# US 2016/0366141 A1 · System, Apparatus and Method for Auto-Optimization of Access Control Policy and Key Management in A Network Authoring Tool > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0366141 A1 - Document ID: US20160366141A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/998,275 - Filed: 2015-12-26 - Published: 2016-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2015-06-09 - Assignees: Intel Corporation - Applicants: Intel Corporation - Inventors: NED M. SMITH; SHAO-WEN YANG; NATHAN HELDT-SHELLER; THOMAS G. WILLIS - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160366141A1 ## CPC - H04L 63/101: {Access control lists [ACL]} - H04L 41/12: Discovery or management of network topologies - H04L 63/062: {for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819)} - H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)} - H04W 12/041: Key generation or derivation - H04W 12/0471: Key exchange - H04L 63/104: {Grouping of entities} - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - H04W 12/08: Access security - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract In one embodiment, a method includes: presenting, in a user interface of an authoring tool, a plurality of levels of abstraction for a network having a plurality of devices; receiving information from a user regarding a subset of the plurality of devices to be provisioned with one or more security keys and an access control policy; automatically provisioning a key schedule for the subset of the plurality of devices in the network based on the user input and a topological context of the network; and automatically provisioning the access control policy for the subset of the plurality of devices in the network based on the user input and the topological context of the network. ## Claims ### Claim 1 At least one computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed enable a system to: access an internet-of-things (IoT) network topology model that is partitioned into first and second nodes; determine a first execution plan that, when executed, couples the first and second nodes together to execute a first task; determine the first node is within a first logical boundary and the second node is within a second logical boundary; determine a first boundary crossing exists where the first execution plan, when executed, will cross from the first logical boundary into the second logical boundary; and in response to determining the first boundary crossing, determine a first credential and a first access control list (ACL) are needed for communications across the first boundary crossing; wherein (a) the first node is an abstraction of at least one of a first physical node included in the IoT network and a first logical node corresponding to the first physical node; and (b) the second node is an abstraction of at least one of a second physical node included in the IoT network and a second logical node corresponding to the second physical node. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to indirectly provision the first credential to the first node. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the first physical node includes at least one of a sensor, an actuator, and a processor and the first node is an abstraction of the first physical node. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the first credential includes a first encryption key and the first ACL. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein provisioning the first credential to the first physical node includes informing an access management service to provide the first credential to the first node. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to determine the first node is at least one of a first source node, a first sink node, and a first operator node. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to determine the first node is a first operator node and the second node is a second operator node. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to determine: the first operator node couples output from a physical node to the second operator node; and the second operator node couples output from the first operator node to another physical node. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to: determine a second execution plan that, when executed, couples the first and second nodes together to execute the first task; determine the first node is within a third logical boundary; determine a second boundary crossing exists where the second execution plan, when executed, will cross from the third logical boundary into at least one of the second logical boundary and a fourth logical boundary; and in response to determining the second boundary crossing exists, determine a second ACL is needed for communications across the second boundary crossing. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to simulate execution of the first and second execution plans. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to: determine first physical performance characteristics for the first logical boundary; determine second physical performance characteristics for third logical boundary; in response to determining the second boundary crossing exists, determine a second credential is needed for communications across the second boundary crossing; wherein the first and second credentials are unequal based on the first and second physical performance characteristics being unequal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to: determine the first execution plan failed; and determine the second execution plan in response to determining the first execution plan failed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to visually depict, with a user interface, the first and second logical boundaries and the first and second nodes. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to: determine the first execution plan, when executed, couples a third node to the second node to execute the first task; determine the third node is within a third logical boundary; determine a second boundary crossing exists where the first execution plan, when executed, will cross from the third logical boundary into the second logical boundary; and in response to determining the second boundary crossing exists, determine a second credential and a second ACL are needed for communications across the second boundary crossing. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first node is an abstraction of the first logical node and the first logical node is at least one of a sandboxed process and a trusted execution environment (TEE). ### Claim 16 At least one computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed enable a system to determine: a topology for an internet-of-things (IoT) network having first and second nodes; the first and second nodes are within first and second logical boundaries of the topology; a first boundary crossing exists when a first execution plan, when executed, crosses from the first logical boundary into the second logical boundary; and wherein (a) the first node is an abstraction of at least one of a first physical node included in the IoT network and a first logical node corresponding to the first physical node; and (b) the second node is an abstraction of at least one of a second physical node included in the IoT network and a second logical node corresponding to the second physical node. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to determine: the first node is within a third logical boundary; and a second boundary crossing exists where a second execution plan, when executed, crosses from the third logical boundary into at least one of the second logical boundary and a fourth logical boundary. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to indirectly provision: a first credential for communications across the first boundary crossing; and a second credential for communications across the second boundary crossing. ### Claim 19 A device comprising: at least one hardware processor; a security inference engine, coupled to the at least one processor, including at least one non-transitory storage medium having instructions stored thereon for causing the at least one hardware processor to determine: a topology for an internet-of-things (IoT) network having first and second nodes; the first and second nodes are within first and second logical boundaries of the topology; a first boundary crossing exists when a first execution plan, when executed, crosses from the first logical boundary into the second logical boundary; and wherein (a) the first node is an abstraction of at least one of a first physical node included in the IoT network and a first logical node corresponding to the first physical node; and (b) the second node is an abstraction of at least one of a second physical node included in the IoT network and a second logical node corresponding to the second physical node. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one hardware processor is to perform operations comprising determining: the first node is within a third logical boundary; and a second boundary crossing exists where a second execution plan, when executed, crosses from the third logical boundary into at least one of the second logical boundary and a fourth logical boundary. ### Claim 21 At least one computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed enable a system to: present, in a user interface of an authoring tool, at least one level of abstraction for a network having a plurality of devices; receive information from a user regarding a subset of the plurality of devices to be provisioned with one or more security keys and an access control policy; automatically provision a key schedule for the subset of the plurality of devices in the network based on the information and a topological context of the network; and automatically provision the access control policy for the subset of the plurality of devices in the network based on the information and the topological context of the network. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 21 further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to determine the subset of the plurality of devices in the network are within a logical boundary of the at least one level of abstraction. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions that when executed enable the system to determine a boundary crossing exists when a first execution plan, when executed, crosses the logical boundary. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the plurality of devices in the network are abstractions of at least one of a physical nodes and logical nodes. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the receiving information from the user comprises information selecting a first instance of node from a plurality of nodes.