IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,549,596
Granted Patent B2
US 8,549,596 · App. 12/370,891 · Granted Oct 1, 2013

Systems and methods for secure handling of secure attention sequences

Inventor: Andrew Innes (Cambridge, GB)
Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,549,596
App. No.
12/370,891
Filed
Feb 13, 2009
Granted
Oct 1, 2013
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2434
USPC
726/7
Abstract

A method for authenticating, by a trusted component, a user of a desktop appliance to a remote machine includes executing, by a desktop appliance, a user interaction component, responsive to receiving a secure attention sequence from a user. The user interaction component receives authentication credentials associated with the user. The desktop appliance transmits, to a broker service, the received authentication credentials. The broker service authenticates the user, responsive to the received authentication credentials. The broker service transmits, to a remote machine, authentication data associated with the received authentication credentials. The remote machine authenticates the user, responsive to the received authentication data. The remote machine provides, to the desktop appliance, access to a resource requested by the user. In another aspect, a trusted component provides, to a user of a desktop appliance, access to secure desktop functionality provided by a remote machine.

Claims (50)

1. A method for authenticating, by a trusted component, a user of a desktop appliance to a remote machine, the method comprising:

executing, by a desktop appliance, a user interaction component, responsive to receiving a secure attention sequence from a user, wherein the secure attention sequence is a key combination of a control key, an alt key, and a delete key;

receiving, by the user interaction component, authentication credentials associated with the user;

receiving, by the user interaction component executed by the desktop appliance, a request for access to a hosted resource executing remotely and presented to the user as a resource executing locally;

transmitting, by the desktop appliance, to a broker service, the received authentication credentials;

authenticating, by the broker service, the user, responsive to the received authentication credentials;

transmitting, by the broker service, to a remote machine, authentication data associated with the received authentication credentials;

authenticating, by the remote machine, the user, responsive to the received authentication data; and

providing, by the remote machine, to the desktop appliance, access to the hosted resource.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing, by a desktop appliance, a user interaction component, responsive to identifying a key combination entered by a user requesting access to a security-critical task.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing, by the desktop appliance, a connection with the remote machine.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing, by the remote machine, to the desktop appliance, access to a computing environment associated with the user.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying, by the broker service, a remote machine providing access to secure desktop functionality requested by the user.

6. A method for authenticating, by a trusted component, a user of a desktop appliance to a remote machine, the method comprising:

executing, by a desktop appliance, a user interaction component, responsive to receiving a secure attention sequence from a user, wherein the secure attention sequence is a key combination of a control key, an alt key, and a delete key;

receiving, by the user interaction component, authentication credentials associated with the user;

receiving, by the user interaction component executed by the desktop appliance, a request for access to a hosted resource executing remotely and presented to the user as a resource executing locally;

authenticating, by the user interaction component, the user, responsive to the received authentication credentials;

transmitting, by the desktop appliance, to a broker service, authentication data associated with the received authentication credentials;

transmitting, by the broker service, to a remote machine, authentication data associated with the received authentication credentials;

authenticating, by the remote machine, the user, responsive to the received authentication data; and

providing, by the remote machine, to the desktop appliance, access to the hosted resource.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising transmitting, to the broker service, an indication that the user interaction component authenticated the user.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising transmitting, by the desktop appliance, to the remote machine, the authentication data.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising executing, by the desktop appliance, the user interaction component, responsive to identifying a key combination entered by a user requesting access to a security-critical task.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising establishing, by the desktop appliance, a connection with the remote machine.

11. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing, by the remote machine, to the desktop appliance, access to a computing environment associated with the user.

12. The method of claim 6 further comprising identifying, by the broker service, a remote machine providing access to secure desktop functionality requested by the user.

