Agile network protocol for secure communications using secure domain names

• US 20040098485A1
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VirnetX Inc. (Virnetx Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Science Applications International Corporation
• Inventors: Larson, Victor, Munger, Edmund Colby, Williamson, Michael, Short, Robert Durham III
• Granted Patent: US 7,418,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/3015 Name registration, generation or assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 : Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 : wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0478 : applying multiple layers of encryption, e.g. nested tunnels or encrypting the content with a first key and then with at least a second key cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0485 : Networking architectures for enhanced packet encryption processing, e.g. offloading of IPsec packet processing or efficient security association look-up
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 : based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 : Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 : by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 : Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 : Denial of Service
• 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 63/164 : at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 : above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 : Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

A secure domain name service for a computer network is disclosed that includes a portal connected to a computer network, such as the Internet, and a domain name database connected to the computer network through the portal. The portal authenticates a query for a secure computer network address, and the domain name database stores secure computer network addresses for the computer network. Each secure computer network address is based on a non-standard top-level domain name, such as .scom, .sorg, .snet, .snet, .sedu, .smil and .sint.

Claims

1. A system for providing a secure domain name service over a computer network, comprising:

a portal connected to a computer network, the portal authenticating a query for a secure computer network address; and

a domain name database connected to the computer network through the portal, the domain name database storing secure computer network addresses for the computer network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each secure computer network address is based on a non-standard top-level domain name.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the non-standard top-level domain name is one of .scom, .sorg, .snet, .sgov, .sedu, .smil and .sint.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer network includes the Internet.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the secure portal comprises an edge router.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the portal authenticates the query using a cryptographic technique.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the portal is connectable to a virtual private network link through the computer network.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the secure communication link is one of a plurality of secure communication links in a hierarchy of secure communication links.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the virtual private network is based on inserting into each data packet one or more data values that vary according to a pseudo-random sequence.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the virtual private network is based on a computer network address hopping regime that is used to pseudorandomly change computer network addresses in packets transmitted between a first computer and a second computer.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the virtual private network is based on comparing a value in each data packet transmitted between a first computer and a second computer to a moving window of valid values.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the virtual private network is based on a comparison of a discriminator field in a header of each data packet to a table of valid discriminator fields maintained for a first computer.

13. A method for registering a secure domain name, comprising steps of:

receiving a request for registering a secure domain name;

verifying ownership information for an equivalent non-secure domain name corresponding to the secure domain name;

registering the secure domain name in a secure domain name service when the ownership information for the equivalent non-secure domain name is consistent with ownership information for the secure domain name.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of verifying ownership information includes steps of:

determining whether the equivalent non-secure domain name corresponding to the secure domain name has been registered in a non-secure domain name service; and

querying whether the equivalent non-secure domain name should be registered in the non-secure domain name service when the equivalent non-secure domain name has not been registered in the non-secure domain name service.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising:

a storage area; and

computer-readable instructions for a method for registering a secure domain name, the method comprising steps of;

receiving a request for registering a secure domain name;

verifying ownership information for an equivalent non-secure domain name corresponding to the secure domain name;

registering the secure domain name in a secure domain name service when the ownership information for the equivalent non-secure domain name is consistent with ownership information for the secure domain name.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the step of verifying ownership information includes steps of:

determining whether the equivalent non-secure domain name corresponding to the secure domain name has been registered in a non-secure domain name service; and

querying whether the equivalent non-secure domain name should be registered in the non-secure domain name service when the equivalent non-secure domain name has not been registered in the non-secure domain name service.

17. A method for registering a domain name, comprising steps of:

(i) receiving a request for registering a first domain name;

(ii) verifying ownership information for a second domain name corresponding to the first domain name; and

(iii) registering the first domain name when the ownership information for the second domain name is consistent with ownership information for the first domain name.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first domain name comprises a non-standard top-level domain and the second domain name comprises a standard top-level domain.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of storing information corresponding to the registration performed in step (iii) in a database separate from a database storing information for standard domain name registrations.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of verifying ownership information includes steps of:

(a) determining whether the second domain name has been registered in a domain name service; and

(b) querying whether the second domain name should be registered in the domain name service when the second domain name has not been registered in the domain name service.

21. A computer-readable medium, comprising computer-readable instructions for a method for registering a domain name, the method comprising steps of:

(i) receiving a request for registering a first domain name;

(ii) verifying ownership information for a second domain name corresponding to the first domain name; and

(iii) registering the first domain name when the ownership information for the second domain name is consistent with ownership information for the first domain name.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the first domain name comprises a non-standard top-level domain and the second domain name comprises a standard top-level domain.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the step of verifying ownership information includes steps of:

(a) determining whether the second domain name has been registered in a domain name service; and

(b) querying whether the second domain name should be registered in the domain name service when the second domain name has not been registered in the domain name service.