Method and system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015128130-A1
Application number	US-201314070124-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 1, 2013
Priority date	Nov 1, 2013
Publication date	May 7, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

Virtual host creation data used to instantiate a hardened task specific virtual host in a first computing environment is generated including hardening logic for providing enhanced security and trust for the hardened task specific virtual host and internal task specific logic for directing and/or allowing the hardened task specific virtual host to perform a specific function assigned to the hardened task specific virtual host. When task data is received indicating a task to be performed in the first computing environment requires the performance of the specific function assigned to the hardened task specific virtual host, the hardened task specific virtual host is automatically instantiated and/or deployed in the first computing environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory having stored therein instructions which when executed by any set of the one or more processors, perform a process for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts, the process for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts including: generating virtual host creation data through a virtual asset creation system, the virtual host creation data for instantiating a hardened task specific virtual host in a first computing environment, the virtual host creation data including: hardening logic for providing enhanced security and trust for the hardened task specific virtual host; and internal task specific logic for directing and/or allowing the hardened task specific virtual host to perform a specific function assigned to the hardened task specific virtual host; receiving task data indicating a task to be performed in the first computing environment; determining the task to be performed in the first computing environment requires the performance of the specific function assigned to the hardened task specific virtual host; and instantiating and deploying the hardened task specific virtual host in the first computing environment using the virtual host creation data.

2 . The system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts of claim 1 wherein the virtual asset creation system is a virtual asset creation template.

3 . The system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts of claim 1 wherein the hardened task specific virtual host is a hardened task specific virtual host selected from the group of the hardened task specific virtual hosts consisting of:
a hardened virtual data cache;
a hardened virtual bastion host;
a hardened virtual administrative host;
a hardened virtual forensic analysis administrative host;
a hardened virtual gateway;
a hardened virtual machine;
a hardened virtual server;
a hardened database or data store;
a hardened instance in a cloud computing environment; and
a hardened cloud computing environment access control system.

4 . The system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts of claim 1 further comprising:
the deployed hardened task specific virtual host performing the specific function assigned to the hardened task specific virtual host; and
once the specific assigned function has been performed by the hardened task specific virtual host, retiring the hardened task specific virtual host.

5 . The system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts of claim 4 wherein retiring the hardened task specific virtual host includes recalling the hardened task specific virtual host from the first computing environment.

6 . The system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts of claim 4 wherein retiring the hardened task specific virtual host includes deleting the hardened task specific virtual host.

7 . A system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory having stored therein instructions which when executed by any set of the one or more processors, perform a process for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts, the process for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts including: generating two or more types of virtual host creation data through a virtual asset creation system, each of the two or more types of virtual host creation data for instantiating one of two or more types of hardened task specific virtual hosts in a first computing environment, the virtual host creation data for each type of hardened task specific virtual host including: hardening logic for providing enhanced security and trust for the type of hardened task specific virtual host; and internal task specific logic for directing and/or allowing each type of hardened task specific virtual host to perform a different specific function assigned to that type of hardened task specific virtual host; receiving task data indicating a task to be performed in the first computing environment; determining the task to be performed in the first computing environment requires the performance of two or more functions assigned to two or more types of hardened task specific virtual hosts; and instantiating and deploying the two or more types of hardened task specific virtual hosts assigned the required different functions in the first computing environment using the virtual host creation data.

8 . The system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts of claim 7 wherein the virtual asset creation system includes two or more virtual asset creation templates.

9 . The system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts of claim 7 wherein at least one of the two or more hardened task specific virtual host types is selected from the group of hardened task specific virtual host types consisting of:
a hardened virtual data cache;
a hardened virtual bastion host;
a hardened virtual administrative host;
a hardened virtual forensic analysis administrative host;
a hardened virtual gateway;
a hardened virtual machine;
a hardened virtual server;
a hardened database or data store;
a hardened instance in a cloud computing environment; and
a hardened cloud computing environment access control system.

10 . The system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts of claim 7 further comprising:
the two or more types of hardened task specific virtual hosts performing the specific assigned functions associated with the two or more types of hardened task specific virtual hosts; and
once the specific assigned function associated with a given hardened task specific virtual host has been performed, retiring the hardened task specific virtual host.

11 . The system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts of claim 10 wherein retiring the hardened task specific virtual host includes recalling the hardened task specific virtual host from the first computing environment.

12 . The system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual hosts of claim 10 wherein retiring the hardened task specific virtual host includes deleting the hardened task specific virtual host.

13 . A system for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual administrative hosts comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory having stored therein instructions which when executed by any set of the one or more processors, perform a process for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual administrative hosts, the process for providing and dynamically deploying hardened task specific virtual administrative hosts including: generating one or more types of virtual host creation data through a virtual asset creation system, each of the one or more types of virtual host creation data for instantiating one of one or more types of hardened task specific virtual administrative hosts in a first computing environment, the virtual host creation

Assignees

• Intuit Inc

Inventors

• Weaver Brett
• Brinkley Capen
• Wolfe Jeffrey M
• Jain Ankur
• Lietz M Shannon
• Cabrera Luis Felipe

Classifications

• G06F9/45558 Primary

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• G06F9/455 Primary

  Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines · CPC title

• G06F2009/45587

  Isolation or security of virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F2009/45562

  Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances · CPC title