Patents by Inventor Michael D. Downen

Michael D. Downen 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).

  • Patent number: 8443188
    Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that use code access security for providing runtime accessibility checks. A request is received from a first program to access at least one private member of a second program at runtime. If the first program has a greater than or equal security context than the second program, then the first program is granted access to the at least one private member of the second program. This code access security check can be provided in a framework environment that is responsible for managing programs that are from unknown or untrusted sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Shrikrishna V. Borde, Shawn Farkas, Haibo Luo, Michael D. Downen, Raja Krishnaswamy, Thottam R. Sriram, Chris King
  • Patent number: 8402532
    Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for providing host control of partial trust accessibility. A framework allows libraries to be identified as partial trust callers allowed to indicate that the libraries are allowed to be called from partially trusted code by default. The framework allows libraries to be identified as partial trust callers enabled to indicate the libraries could be called from partially trusted code, but not by default. A hosting application is notified that a particular library has been loaded. If the particular library has been identified as partial trust callers allowed, then a determination is received from the hosting application on whether to remove or keep partial trust accessibility for the particular library. If the particular library has been identified as partial trust callers enabled, then a determination is received from the hosting application on whether or not to enable partial trust accessibility for the particular library.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael D. Downen, Raja Krishnaswamy, Charles William Kaufman, James S. Miller, Stephen Fisher
  • Patent number: 8011008
    Abstract: Performing security sensitive operations with an application security model. Security agnostic code is executed. The security agnostic code is identified as not having authorization to perform a security sensitive operation. Executing the security agnostic code includes calling code identified as security safe critical code. In response to the security agnostic code calling the security safe critical code, the security safe critical code is executed. The security safe critical code includes functionality for performing validity checks. Executing the security safe critical code includes performing an validity check for the security agnostic code. When the security agnostic code passes the validity check, code identified as security critical code is called. In response to the security safe critical code calling the security critical code, the security critical code is executed. The security critical code is authorized to perform the security sensitive operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael D. Downen, Raja Krishnaswamy, Arun Moorthy, Charles W. Kaufman
  • Publication number: 20100023767
    Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for implementing a Diffie-Hellman secret agreement. An application programming interface is provided that is operable to allow a first computer to generate a Diffie-Hellman secret agreement for communicating securely with a second computer over an insecure channel. A get public key operation is performed upon receiving a request to perform the get public key operation. The get public key operation gets a public key of the first computer. A retrieval operation is performed upon receiving a request to perform the retrieval operation. The retrieval operation retrieves the Diffie-Hellman secret agreement upon supplying a public key of the second computer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael D. Downen, Shawn Farkas, Charles William Kaufman
  • Publication number: 20090126011
    Abstract: Performing security sensitive operations with an application security model. Security agnostic code is executed. The security agnostic code is identified as not having authorization to perform a security sensitive operation. Executing the security agnostic code includes calling code identified as security safe critical code. In response to the security agnostic code calling the security safe critical code, the security safe critical code is executed. The security safe critical code includes functionality for performing validity checks. Executing the security safe critical code includes performing an validity check for the security agnostic code. When the security agnostic code passes the validity check, code identified as security critical code is called. In response to the security safe critical code calling the security critical code, the security critical code is executed. The security critical code is authorized to perform the security sensitive operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2007
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael D. Downen, Raja Krishnaswamy, Arun Moorthy, Charles W. Kaufman
  • Publication number: 20080282315
    Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for providing host control of partial trust accessibility. A framework allows libraries to be identified as partial trust callers allowed to indicate that the libraries are allowed to be called from partially trusted code by default. The framework allows libraries to be identified as partial trust callers enabled to indicate the libraries could be called from partially trusted code, but not by default. A hosting application is notified that a particular library has been loaded. If the particular library has been identified as partial trust callers allowed, then a determination is received from the hosting application on whether to remove or keep partial trust accessibility for the particular library. If the particular library has been identified as partial trust callers enabled, then a determination is received from the hosting application on whether or not to enable partial trust accessibility for the particular library.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2007
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael D. Downen, Raja Krishnaswamy, Charles William Kaufman, James S. Miller, Stephen Fisher
  • Publication number: 20080201759
    Abstract: A method and system for enforcing a security policy that is version-independent of a managed environment when loading custom code for a host application is provided. A security system of the managed environment receives an identifier of custom code to be loaded by the host application. Before loading the identified custom code, the managed environment enforces the security policy using the security system. The security system applies the security policy expressed using a version-independent indication of identifiers of untrusted custom code. If the security system determines that the trust of the custom code is unknown, then the security system requests a trust manager associated with the host application to enforce a host application-specific security policy. When the custom code is trusted, the managed environment loads the custom code.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2007
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael D. Downen, Darryn O. Lavery, Adriaan W. Canter, Sameer V. Bhangar, Thomas E. Quinn, Justin Kwak, David A. Whitechapel, Jeff Young, Shawn Farkas
  • Publication number: 20080134310
    Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that use code access security for providing runtime accessibility checks. A request is received from a first program to access at least one private member of a second program at runtime. If the first program has a greater than or equal security context than the second program, then the first program is granted access to the at least one private member of the second program. This code access security check can be provided in a framework environment that is responsible for managing programs that are from unknown or untrusted sources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2006
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Shrikrishna V. Borde, Shawn Farkas, Haibo Luo, Michael D. Downen, Raja Krishnaswamy, Thottam R. Sriram, Chris King