International Business Machines Corporation

Robert B Carroll

Hamid Bacha

Mark Fisk

Robert Burns

Hatem Ghafir

Robert Briggs

Sung Wei Tchao

Lev Mirlas

Hiroshi Maruyama

Khalid A Asad

Dieter Poetzschke

Drew Kittel

Lolo Lasida

Roger Reider

Paresh Patel

Larry An

Ku Lee

Raymond Good

Hirosi Maruyama

Amit Pamecha

Hanid Bacha

Lev Nirlas

Srinivasa Kasturi

Techniques for use in establishing a secure exchange of information between an end user and a server in a distributed network environment are provided in accordance with a context manager. The context manager is manageable within a vault process and maintains state information between successive user browser sessions with multiple application domains containing various applications. The context manager accesses data stored on a global level that spans applications and is available to multiple vault applications in different domains. The context manager also accesses data stored on an application level and common to a given application domain for a given sequence of operations within the vault application. The context manager accesses data stored on an instance level for a given sequence of operations within a given application domain. Finally, the context manager opens the global level data, application level data, and instance level data for non-null values where a scoping level is not identified when performing a retrieval operation.

Vault controller context manager and methods of operation for securely maintaining state information between successive browser connections in an electronic business system

A vault controller manages resources in a secure environment or vault dedicated to an authorized user(s) for conducting electronic business in a distributed information system, e.g., the Internet. The controller includes a web server and a supervisor in a shared object library which runs as part of an HTTP daemon. The supervisor runs as a multi-threaded process and includes multiple service supervisor (SS) threads; a communication supervisor (CS) thread; a request supervisor (RS) thread; state and data tables and a vault daemon to support launching secure processes mapped to users through digital certificates included in user requests to the controller.

Vault controller supervisor and method of operation for managing multiple independent vault processes and browser sessions for users in an electronic business system

When an electronic document is made available for review by other entities, it is often convenient to store the document in a repository or database managed by a third party. A system is provided in which the originator of the document is able to ensure the integrity and security of its document filed with a third party repository without having to trust the administrator of the repository. Both the document originator and the repository administrator have vault environments which are secure extensions of their respective work spaces. The vault of the document originator encrypts a document that it receives from the originator, prior to forwarding it on to the vault of the repository. On receipt of the encrypted document, the repository's vault signs the encrypted document itself before storing the document in the electronic repository and returning to the originator's vault proof of deposit of the encrypted document. When a request is made to view the document, it is made from the vault of the requesting party (a secure extension of the requesting party's work space) to the repository's vault. The repository's vault retrieves a copy of the encrypted document which it forwards, along with the requestor's identity to the originator's vault. The originator's vault verifies that the requester is authorized to view the document from the access control list using an access control list identifying access ownership privileges for the document stored in the vault itself. If the requestor has access, the originator's vault decrypts the document and forwards the decrypted document directly to the requestor's vault. The requestor must provide proof of receipt of the decrypted document.

System for electronic repository of data enforcing access control on data search and retrieval

A vault controller manages resources in a secure environment or vault dedicated to an authorized user(s) for conducting electronic business in a distributed information system. The controller includes a web server and a supervisor in a shared object library, which runs as part of an HTTP daemon. The supervisor runs as a multi-threaded process with state and data tables and a vault daemon to support launching secure processes mapped to users through digital certificates. The vault daemon generates a password for a user request based on the user ID. The vault daemon launches a vault process (VP) running in a vault mapped to the user ID. After launching, the VP returns a message to the supervisor including a token identifying the thread. The supervisor sends the user request through a socket to the secure VP mapped to the user ID. The VP receives the request and launches a VP thread to handle the request. The VP thread writes the process data back through the socket to the supervisor thread for return to the user.

A secure end-to-end communications system provides end users access to vault-based custom applications of an organization for purposes of conducting electronic commerce. The system includes a web-based vault controller running an application, e.g. a registrations application in a vault cryptographically linked to a database and a Certificate Management System (CMS) for generating digital certificates, and at least one remote vault agent coupled to the vault controller for providing vault-based custom applications to end users. An X.500 directory is coupled to the CMS and cryptographically linked to the remote vault agents for storing end user data. The remote vault agent is an application which comprises a collection of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) which provide a secure interface to the vault controller; a Lightweight Data Access Protocol (LDAP) used to access the X.500 directory; a secure depositor coupled to vault-based custom applications of an organization. The secure depositor includes APIs to perform cryptographic functions in passing communications between vaults used by the vault agent and vaults used by the vault controller or vaults used by other vault agent applications and a secure depositor library which uses functions in the LDAP to access the X.500 directory. The remote vault agent accesses the web based vault controller on a non-web basis to enable remote custom applications to communicate securely with vault-based applications, such as a registration application that administers digital certificates.

