Patents by Inventor Andrew CATHROW
Andrew CATHROW has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11190397Abstract: In one embodiment, a delegation engine automatically provisions a device connected to a network to securely identify and interact with external services. As a device boots in a deployment environment, the delegation engine generates a search domain name based on a manufacturer-supplied domain name and a domain name associated with the deployment environment. The delegation engine then searches a Domain Name System (DNS) to retrieve a delegation record stored at the search domain name. After verifying a manufacturer signature associated with the delegation record, the delegation engine configures the device based on service discovery information included in the delegation record. Because the delegation engine automates the provisioning process, the time required to provision devices is acceptable irrespective of the number of the devices. Further, because the delegation engine verifies the delegation record, the delegation engine does not expose the device to security risks during the provisioning process.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2016Date of Patent: November 30, 2021Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.Inventors: Andrew Cathrow, Andrew Fregly, Stephen D. James
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Patent number: 10715502Abstract: Systems and methods for automating client-side synchronization and discovery of public keys and certificates of external contacts include a key synchronizer at a client device. The key synchronizer obtains, from the client device, an external contact associated with an external domain outside of a local domain of the client device and then identifies, based on the external domain, a public key registry outside of the local domain. The key synchronizer obtains, from the public key registry, a registry-supplied public key or digital certificate for the external contact and then stores the registry-supplied key as a locally-stored key in the local key store such that the client device can obtain and apply the locally-stored key to secure an email targeting the external contact as a recipient of the email.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2015Date of Patent: July 14, 2020Assignee: VERISIGN, INC.Inventors: Stephen Daniel James, Andrew Fregly, Andrew Cathrow
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Patent number: 10708226Abstract: A method, system, apparatus, and computer-readable memory containing instructions include receiving, at an agent operating on a client device, a (domain name system) DNS resolution request for a domain name. The DNS resolution request is transmitted to a first DNS server including a firewall service and a second DNS server within a local network to the client device. Responses to the DNS resolution request from the first and second DNS server are received. The agent determines how to resolve the DNS resolution request based on one or more of the received responses.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2016Date of Patent: July 7, 2020Assignee: VERISIGN, INC.Inventors: Andrew Cathrow, Stephen Daniel James
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Patent number: 10642969Abstract: In one embodiment, a security provisioning service automatically establishes trust in a device. Upon receiving a provisioning request, a security provisioning service identifies a verification item that is associated with the provisioning request. The security provisioning service performs one or more verification operations based on the provisioning request to determine whether the provisioning request is authorized. If the provisioning request is authorized, then the provisioning service establishes a verifiable identification for the device that is assured by the secure provisioning service and then executes the provisioning request. By automatically performing the verification operations to establish trust in the device, the provisioning service eliminates manual identification assurance operations that are performed as part of a conventional security provisioning process.Type: GrantFiled: September 5, 2018Date of Patent: May 5, 2020Assignee: VERISIGN, INC.Inventors: Stephen D. James, Andrew Fregly, Andrew Cathrow
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Patent number: 10230691Abstract: Embodiments relate to systems, devices, and computing-implemented methods for resolving DNS requests by sending, from a device, a first DNS request for a domain name associated with a local service device to a DNS firewall server. The DNS firewall server can send a response that includes a status indicating a server failure in response to determining that the first DNS request is associated with a customer of a DNS firewall service and determining that a record associated with the domain name cannot be found. The device can receive the response and send a second DNS request to an internal DNS server in response to the status indicating the server failure.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2016Date of Patent: March 12, 2019Assignee: VERISIGN, INC.Inventors: Andrew Cathrow, Stephen Daniel James
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Publication number: 20190018951Abstract: In one embodiment, a security provisioning service automatically establishes trust in a device. Upon receiving a provisioning request, a security provisioning service identifies a verification item that is associated with the provisioning request. The security provisioning service performs one or more verification operations based on the provisioning request to determine whether the provisioning request is authorized. If the provisioning request is authorized, then the provisioning service establishes a verifiable identification for the device that is assured by the secure provisioning service and then executes the provisioning request. By automatically performing the verification operations to establish trust in the device, the provisioning service eliminates manual identification assurance operations that are performed as part of a conventional security provisioning process.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 5, 2018Publication date: January 17, 2019Inventors: Stephen D. JAMES, Andrew FREGLY, Andrew CATHROW
