US 6,889,168 B2 · Method and apparatus for assessing the security of a computer system

Abstract

A method and apparatus performs a security analysis computer system to identify, notify, and possibly correct, vulnerabilities and discrepancies. The security system includes a number of security tools and utilities in order to perform these functions. The security system includes the capability to identify the system configuration and once this is done performs different processes to analyze the computer system directories, locate vulnerabilities in the files or directories, check the network access, do analysis of the users or groups which have access to the computer system and check the permissions which these parties have been granted, and analyze passwords of the users. The utilities include the functionality to permanently remove files from the computer system, mark particular files to be analyzed, as well as schedule the security tests to be performed at predetermined times.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A security system for a computer apparatus, wherein said computer apparatus includes a processor and system memory, said security system comprising:

at least one security module which under direction from the processor accesses and analyzes selected portions of the computer apparatus to identify vulnerabilities;
at least one utility module which under the direction from the processor, performs various utility functions with regards to the computer apparatus in response to the identified vulnerabilities;
and
a security system memory which contains security information for performing the analysis of the computer apparatus.

1 more element

A method of providing a security assessment for a computer system which includes a system memory, comprising the steps of:

providing a security subsystem in the computer system such that functionality of the security subsystem is directed through a processor for the computer system, wherein the security performs steps comprising:
identifying a configuration of the system;
accessing the system memory and performing at least one procedure to provide a security assessment for at least one aspect of the computer system;
as a result of any vulnerabilities discovered in the assessment, identifying corrective measures to be taken with regards to the computer system;
reporting the discovered vulnerability and the identified corrective measures;
and
upon receiving an appropriate command, initiating the corrective measures.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for assessing the security of a computer system

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for assessing the security of a computer system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20