on the first computing device, a third trust level between a fourth component of the first computing device entity and the third component of the third computing entity as a function of the first trust level and the second trust level.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, on the first computing device, a fourth trust level between the fourth component of the first computing device and the first component of the first computing device,

wherein calculating the third trust level comprises calculating the third trust level as a function of the first trust level, the second trust level, and the fourth trust level.