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Patent number: 10083291Abstract: In one embodiment, a security provisioning service automatically establishes trust in a device. Upon receiving a provisioning request, a security provisioning service identifies a verification item that is associated with the provisioning request. The security provisioning service performs one or more verification operations based on the provisioning request to determine whether the provisioning request is authorized. If the provisioning request is authorized, then the provisioning service establishes a verifiable identification for the device that is assured by the secure provisioning service and then executes the provisioning request. By automatically performing the verification operations to establish trust in the device, the provisioning service eliminates manual identification assurance operations that are performed as part of a conventional security provisioning process.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2016Date of Patent: September 25, 2018Assignee: VERISIGN, INC.Inventors: Stephen D. James, Andrew Fregly, Andrew Cathrow
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Publication number: 20170222978Abstract: Embodiments relate to systems, devices, and computing-implemented methods for resolving DNS requests by sending, from a device, a first DNS request for a domain name associated with a local service device to a DNS firewall server. The DNS firewall server can send a response that includes a status indicating a server failure in response to determining that the first DNS request is associated with a customer of a DNS firewall service and determining that a record associated with the domain name cannot be found. The device can receive the response and send a second DNS request to an internal DNS server in response to the status indicating the server failure.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 3, 2016Publication date: August 3, 2017Inventors: Andrew Cathrow, Stephen Daniel James
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Publication number: 20170222974Abstract: A method, system, apparatus, and computer-readable memory containing instructions include receiving, at an agent operating on a client device, a (domain name system) DNS resolution request for a domain name. The DNS resolution request is transmitted to a first DNS server including a firewall service and a second DNS server within a local network to the client device. Responses to the DNS resolution request from the first and second DNS server are received. The agent determines how to resolve the DNS resolution request based on one or more of the received responses.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2016Publication date: August 3, 2017Inventors: Andrew Cathrow, Stephen Daniel James
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Publication number: 20170195299Abstract: Systems and methods for automating client-side synchronization and discovery of public keys and certificates of external contacts include a key synchronizer at a client device. The key synchronizer obtains, from the client device, an external contact associated with an external domain outside of a local domain of the client device and then identifies, based on the external domain, a public key registry outside of the local domain. The key synchronizer obtains, from the public key registry, a registry-supplied public key or digital certificate for the external contact and then stores the registry-supplied key as a locally-stored key in the local key store such that the client device can obtain and apply the locally-stored key to secure an email targeting the external contact as a recipient of the email.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 31, 2015Publication date: July 6, 2017Inventors: Stephen Daniel James, Andrew Fregly, Andrew Cathrow
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Publication number: 20160337181Abstract: In one embodiment, a delegation engine automatically provisions a device connected to a network to securely identify and interact with external services. As a device boots in a deployment environment, the delegation engine generates a search domain name based on a manufacturer-supplied domain name and a domain name associated with the deployment environment. The delegation engine then searches a Domain Name System (DNS) to retrieve a delegation record stored at the search domain name. After verifying a manufacturer signature associated with the delegation record, the delegation engine configures the device based on service discovery information included in the delegation record. Because the delegation engine automates the provisioning process, the time required to provision devices is acceptable irrespective of the number of the devices. Further, because the delegation engine verifies the delegation record, the delegation engine does not expose the device to security risks during the provisioning process.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 6, 2016Publication date: November 17, 2016Inventors: Andrew CATHROW, Andrew FREGLY, Stephen D. JAMES
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Publication number: 20160248746Abstract: In one embodiment, a security provisioning service automatically establishes trust in a device. Upon receiving a provisioning request, a security provisioning service identifies a verification item that is associated with the provisioning request. The security provisioning service performs one or more verification operations based on the provisioning request to determine whether the provisioning request is authorized. If the provisioning request is authorized, then the provisioning service establishes a verifiable identification for the device that is assured by the secure provisioning service and then executes the provisioning request. By automatically performing the verification operations to establish trust in the device, the provisioning service eliminates manual identification assurance operations that are performed as part of a conventional security provisioning process.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 24, 2016Publication date: August 25, 2016Inventors: Stephen D. JAMES, Andrew FREGLY, Andrew CATHROW