IP Library Granted Patent US 11,934,525
Granted Patent B2
US 11,934,525 · App. 17/712,499 · Granted Mar 19, 2024

Network security by integrating mutual attestation

Inventors: Sujal Sheth (Gujarat, IN); Shwetha Subray Bhandari (Bangalore, IN); Eric Voit (Bethesda, MD); William F. Sulzen (Apex, NC); Frank Brockners (Cologne, DE)
Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
G06F21/57H04L9/0869H04L9/3213
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,934,525
App. No.
17/712,499
Granted
Mar 19, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Technologies for attestation techniques, systems, and methods to confirm the integrity of a device for establishing and/or maintaining a trustworthy encrypted network session. An example method can include sending, via a server and using a cryptographic security protocol, a message associated with establishing an encrypted network session; receiving a response from a client device; identifying a level of trust of the client device based on the response; determining whether to perform a next step in the cryptographic security protocol based on the level of trust, wherein the cryptographic security protocol comprises at least one of a Secure Shell (SSH) protocol, a Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, and an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) protocol.

Claims (38)

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, from one or more computing devices, one or more messages comprising a nonce;

generate, via a processor, a signature comprising the nonce and integrity data from the processor, wherein at least one of the integrity data or the one or more messages comprises at least one of a proof of freshness;

validating the proof of freshness based on a state of internal counters within one or more trusted platform module crypto-processors associated with the one or more computing devices and a reference database;

identifying a level of trust of each of the one or more computing devices based on the signature and a result of validating the proof of freshness; and

determining whether to perform a next step in a cryptographic security protocol based on the level of trust, wherein the cryptographic security protocol comprises at least one of a Secure Shell (SSH) protocol, a Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, and an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) protocol.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the integrity data comprises metadata about a proof of integrity of the one or more computing devices provided by one or more trusted platform module crypto-processors based on an evaluation of the one or more messages.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the proof of integrity is with respect to an identity of hardware and software components of the one or more computing devices.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more messages are evaluated based on logs maintained in a storage of one or more of the one or more computing devices, wherein the logs indicate a set of transactions that have occurred since a boot time of the one or more computing devices and provide data regarding a trustworthiness of the one or more computing devices.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the integrity data or the one or more messages comprises a proof of freshness based on signed data generated within a threshold period of time including a time when the one or more messages were sent.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

prior to obtaining the one or more messages, sending, via a server associated with the processor, a message associated with establishing an encrypted network session, wherein the message comprises a challenge to a freshness of any of the one or more messages, the challenge comprising a copy of the nonce.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the proof of freshness is based on a token or an identity of hardware and software components of the one or more computing devices.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the reference database includes a directory of at least one of reference integrity values, known good reference values, and public keys published as certificates of other peer devices for validating tokens.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nonce comprises a set of random numbers combined into a single nonce.

10. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

obtain, from one or more computing devices, one or more messages comprising a nonce;

generate a signature comprising the nonce and integrity data from the processor, wherein at least one of the integrity data or the one or more messages comprises at least one of a proof of freshness;

validate the proof of freshness based on a state of internal counters within one or more trusted platform module crypto-processors associated with the one or more computing devices and a reference database;

identify a level of trust of each of the one or more computing devices based on the signature; and

determine whether to perform a next step in a cryptographic security protocol based on the level of trust, wherein the cryptographic security protocol comprises at least one of a Secure Shell (SSH) protocol, a Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, and an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) protocol.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the integrity data comprises metadata about a proof of integrity of the one or more computing devices provided by one or more trusted platform module crypto-processors based on an evaluation of the one or more messages.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the proof of integrity is with respect to an identity of hardware and software components of the one or more computing devices.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more messages are evaluated based on logs maintained in a storage of one or more of the one or more computing devices, wherein the logs indicate a set of transactions that have occurred since a boot time of the one or more computing devices and provide data regarding a trustworthiness of the one or more computing devices.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the integrity data or the one or more messages comprises a proof of freshness based on signed data generated within a threshold period of time including a time when the one or more messages were sent.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the memory includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

prior to obtaining the one or more messages, send a message associated with establishing an encrypted network session, wherein the message comprises a challenge to a freshness of any of the one or more messages, the challenge comprising a copy of the nonce.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the proof of freshness is based on a token or an identity of hardware and software components of the one or more computing devices.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the reference database includes at least one of reference integrity values, known good reference values, and public keys published as certificates of other peer devices for validating tokens.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the nonce comprises a set of random numbers combined into a single nonce.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

obtain, from one or more computing devices, one or more messages comprising a nonce;

generate a signature comprising the nonce and integrity data from the processor;

identify a level of trust of each of the one or more computing devices based on the signature; and

determine whether to perform a next step in a cryptographic security protocol based on the level of trust.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the nonce comprises a set of random numbers combined into a single nonce.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 4, 2022
From: SHETH, SUJAL; BHANDARI, SHWETHA SUBRAY; VOIT, ERIC; SULZEN, WILLIAM F.; BROCKNERS, FRANK
To: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 059489/0469 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation 16752488 · Jan 24, 2020
Provisional Application 62830178 · Apr 5, 2019
Provisional Application 62830181 · Apr 5, 2019
Provisional Application 62829570 · Apr 4, 2019
Related Publication 20220222347A1 · Jul 14, 2022
Cited By (1)
US 12,676,898