Internet Security Systems, Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Siemens Schweiz Ag

Curtis Evan Ide

Philip Charles Brass

Theodore R Doty

Jonathan Marc Heller

Timothy David Dodd

Scott Mewett

Kevin A Overcash

David A Dennerline

John Jackson

Bobby J Williams

Maksim Ershtein

Martin D Sells

Alexandre Danileiko

Providing a user with assurance that a networked computer is secure, typically before completion of the log-in operation. This can be accomplished by extending the local log-in process to perform a host assessment of the workstation prior to requesting the user's credentials. If the assessment finds a vulnerability, the log-in process can inform the user that the machine is or may be compromised, or repair the vulnerability, prior to completion of the log-in operation. By performing vulnerability assessment at the level of the workstation, a network server is able to determine whether the workstation is a 'trusted' platform from which to accept authentication requests. If the vulnerability assessment shows that the workstation is compromised, or if the possibility of remote compromise is high, the network server can elect to fail the authentication on the grounds that the workstation cannot be trusted. Optionally, a vulnerability assessment tool may be able to repair the vulnerability of the workstation, and then allow the authentication to proceed.

Method and apparatus for network assessment and authentication

A method and system for the classification of an object within a zone of a specified area with multiple surveillance means. The invention performs the steps of receiving a set of objects within a predefined zone area from each of at least a first and second surveillance means. Subsequently, each received set of objects is filtered to ensure that the objects in the set are comparable to the objects in the other received set. Characteristics of the received sets of objects are compared and characteristics of the objects within a received set of objects are compared to characteristics of the objects within a different set of received objects, wherein the characteristics are based upon a set of predetermined characteristics. It is determined if each object or set identified by the first surveillance means corresponds to an object or set identified by the second surveillance means.

Systems and methods for classifying objects within a monitored zone using multiple surveillance devices

A method and system identifies, fixes, and updates security vulnerabilities in a host computer or host computers. The present invention can communicate between a scanner with plug-in capability, an operating system, and an express update package. The architectural set-up can allow exploits within the scanner and exploits in the express update package to function with no knowledge of each other. The user also needs no knowledge of whether the exploits are within the scanner or the express update package. Mutual authentication procedures can enable the scanner to load only legitimate express update packages, and can provide that express update packages can only be loaded into legitimate scanners.

Method and system for identifying, fixing, and updating security vulnerabilities

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Roswell, GA, United States of America

Curtis Evan Ide