Detecting and preventing man-in-the-middle attacks on an encrypted connection

• US 10,171,250 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2017
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Adams, Kyle
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gundry, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US15/659,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20170331634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1466 Active attacks involving interception, injection, modification, spoofing of data unit addresses, e.g. hijacking, packet injection or TCP sequence number attacks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]

Abstract

A client device may provide, to a host device, a request to access a website associated with a host domain. The client device may receive, based on the request, verification code that identifies a verification domain and a resource, associated with the verification domain, to be requested to verify a public key certificate. The verification domain may be different from the host domain. The client device may execute the verification code, and may request the resource from the verification domain based on executing the verification code. The client device may determine whether the requested resource was received, and may selectively perform a first action or a second action based on determining whether the requested resource was received. The first action may indicate that the public key certificate is not valid, and the second action may indicate that the public key certificate is valid.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a device, one or more verification domains to be used to verify a public key certificate,

the one or more verification domains being different from a host domain associated with the device;

determining, by the device, one or more resources to be requested to verify the public key certificate;

determining, by the device, one or more actions to perform when the public key certificate is not valid;

generating, by the device, executable verification code, for performing the one or more actions without prompting a user to accept or reject the public key certificate, based on determining the one or more verification domains, based on determining the one or more resources, and based on determining the one or more actions;

embedding, by the device, the executable verification code in other code; and

providing, by the device, the other code, with the executable verification code, for execution by a client device.

2. The method of claim 1, where the one or more verification domains include a top-level domain and one or more sub-level domains.

3. The method of claim 1, where determining the one or more verification domains comprises:

identifying a plurality of verification domains to be used to verify the public key certificate; and

selecting the one or more verification domains, from the plurality of verification domains, based on user input.

4. The method of claim 1, where the one or more resources include an object accessible from a verification domain of the one or more verification domains.

5. The method of claim 1, where the one or more actions include one or more of:

a first action for providing a notification, via the client device, regarding a compromised connection,

a second action for terminating a session, or

a third action for requiring the user to log in from a different local area network that is different from a local area network that the client device is using.

6. The method of claim 1, where the public key certificate includes an electronic document that uses a digital signature to bind a public key with an identity.

7. The method of claim 6, where the identity is associated with a domain.

8. A system comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors to;

determine one or more verification domains to be used to verify a public key certificate,

the one or more verification domains being different from a host domain;

determine one or more resources to be requested to verify the public key certificate;

determine one or more actions to perform when the public key certificate is not valid;

generate executable verification code, for performing the one or more actions without prompting a user to accept or reject the public key certificate, based on determining the one or more verification domains, based on determining the one or more resources, and based on determining the one or more actions;

embed the executable verification code in other code; and

provide the other code with the executable verification code for execution by a client device.

9. The system of claim 8, where the one or more verification domains include a top-level domain and one or more sub-level domains.

10. The system of claim 8, where, when determining the one or more verification domains, the one or more processors are to:

identify a plurality of verification domains to be used to verify the public key certificate; and

select the one or more verification domains, from the plurality of verification domains, based on user input.

11. The system of claim 8, where the one or more resources include an object accessible from a verification domain of the one or more verification domains.

12. The system of claim 8, where the one or more actions include one or more of:

a first action for providing a notification, via the client device, regarding a compromised connection,

a second action for terminating a session, or

a third action for requiring the user to log in from a different local area network that is different from a local area network that the client device is using.

13. The system of claim 8, where the public key certificate includes an electronic document that uses a digital signature to bind a public key with an identity.

14. The system of claim 13, where the identity is associated with a domain.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

determine one or more verification domains to be used to verify a public key certificate,

the one or more verification domains being different from a host domain;

determine one or more resources to be requested to verify the public key certificate;

determine one or more actions to perform when the public key certificate is not valid;

generate executable verification code, for performing the one or more actions without prompting a user to accept or reject the public key certificate, based on determining the one or more verification domains, based on determining the one or more resources, and based on determining the one or more actions;

embed the executable verification code in other code; and

provide the other code with the executable verification code for execution by a client device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more verification domains include a top-level domain and one or more sub-level domains.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions to determine the one or more verification domains comprise:

one or more instructions to;

identify a plurality of verification domains to be used to verify the public key certificate; and

select the one or more verification domains, from the plurality of verification domains, based on user input.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more resources include an object accessible from a verification domain of the one or more verification domains.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more actions include an action for requiring a user to log in from a different local area network that is different from a local area network that the client device is using.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the public key certificate includes an electronic document that uses a digital signature to bind a public key with an identity associated with a domain.