Security scanning system and method

• US 8,601,582 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Howcroft, Jerald Robert, Markley, John J., Del Carmine, Rocco A.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZECHER, CORDELIA P K
• Application Number:
  US13/776,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20130239218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 281 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including processor executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

invoking, by a backbone server via which a provider of television services provides the television services, a first television service scanning program to remotely scan a first television service application program for use in providing the television services, the first television service scanning program residing on a server of a provider of the first television service application program, wherein the first television service application program comprises a set-top-box control panel application program configured to enable a user to access a set-top-box remotely to navigate and select content;

invoking a second television service scanning program to remotely scan a second television service application program for use in providing the television services, the second television service scanning program residing on a web server; and

invoking, by the backbone server, a program to correlate security vulnerabilities identified by the first television service scanning program with security vulnerabilities identified by the second television service scanning program,

wherein the first television service scanning program accesses the set-top-box via a digital subscriber line using a pass-through connection on a residential gateway locally coupled to the set-top-box.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations include operations for invoking a third television service scanning program relating to a component management system for customer premises equipment for use in providing the television services to remotely scan a third application program to identify security vulnerabilities with the third application program.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the customer premises equipment is a set-top-box for providing content to a television set.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second television service application program and the first television service application program are the same application program.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations include operations for enabling the backbone server to obtain access to at least one of the server of the first television service application program provider and the web server.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations include operations for assigning risk levels to the security vulnerabilities and provide a report that indicates the risk levels.

7. A method of determining security vulnerabilities associated with providing television services to a set-top-box over a communications network, comprising:

invoking, by a backbone server, a first television service scanning program to remotely scan a first television service application program for use in providing the television services, the first television service scanning program residing on a server of a provider of the first television service application program, wherein the first television service application program comprises a set-top-box control panel application program configured to enable a user to access the set-top-box remotely to navigate and select content;

invoking, by the backbone server, a second television service scanning program to remotely scan a second television service application program for use in providing the television services, the second television service scanning program residing on a web server; and

invoking a program to correlate security vulnerabilities identified by the first television service scanning program with security vulnerabilities identified by the second television service scanning program,

wherein the first television service scanning program accesses the set-top-box via a digital subscriber line using a pass-through connection on a residential gateway locally coupled to the set-top-box.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising assigning risk levels to the security vulnerabilities and providing a report identifying the assigned risks.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising invoking, by the backbone server, a third television service scanning program to remotely scan a third application program that relates to a component management system of a digital subscriber line modem.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising invoking, by the backbone server, a fourth television service scanning program to remotely scan a fourth application program adapted for use in the set-top-box in an environment that simulates a digital subscriber line network.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the server of the provider of the first television service application program has an associated firewall and the method further comprising obtaining access to the server of the provider of the first television service application program utilizing a selected identifier.

12. A server, comprising:

a processor having access to computer executable instructions embedded in a storage medium and further having access to a database that stores information relating to security vulnerabilities for a plurality of application programs associated with a customer device, the instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

invoking, by a backbone server associated with a communications network of a provider of television services, a first television service scanning program to remotely scan a first television service application program for use in providing the television services via the communications network, the first television service scanning program residing on a server of a provider of the first television service application program, wherein the first television service application program comprises a set-top-box control panel application program configured to enable a user to access the set-top-box remotely to navigate and select content;

invoking, by the backbone server, a second television service scanning program to remotely scan a second television service application program for use in providing the television services, the second television service scanning program residing on a web server; and

invoking, by the backbone server, a program to correlate security vulnerabilities identified by the first television service scanning program with security vulnerabilities identified by the second television service scanning program,

wherein the first television service scanning program accesses the set-top-box via a digital subscriber line using a pass-through connection on a residential gateway locally coupled to the set-top-box.

13. The server of claim 12, wherein the operations include operations for invoking, by the backbone server, a third television service scanning program relating to a component management system for customer premises equipment for use in providing the television services to remotely scan a third application program to identify security vulnerabilities with the third application program.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein the customer premises equipment is a set-top-box for providing content to a television set.

15. The server of claim 12, wherein the operations include operations for:

assigning a risk level to each of the security vulnerabilities.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the operations include operations for:

providing a report that indicates the risk level.

17. The server of claim 12, wherein the server of the provider of the first television service application program has a firewall associated therewith and the operations include operations for:

obtaining access to the server of the provider of the first television service application program.