Secure communication system and method of operation for conducting electronic commerce using remote vault agents interacting with a vault controller

When an electronic document is made available for review by other entities, it is often convenient to store the document in a repository or database managed by a third party. A system is provided in which the originator of the document is able to ensure the integrity and security of its document filed with a third party repository without having to trust the administrator of the repository. Both the document originator and the repository administrator have vault environments which are secure extensions of their respective work spaces. The vault of the document originator encrypts a document that it receives from the originator, prior to forwarding it on to the vault of the repository. On receipt of the encrypted document, the repository's vault signs the encrypted document itself before storing the document in the electronic repository and returns to the originator's vault proof of deposit of the encrypted document in the form of a copy of the signed encrypted document. An access control list identifying access ownership privileges for the document are also stored in the repository. Updates to the access control list are under the control of document originator, or another computer designated by the document originator. When a request is made to view the document, it is made from the vault of the requesting party (a secure extension of the requesting party's work space) to the repository's vault. The repository's vault retrieves a copy of the encrypted document which it forwards, along with the requestor's identity to the originator's vault. The originator's vault verifies that the access control is valid, then verifies that the requestor is authorized to view the document from the access control list, then decrypts the document and forwards the decrypted document directly to the requestor's vault. The requestor provides proof of receipt of the decrypted document.

System for electronic repository of data enforcing access control on data retrieval

A secure-end-to-end communication system for conducting electronic business includes a web server&mdash;vault controller having personal storage vaults for users, registration and certification authorities. Each personal vault runs programs on the controller under a unique platform ID, e.g. a UNIX user ID. Data storage is provided by the controller wherein the storage is owned by the same user ID assigned to the vault. User processes running in dedicated vaults are able to communicate with other User processes running in different vaults using a secure depositor running as a module in a vault process in each vault. Messages are sent from a vault process to a specific vault rather than another vault process. There is no direct communication between vault processes. In operation, if a vault process intends for a message to go to another vault, e.g. Vault V, the sending secure depositor performs the mapping from the DN of the owner of Vault V to the DN of Vault V. The secure depositor then obtains the public encryption key of Vault V from the certificate found in the X.500 directory under the DN of Vault V. The secure depositor encrypts the message with the recipient's public key and signs the message with the private signing key in the sender's vault. The secure depositor inserts the encrypted and signed message (including the signing certificate) into a queue for Vault V. On the receiving side, the receiving secure depositor retrieves the message and decrypts the message with the private decryption key in Vault V. The secure depositor verifies the signature with the included certificate, after validating the certificate and checking the appropriate Certification Revocation Lists (CRL) in the X.500 directory. A secure depositor daemon, running either in the controller or on a remote machine, is used for relaying messages between processes running in vaults on different machines.

Vault controller secure depositor for managing secure communication

A secure-end-to-end communication system for electronic business system and method of operation, e.g., the Internet, includes a web server&mdash;vault controller having personal storage vaults in the controller for users, registration and certification authorities. Each personal vault runs programs on the controller under a unique UNIX user ID. Data storage is provided by the controller wherein the storage is owned by the same user ID assigned to the vault. A registration authority running as a software application in the controller processes requests to issue, renew and revoke digital certificates issued by a certification authority using two pairs of public-private keys. The registration authority interacts with the vault controller to decide whether an applicant qualifies to receive a digital certificate. The certification authority running as software application in the controller includes a certificate management system that provides services such as issuing, revoking, suspending, resuming, and renewing a user's right to digital certificates.

Secure server using public key registration and methods of operation

A secure server in a secure distributed information system isolates interaction from terminals to specific personal vaults including and to only those personal vaults, creating a 'virtual logon'. The secure server includes a secure connection server coupled to the system and to a vault deposit server having personal vaults in which user specific vault processes execute on dedicated encrypted data, after authentication of the user by a vault supervisor. The supervisor forwards vault process results to the user through the browser.

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Mt. Kisco, NY, United States of America

Robert B Carroll