System and method for downloading a virus-free file certificate from a file server
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to computer viruses and more particularly to a method and system for requesting a virus-free certificate associated with a file of a file server and downloading this virus-free file certificate or a file including this virus-free file certificate from the file server. The method, for use in a client system ( 100 ), comprises the steps of: sending ( 401 ) a request to a file server for a virus-free certificate associated with a file to download from the file server, the request comprising one or a plurality of requirements ( 301 . . . 307 ) for the virus-free certificate; downloading ( 403 ) the file and the associated virus-free certificate, the virus-free certificate comprising a file signature ( 207 ) for certifying that the file is declared virus-free by a virus-free certificate authority ( 102 ). The method, for use in a file server ( 101 ), comprises the steps of: receiving ( 401 ) a request from a client system for a virus-free certificate associated with a file to download to the client system, the request comprising one or a plurality of requirements ( 301 . . . 307 ) for the virus-free certificate; downloading ( 403 ) the file and the associated virus-free certificate, the virus-free certificate comprising a file signature ( 207 ) for certifying that the file is declared virus-free by a virus-free certificate authority ( 102 ).
1. A method, for use in a client system, for downloading from a file server a file and an associated virus-free certificate certifying that the file is virus-free, comprising the steps of:
sending a request to a file server for a virus-free certificate associated with a file to download from said file server, said request comprising one or a plurality of requirements for said virus-free certificate;
determining whether a virus-free certificate satisfies said virus-free certificate requirements; and if no certificate satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements:
receiving from the file server a list of available virus-free certificates, if a certificate is accepted by the client system;
selecting from the list an available virus-free certificate for the file, and
downloading the file and the selected virus-free certificate; otherwise,
downloading the file and the associated virus-free certificate, said virus-free certificate comprising a file signature for certifying that the file is declared virus-free by a virus-free certificate authority.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the one or plurality of virus-free certificate requirements comprise:
a list of one or a plurality of anti-virus programs that must have been executed on the file to download.
3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the one or plurality of anti-virus requirements further comprise:
a list of one of a plurality of virus-free certificate authorities to which the issuer of the virus-free certificate must belong.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the one or plurality of anti-virus requirements further comprise:
a virus-free certificate type; and
a virus-free certificate proxy that can be used by the file server for requesting a virus-free certificate when no virus-free certificate is locally available.
5. The method according to claim 1 comprising the further steps of:
if no certificate is accepted by the client system and if the virus-free certificate request does not comprise a virus-free certificate authority proxy:
downloading the file without virus-free certificate; and
requesting a virus-free certificate to a default virus-free certificate authority.
6. The method according to claim 2 wherein the one or plurality of anti-virus requirements further comprise:
a list of one of a plurality of virus-free certificate authorities to which the issuer of the virus-free certificate must belong.
7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the one or plurality of anti-virus requirements further comprise:
a virus-free certificate type; and
a virus-free certificate proxy that can be used by the file server for requesting a virus-free certificate when no virus-free certificate is locally available.
8. The method according to claim 7 comprising the further steps of:
if no certificate is accepted by the client system and if the virus-free certificate request does not comprise a virus-free certificate authority proxy:
downloading the file without virus-free certificate; and
requesting a virus-free certificate to a default virus-free certificate authority.
9. A client system, for carrying out the method according to claim 1 .
10. A method, for use in a file server, for downloading to client system a file and an associated virus-free certificate certifying that the file is virus-free, comprising the steps of:
receiving a request from a client system for a virus-free certificate associated with a file to download to said client system, said request comprising one or a plurality of requirements for said virus-free certificate;
determining whether a virus-free certificate is requested for the file; and if no virus-free certificate is requested for the file
downloading the file without associated virus-free certificate; otherwise
downloading the file and the associated virus-free certificate, said virus-free certificate comprising a file signature for certifying that the file is declared virus-free by a virus-free certificate authority.
11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the step of determining whether said virus-free certificate is requested for the file comprises:
determining whether a virus-free certificate for the file satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements comprised in the request; and
if a virus-free certificate for the file satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements comprised in the request:
downloading the file and the associated virus-free certificate.
12. The method according to claim 10 wherein the step of determining whether said virus-free certificate is requested for the file comprises:
determining whether a virus-free certificate for the file satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements comprised in the request; and
if no virus-free certificate for the file satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements comprised in the request:
sending a list of available virus-free certificates for this file.
13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the step of sending a list of available virus-free certificates for this file comprises the further steps of:
receiving a reply from the client system indicating whether an available virus-free certificate is accepted or not;
If an available virus-free certificate is accepted by the client system:
downloading the file and the accepted virus-free certificate;
If no virus-free certificate is accepted by the client system:
determining whether a virus-free certificate authority proxy is defined in the virus-free certificate request; and
If a virus-free certificate authority proxy is defined in the virus-free certificate request:
requesting to this virus-free certificate authority proxy a virus-free certificate for the file.
14. The method according to claim 10 wherein the one or plurality of virus-free certificate requirements comprise:
a list of one or a plurality of anti-virus programs that must have been executed on the file to download.
15. The method according to claim 10 wherein the one or plurality of anti-virus requirements further comprise:
a list of one of a plurality of virus-free certificate authorities to which the issuer of the virus-free certificate must belong.
16. The method according to claim 10 wherein the one or plurality of anti-virus requirements further comprise:
a virus-free certificate type; and
a virus-free certificate proxy that can be used by the file server for requesting a virus-free certificate when no virus-free certificate is locally available.
17. The method according to claim 11 wherein the step of receiving a request from a client system for a virus-free certificate associated with a file to download to said client system, comprises the further steps of:
determining whether a virus-free certificate for the file satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements comprised in the request; and
If no virus-free certificate for the file satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements comprised in the request:
sending a list of available virus-free certificates for this file.