13. A system for authenticating, by a trusted component, a user of a desktop appliance to a remote machine comprising:

a user interaction component executed by a desktop appliance and, responsive to receiving a secure attention sequence, receiving authentication credentials associated with a user, wherein the secure attention sequence is a key combination of a control key, an alt key, and a delete key;

a broker service executing on a broker server, receiving the authentication credentials and authenticating the user; and

a remote machine receiving, from the broker service, authentication data associated with the received authentication credentials, authenticating the user, responsive to the received authentication data, establishing a connection with the desktop appliance, and providing, to the desktop appliance, access to a hosted resource executing remotely and presented to the user as though the hosted resource was executing locally.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the desktop appliance further comprises a transmitter for transmitting, to the broker service, the received authentication credentials.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the desktop appliance further comprises a transmitter for transmitting, to the broker service, authentication data associated with the received authentication credentials.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the user interaction component further comprises means for authenticating the user responsive to the received authentication credentials.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the desktop appliance further comprises a transmitter transmitting, to the broker service, an indication that the user interaction component authenticated the user.

18. The system of claim 13 further comprising a trusted computing base in an operating system executed by the desktop appliance, the trusted computing base executing the user interaction component, responsive to receiving a secure attention sequence from the user.

19. The system of claim 13 further comprising a broker interaction component executing on the desktop appliance and transmitting the authentication credentials to the broker service.

20. The system of claim 13 further comprising a desktop connection component executing on the desktop appliance communicating with the remote machine across the established connection.

21. A system for authenticating, by a trusted component, a user of a desktop appliance to a remote machine comprising:

means for executing, by a desktop appliance, a user interaction component, responsive to receiving a secure attention sequence from a user, wherein the secure attention sequence is a key combination of a control key, an alt key, and a delete key;

means for receiving, by the user interaction component, authentication credentials associated with the user; means for transmitting, by the desktop appliance, to a broker service, the received authentication credentials;

means for receiving, by the user interaction component executed by the desktop appliance, a request for access to a hosted resource executing remotely and presented to the user as a resource executing locally;

means for authenticating, by the broker service, the user, responsive to the received authentication credentials; means for transmitting, by the broker service, to a remote machine, authentication data associated with the received authentication credentials;

means for authenticating, by the remote machine, the user, responsive to the received authentication data; and

means for providing, by the remote machine, to the desktop appliance, access to the hosted resource.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising means for executing, by a desktop appliance, a user interaction component, responsive to identifying a key combination entered by a user requesting access to a security-critical task.

23. The system of claim 21 further comprising means for establishing, by the desktop appliance, a connection with the remote machine.

24. The system of claim 21 further comprising means for providing, by the remote machine, to the desktop appliance, access to a computing environment associated with the user.

25. The system of claim 21 further comprising means for identifying, by the broker service, a remote machine providing access to secure desktop functionality requested by the user.

Assignments (10)
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 15, 2025
From: CLOUD SOFTWARE GROUP, INC.; CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 072488/0172 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 24, 2024
From: CLOUD SOFTWARE GROUP, INC. (F/K/A TIBCO SOFTWARE INC.); CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 067662/0568 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 14, 2023
From: CLOUD SOFTWARE GROUP, INC. (F/K/A TIBCO SOFTWARE INC.); CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 063340/0164 →
RELEASE AND REASSIGNMENT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENT (REEL/FRAME 062113/0001) Recorded Apr 14, 2023
From: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.; CLOUD SOFTWARE GROUP, INC. (F/K/A TIBCO SOFTWARE INC.)
Reel/Frame 063339/0525 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 7, 2022
From: TIBCO SOFTWARE INC.; CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 062112/0262 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 7, 2022
From: TIBCO SOFTWARE INC.; CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 062113/0470 →
SECOND LIEN PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 7, 2022
From: TIBCO SOFTWARE INC.; CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 062113/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 30, 2022
From: CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 062079/0001 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ERROR IN THE COVER SHEET FROM RECEIVING PARTY OF "CITRIX SYSTEMS UK LTD." TO RECEIVING PARTY OF "CITRIX SYSTEMS INC." PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 022651 FRAME 0735. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CONVEYANCE OF ORIGINAL DOCUMENT INDICATED AN ASSIGNMENT FROM ANDREW INNES TO CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.. Recorded Jun 17, 2009
From: INNES, ANDREW
To: CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 022836/0640 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 7, 2009
From: INNES, ANDREW
To: CITRIX SYSTEMS, UK LTD.
Reel/Frame 022651/0735 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 61029088 · Feb 15, 2008
Related Publication 20090210934A1 · Aug 20, 2009