Social device security in a social network

摘要

A social network (SNET) is divided into one or more circles employing separate security secrets, e.g. keys, for communication between members. A device can be a member of more than one circle, and store different keys for each of those circles in separate, restricted portions of memory. When a member leaves a circle, new keys can be generated and distributed to the remaining members. Before and after joining a circle, a level of trust associated with the device or human member can be determined based on third party trust verification and a trust history. A requirement for multiple current circle members to vouch for the prospective member can be imposed as a condition of membership. Each circle can be assigned different trust and access levels, and authorization to receive information can be checked before transmitting information between circles.

主权项

1. A secure social network infrastructure having a plurality of circles, each of the plurality of circles being defined by at least a first member, the secure social network infrastructure being supported by a communication network, the secure social network infrastructure comprising:
a social user device that supports both communication pathway security and a human member; a social networking system that supports independent membership of the social user device and communication pathway security in communicating with the social user device via the communication network; the social networking system having a plurality of security requirements associated with a first circle of the plurality of circles, wherein the plurality of security requirements includes an individual authentication requirement and at least one trust requirement in addition to the individual authentication requirement; the social networking system configured to:
attempt to authenticate both the human member and the social user device;determine whether the at least one trust requirement is satisfied;determine that the human member has access rights to the first circle based on authenticating both the human member and the social user device, and determining that the at least one trust requirement is satisfied;wherein:if the authentication attempt at least partially fails, the social networking system provides partial access to the first circle of the plurality of circles; andat least a portion of the authentication attempt is repeated over time in an attempt to maintain authentication security.