System methodology for automatic local network discovery and firewall reconfiguration for mobile computing devices
First Claim
1. A method for a client device to regulate access to different networks, the method comprising:
- obtaining information to identify adapters connected to a particular client device and networks to which said adapters are connected;
generating a profile for each network, including a current network to which said particular client device is connected;
comparing said profile of said current network to previously generated profiles to determine if said particular client device has previously connected to said current network; and
if said particular client device has previously connected to said current network, applying security settings previously utilized for said current network for regulating access to said current network.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system providing methodologies for automatically detecting when a computing device is plugged into a new network is described. The system includes methods for detecting a connection to a new network by receiving notice of, and evaluating, changes to an existing network configuration. The system profiles and generates an identity for the new network. This includes collecting information about the network to uniquely identify it and generating a unique identifier for the network. Once a network has been profiled, a user may decide whether or not to include it as part of a trusted zone. Alternatively, this decision may be guided by policy established by a system administrator or user. The system automatically reconfigures a firewall to include or exclude the network from the trusted zone based upon this decision. The profile of each network is stored so that the next time the device is connected to the same network it remembers the network and applies the same security settings previously adopted. The stored profile also facilitates the detection of changes to the network configuration or the connection to a new network.
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Citations
78 Claims
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1. A method for a client device to regulate access to different networks, the method comprising:
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obtaining information to identify adapters connected to a particular client device and networks to which said adapters are connected;
generating a profile for each network, including a current network to which said particular client device is connected;
comparing said profile of said current network to previously generated profiles to determine if said particular client device has previously connected to said current network; and
if said particular client device has previously connected to said current network, applying security settings previously utilized for said current network for regulating access to said current network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method for a device to identify different networks to which said device is connected, the method comprising:
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obtaining information to identify adapters connected to said device and current networks to which said adapters are connected;
generating a profile for said current networks, including a current network to which said device is connected;
comparing said profile of said current network to which said device is connected to prior profiles to determine if said device has previously connected to said current network; and
if said device has not previously connected to said current network, automatically notifying the user of said device of said connection to said current network. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A method for a device to identify different networks to which said device is connected, the method comprising:
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obtaining information to identify a current network to which said device is connected;
generating a profile for said current network;
comparing said profile of said current network to previously generated profiles to determine if said device has previously connected to said current network; and
if said device has not previously connected to said current network, automatically treating said current network as untrusted for purposes of regulating access to said device. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A method for a device to identify different networks to which said device is connected, the method comprising:
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obtaining information to identify a current network to which said device is connected;
generating a profile for said current network;
comparing said profile of said current network to previously stored profiles to determine if said device has previously connected to said current network; and
if said device has not previously connected to said current network, automatically treating said current network as trusted for purposes of regulating access to said device. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A system for a device to identify different networks to which said device is connected and regulate access to said device, the system comprising:
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a network information engine for obtaining and processing information on networks to which said device is connected;
a network information data structure for storing said information on said networks; and
a zone configuration module for establishing security settings to regulate access to said device. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78)
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Specification