Digital Certificate Response Extensions for Automated Remediation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital certificate status indications, such as those provided by CoRIM, are insufficient for automation, leading to potential system shutdowns or access denials without providing detailed vulnerability information.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an extension field in the vulnerability response to provide detailed vulnerability information, allowing host machines to autonomously determine and remediate issues by accessing third-party servers for updated certificates or packages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If only basic status information (good/revoked/unknown) is provided in vulnerability responses, then the response format remains simple and compatible with existing systems, but the host machine cannot autonomously determine appropriate actions and may shut down or deny access unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The vulnerability response is segmented into basic status information (good/revoked/unknown) and optional extended information fields. The basic status maintains compatibility with existing systems while the optional extension provides detailed vulnerability information for automated decision-making, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and information completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent embeds extended vulnerability information fields within the existing OCSP response structure. The extension field is nested inside the standard response format, allowing detailed information to be contained within the existing protocol framework without requiring a complete protocol redesign, thus maintaining backward compatibility while adding capability.
2Productivity
If detailed vulnerability information and links to updated drivers/firmware are provided, then automated remediation becomes possible and system downtime is reduced, but the complexity of the vulnerability response increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vulnerability response structure is made dynamic by making the extended information fields optional rather than mandatory. The response can adapt its complexity based on the specific vulnerability situation - providing basic status when sufficient, or adding detailed information and remediation links when needed, thus balancing productivity improvement with complexity management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary extension field that mediates between the basic OCSP response and the detailed vulnerability information. This intermediary structure allows detailed information to be added without fundamentally changing the existing response protocol, reducing the impact on system complexity while enabling automated remediation capabilities.
3Reliability
If the host machine waits for detailed vulnerability assessment before taking action, then accurate risk determination is achieved, but system downtime increases and productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The vulnerability response provides preliminary information about the severity and type of vulnerability along with direct links to remediation resources. This preliminary information enables the host machine to make informed decisions about whether to shut down or continue operating without waiting for complete vulnerability analysis, thus reducing downtime while maintaining risk assessment accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the vulnerability response includes not only the status information but also feedback about the recommended action and direct links to updated drivers or firmware. This feedback enables the host machine to autonomously respond to vulnerabilities quickly, reducing the time between vulnerability detection and remediation while maintaining accurate risk assessment.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods herein are for a host machine to include memory having instructions and at least one processor to execute instructions, which can cause the host machine to communicate with a verification server using a vulnerability request associated with a digital certificate, which can also cause the host machine to receive and parse a vulnerability response which includes a completion indicator, a status indicator, and an information or reference indicator associated with the status indicator, and which can cause the host machine to use the information or reference indicator to determine or perform a response to a vulnerability associated with the digital certificate.