18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the step of sending a list of available virus-free certificates for this file comprises the further steps of:
receiving a reply from the client system indicating whether an available virus-free certificate is accepted or not;
If an available virus-free certificate is accepted by the client system:
downloading the file and the accepted virus-free certificate;
If no virus-free certificate is accepted by the client system:
determining whether a virus-free certificate authority proxy is defined in the virus-free certificate request; and
If a virus-free certificate authority proxy is defined in the virus-free certificate request:
requesting to this virus-free certificate authority proxy a virus-free certificate for the file.
19. The method according to claim 18 wherein the one or plurality of virus-free certificate requirements comprise:
a list of one or a plurality of anti-virus programs that must have been executed on the file to download.
20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the one or plurality of anti-virus requirements further comprise:
a list of one of a plurality of virus-free certificate authorities to which the issuer of the virus-free certificate must belong.
21. The method according to claim 20 wherein the one or plurality of anti-virus requirements further comprise:
a virus-free certificate type; and
a virus-free certificate proxy that can be used by the file server for requesting a virus-free certificate when no virus-free certificate is locally available.
22. A system, more particularly a file server system, for carrying out the method according to claim 10 .
23. A client system for carrying out the method according to claim 8 .
24. A file server system for carrying out the method according to claim 21 .
25. A computer program product for downloading from a file server a file and an associated virus-free certificate certifying that the file is virus-free, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, said computer readable program code comprising of steps:
computer readable program code means for sending a request to a file server for a virus-free certificate associated with a file to download from said file server, said request comprising one or a plurality of requirements for said virus-free certificate;
computer readable program code for determining whether a virus-free certificate satisfies said virus-free certificate requirements and receiving from the file server a list of available virus-free certificates if no certificate satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements;
computer readable program code means for selecting from the list an available virus-free certificate for the file and downloading the file and the selected virus-free certificate, if a certificate is accepted by the client system; and
computer readable program code means for downloading the file and the associated virus-free certificate, said virus-free certificate comprising a file signature for certifying that the file is declared virus-free by a virus-free certificate authority.
26. A computer program product according to claim 25 wherein the one or plurality of virus-free certificate requirements comprise a list of one or a plurality of anti-virus programs that must have been executed on the file to download.
27. A computer program product for downloading files as in claim 25 wherein the one or plurality of anti-virus requirements further comprise a list of one of a plurality of virus-free certificate authorities to which the issuer of the virus-free certificate must belong.
28. A computer program product for downloading files as in claim 25 wherein the one or plurality of anti-virus requirements further comprise:
a virus-free certificate type; and
a virus-free certificate proxy that can be used by the file server for requesting a virus-free certificate when no virus-free certificate is locally available.
29. A computer program product as in claim 25 further comprising:
computer readable program code means for downloading the file without virus-free certificate and requesting a virus-free certificate to a default virus-free certificate authority, if no certificate is accepted by the client system and if the virus-free certificate request does not comprise a virus-free certificate authority proxy.
30. A computer program product for downloading from a file server a file and an associated virus-free certificate certifying that the file is virus-free, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, said computer readable program code comprising:
computer readable program code means for receiving a request from a client system for a virus-free certificate associated with a file to download to said client system, said request comprising one or a plurality of requirements for said virus-free certificate;
computer readable program code means for determining whether a virus-free certificate is requested for the file and for downloading the file without associated virus-free certificate if no virus-free certificate is requested for the file; and
computer readable program code means for downloading the file and the associated virus-free certificate, said virus-free certificate comprising a file signature for certifying that the file is declared virus-free by a virus-free certificate authority.
31. A computer program product as in claim 30 wherein the computer readable program code means for receiving a request from a client system for a virus-free certificate associated with a file to download to said client system, further comprises:
computer readable program code means for determining whether a virus-free certificate for the file satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements comprised in the request; and
computer readable program code means for downloading the file and the associated virus-free certificate if a virus-free certificate for the file satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements comprised in the request.
32. A computer program product as in claim 30 wherein the computer readable program code means for receiving a request from a client system for a virus-free certificate associated with a file to download to said client system, further comprises:
computer readable program code means for determining whether a virus-free certificate for the file satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements comprised in the request; and,
computer readable program code means for sending a list of available virus-free certificates for this file if no virus-free certificate for the file satisfies the virus-free certificate requirements comprised in the request.
33. A computer program product as in claim 30 wherein computer readable program code means for sending a list of available virus-free certificates for this file further comprises:
computer readable program code means for receiving a reply from the client system indicating whether an available virus-free certificate is accepted or not;
computer readable program code means for downloading the file and the accepted virus-free certificate if an available virus-free certificate is accepted by the client system;
computer readable program code means for determining whether a virus-free certificate authority proxy is defined in the virus-free certificate request if no virus-free certificate is accepted by the client system; and
computer readable program code means for requesting to this virus-free certificate authority proxy a virus-free certificate for the file if a virus-free certificate authority proxy is defined in the virus-free certificate request.
34. A computer program product as in claim 30 wherein the one or plurality of virus-free certificate requirements comprise a list of one or a plurality of anti-virus programs that must have been executed on the file to download.
35. A computer program product as in claim 30 wherein the one or plurality of anti-virus requirements further comprise a list of one of a plurality of virus-free certificate authorities to which the issuer of the virus-free certificate must belong.
36. The computer program product as in claim 30 wherein the one or plurality of anti-virus requirements further comprise:
a virus-free certificate type; and
a virus-free certificate proxy that can be used by the file server for requesting a virus-free certificate when no virus-free certificate is locally available.