Automated verification of chains of credentials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10356075-B2
Application number	US-201715459669-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2017
Priority date	Mar 15, 2017
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

A method, a computing system and a computer program product are provided. A computing device identifies a credential of a first entity and determines one or more second entities, each electronically verifying the credential of the first entity. The computing device determines one or more third entities, each electronically verifying one or more from a group of second entities and other ones of the third entities, wherein the second and third entities form a set of chains of verification from the first entity. The computing device analyzes the set of chains of verification to detect one or more loops within the set of chains among the second and third entities. A verification of the credential is generated by the computing device based on detection of a trusted entity within one of the set of chains and not detecting a loop within the one of the set of chains.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A machine-implemented method of verifying a credential of an entity, the machine-implemented method comprising:
identifying, by a computing device, a credential of a first entity;
determining, by the computing device, one or more second entities, each electronically verifying the credential of the first entity;
determining, by the computing device, one or more third entities, each electronically verifying one or more from a group of the second entities and other ones of the third entities, wherein the second and third entities form a set of chains of verification from the first entity;
generating, by the computing device, data corresponding to a graphical representation including nodes representing respective credentials of the second entities and the third entities, wherein the nodes are connected to form paths representing the set of chains of verification, the data corresponding to the graphical representation including information regarding connections between the nodes, each of the nodes having one or more codes, and each code of the one or more codes representing a respective subject matter, each respective entity corresponding to a respective node being permitted to verify only other respective entities corresponding to other respective nodes having at least one code that matches the at least one code of the respective node;
analyzing, by the computing device, the set of chains of verification to detect one or more loops or other conflicts within the set of chains among the second and third entities; and
generating, by the computing device, a verification of the credential based on detection of a trusted entity within one of the set of chains and failure to detect a loop and a conflict within the one of the set of chains.

2. The machine-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the verification comprises:
determining a trust score for the entity.

3. The machine-implemented method of claim 1 ,
wherein the analyzing of the set of chains of verification comprises:
analyzing the data for the paths to detect one or more loops or other conflicts among nodes representing the respective credentials of the second entities and the third entities.

4. The machine-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the data corresponding to the graphical representation includes information corresponding to one or more terminal nodes, each of the one or more terminal nodes representing one of an entity recognized for providing valid verification of the credential and an entity providing a verification of the credential which has been pre-designated as valid.

5. The machine-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the generating of the data corresponding to the graphical representation comprises:
removing information representing a connection from the graphical representation in response to a code of the connection not residing within the associated one or more codes of a corresponding node.

6. The machine-implemented method of claim 3 , further comprising:
normalizing data of the nodes to normalize and verify the subject matter and a code of the connections and the associated one or more codes of the nodes.

7. The machine-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first entity corresponds to one of a person, an organization, a certifiable object, and an Internet of Things (IOT) device.

8. A computing system for verifying credentials of an entity, the computing system comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory connected to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform:
identifying a credential of a first entity;
determining one or more second entities, each electronically verifying the credential of the first entity;
determining one or more third entities, each electronically verifying one or more from a group of the second entities and other ones of the third entities, wherein the second and third entities form a set of chains of verification from the first entity;
generating data corresponding to a graphical representation including nodes representing respective credentials of the second entities and the third entities, wherein the nodes are connected to form paths representing the set of chains of verification, the data corresponding to the graphical representation including information regarding connections between the nodes, each of the nodes having one or more codes, and each code of the one or more codes representing a respective subject matter, each respective entity corresponding to a respective node being permitted to verify only other respective entities corresponding to other respective nodes having at least one code that matches the at least one code of the respective node;
analyzing the set of chains of verification to detect one or more loops or other conflicts within the chains among the second and third entities; and
generating a verification of the credential based on detection of a trusted entity within one of the set of chains and failure to detect a loop or a conflict within the one of the set of chains.

9. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the generating of the verification comprises:
determining a trust score for the entity.

10. The computing system of claim 8 ,
wherein the analyzing of the set of chains of verification comprises:
analyzing the data for the paths to detect one or more loops or other conflicts among nodes representing the second entities and the third entities.

11. The computing system of claim 10 , wherein the data corresponding to the graphical representation includes information corresponding to one or more terminal nodes, each of the one or more terminal nodes representing one of an entity recognized for providing valid verification of the credential and an entity providing a verification of the credential which has been pre-designated as valid.

12. The computing system of claim 10 , wherein the generating of the data corresponding to the graphical representation comprises:
removing information representing a connection from the graphical representation in response to a code of the connection not residing within the associated one or more codes of a corresponding node.

13. The computing system of claim 10 , wherein:
the at least one processor is further configured to perform:
normalizing data of the nodes to normalize and verify the subject matter and a code of the connections and the associated one or more codes of the nodes; and

the first entity is one of a person, an organization, a certifiable object, and an Internet of Things (IOT) device.

14. A computer program product comprising:
at least one computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith for execution on at least one processor, the computer readable program code being configured to be executed by the at least one processor to perform:
identifying a credential of a first entity;
determining one or more second entities, each electronically verifying the credential of the first entity;
determining one or more third entities, each electronically verifying one or more from a group of the second entities and other ones of the third entities, wherein the second and third entities form a set of chains of verification from the first entity;
generating data corresponding to a graphical representation including nodes representing respective credentials of the second entities and the third entities, wherein the nodes are connected to form paths representing the set of chains of verification, the data corresponding to the graphical representation including information regarding

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Gupta Rahul
• Kumhyr David B
• Madduri Hari H
• Mukherjee Maharaj

Classifications

• H04L63/08 Primary

  for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32) · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04W4/21

  for social networking applications · CPC title