Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Peter T Brundrett

Richard Bruce Ward

Praerit Garg

Jeffrey B Hamblin

Paul J Leach

Scott Field

Roberto Anthony Franco

Thomas C Jones

Michael M Swift

John Green Bedworth

Klaus U Schutz

Clifford P Van Dyke

Jianrong Gu

Roland Tokumi

Anantha P Ganjam

Marc Adam Silbey

Thekkthalackal Varugis Kurien

Eric C Perlin

Narasimha Rao S S Nagampalli

Jeremiah S Epling

Bogdan M Tepordei

Daniel Sie

Vidya Nallathimmayyagari

Keith Stuart Kaplan

Thomas Jay Miller

John E Brezak

Kedarnath Atmaram Dubhashi

Liqiang Zhu

Jonathan D Schwartz

James W Kelly

Robert P Reichel

Brian D Andrew

Gary D Kimura

The contemplated embodiments of the invention provide a method for implementing a mandatory integrity control (MIC) system that provides access control for each and every object and subject that need access control, but in a way that allows legacy operating systems to continue with little modification. The invention provides a novel method that selects an integrity level designator for a subject, when the subject logs onto the computer system. The selected integrity level designator is then added to an existing data structure in the computer system. The existing data structure may be a part of a security descriptor stored in a system access control list of an object. The existing data structure may be a part of a list of security permissions that constitute an access token for a process executing as a subject.

Mandatory integrity control

At computer device power on, the operating system of the computer device initiates a monitor. The monitor assigns a monitoring program to each program and object (collectively, 'program') running on the computer device to monitor the activities of the program. When the monitoring program is assigned to a program, the monitoring program is assigned an integrity and/or privacy label (collectively, 'integrity label') based on predetermined criteria applied to the monitored program. The monitoring program, in turn, assigns an integrity label to the program monitored by the monitoring program. The integrity label assigned to the monitored program is less than or equal to the integrity label of the monitoring program. The monitor enforces an integrity policy of the computer device based on the integrity label assigned to monitored programs and the integrity label associated with data, another program, or a remote network resource that the monitored program is seeking to access.

Integrating security protection tools with computer device integrity and privacy policy

In various embodiments, applications that are configured to interact with the Internet in some way are executed in a restricted process with a reduced privilege level that can prohibit the application from accessing portions of an associated computing device. For example, in some embodiments, the restricted process can prohibit applications from read and write access to portions of a system's computer-readable media, such as the hard disk, that contains administrative data and settings information and user data and settings. In these embodiments, a special portion of the disk, termed a 'containment zone', is designated and used by applications in this restricted process.

Running internet applications with low rights

Systems and methods are described that control attempts made by an application to access data. In one embodiment, the application is associated with a security token that includes an application ID. In operation, the system receives a request, initiated by the application, for access to the data. The system is configured to evaluate the request for access based in part on comparison of the security token and a listing of approved application IDs associated with the data.

Controlling execution of computer applications

Controlling computer applications' access to data

Remote administrative privileges in a distributed system are disabled by default. To administer a remote system, express action is taken to elevate a user status to obtain remote administrative privileges. When local and remote systems communicate, information pertaining to the status of the logged on user is included in the communications. If the user wishes to legitimately administer a remote system, the user provides an explicit request. The request is processed. If the user is configured as an administrator of the remote system and the request contains an indication that the user's administrative status has been elevated, an authorization token is generated. The authorization token is utilized by the remote system to allow the user to administer the remote system.

Privilege restriction enforcement in a distributed system

An operating system for a computing device has a first session for a user that includes a first base process that has a first privileges token attached thereto. The first privileges token includes substantially a full set of privileges of the user on the operating system. The operating system also has a second session for the user that includes a second base process that has a second privileges token attached thereto. The second privileges token is derived from the first privileges token and includes only a minimum set of privileges of the user on the operating system. Thus, the second, limited token does not have all privileges associated with the first, full token but instead has a limited set of privileges and not extra privileges that could be employed to take actions that would be harmful, deceptive, or malicious.

Providing user on computer operating system with full privileges token and limited privileges token

In accordance with certain aspects of the present invention, improved methods and arrangements are provided that improve access control within a computer. The methods and arrangements specifically identify the authentication mechanism/mechanisms, and/or characteristics thereof, that were used in verifying that a user with a unique name is the actual user that the name implies, to subsequently operating security mechanisms. Thus, differentiating user requests based on this additional information provides additional control.

Methods and arrangements for controlling access to resources based on authentication method

Providing object type specific access control to an object is described. In one embodiment, a computer system comprises an operating system operative to control an application and a service running on a computer. The service maintains a service object having a link to an access control entry. The access control entry contains an access right to perform an operation on an object type. The system further includes an access control module within the operating system. The access control module includes an access control interface and operates to grant or deny the access right to perform the operation on the object.

Object type specific access control

A method and computing system for extending access control of system objects in a computing environment beyond traditional rights such as read, write, create and delete. According to the invention, a system administrator or user application is able to create control rights that are unique to the type of object. Rights can be created that do not relate to any specific property of the object, but rather define how a user may control the object. A novel object, referred to as a control access data structure, is defined for each unique control right and associates the control right with one or more objects of the computing environment. In order to grant the right to a trusted user, an improved access control entry (ACE) is defined which holds a unique identifier of the trusted user and a unique identifier of the control access data structure.

Extensible security system and method for controlling access to objects in a computing environment

Providing access control to individual properties of an object is described. In one embodiment, a computer system comprises an operating system operative to control applications and services running on the system. The service maintains a service object having at least one property. Also included in the system is an access control module within the operating system. The access control module includes an access control interface operative to control access to a property of the object.

Per property access control mechanism

A system and method for encryption and decryption of files. The system and method operate in conjunction with the file system to transparently encrypt and decrypt files in using a public key-private key pair encryption scheme. When a user puts a file in an encrypted directory or encrypts a file, all data writes to the disk for that file are encrypted with a random file encryption key generated from a random number and encrypted with the public key of a user and the public key of at least one recovery agent. The encrypted key information is stored with the file, whereby the user or a recovery agent can decrypt the file data using the private key thereof. When a proper private key is used, encrypted reads from the disk are decrypted transparently by the file system and returned to the user.

Encrypting file system and method

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Peter T Brundrett