Data network and method for checking nodes of a data network

• US 20050027981A1
• Filed: 07/27/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trend Micro Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Baum-Waidner, Birgit, Waidner, Michael, Kenyon, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,412,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/164
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00

Abstract

The invention provides a data network, systems and methods for checking nodes of a data network that are used for detecting whether a privacy policy concerning an information is maintained. The information comprises a mark corresponding to the privacy policy. The mark defines the storage place or the accessing paths or the transferring paths of the information. The mark is automatically searchable. The mark is searched, analyzed and checked as to whether the privacy policy is maintained. The advantage of the system is that vulnerabilities of systems for protecting confidential information may be detected a long time before an attack on the confidential information occurs.

Claims

1. A data network comprising:

a set of nodes connected to each other by a data transmission path;

at least one node comprising a storage medium;

information that is stored in the storage medium,

the information and/or the node comprising an automatically searchable mark, the mark corresponding to a privacy policy for storing or accessing or transferring the information or for accessing the node; and

a searching engine for detecting and analyzing the mark.

2. A data network according to claim 1, wherein the mark defines a permissible data path for accessing the marked information or the marked node or a permissible data path for transferring the marked information;

the searching engine being able to detect a possible data path for accessing the marked information or the marked node or a possible data path for transferring the marked information.

3. A data network according to claim 1, wherein the mark defines a permissible storage place, where the marked information is permissibly stored;

the searching engine being able to detect the place on which the marked information is stored.

4. A data network according to claim 1, wherein the searching engine checks whether the privacy policy is maintained.

5. A data network according to claim 2, wherein the searching engine compares the detected possible paths for transferring the information or for accessing the information or the marked node with the paths that are defined by the mark of the information or by the mark of the node and decides whether the privacy policy is maintained.

6. A data network according to claim 3, wherein the searching engine compares the detected storage place of the information with the permissible storage place that is defined by the mark of the information and checks whether the privacy policy is maintained.

7. A data network according to claim 5, wherein the searching engine is connected to the storage medium, wherein the searching engine creates an observed graph of the detected possible paths, wherein in the storage medium a policy graph of permissible paths is stored, wherein the permissible paths are the paths that are allowed for accessing marked information or a marked node or for transferring marked information, wherein the searching engine compares the observed with the policy graph for detecting a possible but not permissible path.

8. A data network according to claim 5, wherein the nodes comprise log file creating machines, wherein the log file creating machine stores in a log file which marked information or marked node was requested by an access, wherein the searching engine checks the log files of the nodes for detecting the possible paths for accessing marked information or marked nodes or for transferring marked information.

9. A data network according to claim 5, wherein the searching engine comprises a search tool to search for marked information, wherein the search tool tries to access marked information in the network with privileged rights, wherein the searched possible paths for accessing the marked information were stored, wherein the searching engine compares the mark of the detected marked information with the privileged rights that were used by accessing the marked information, wherein depending on the comparison a possible but not admissible path could be detected.

10. A data network according to claim 3,

wherein for at least one of:

a user, a machine, an Internet domain, a node, an information a policy graph with allowed paths, storage place for accessing a marked information, a marked node, for transferring a marked information is provided, and

wherein the searching engine checks for the user, the machine, the Internet domain, the node and/or the information, whether the detected possible paths or storage places exceed the policy graph.

11. A data network according to claim 3,

wherein for a class of user, a class of nodes, a class of information a policy class graph with allowed paths, storage places for accessing a marked information, a marked node, for transferring marked information is provided, and

wherein the searching engine checks for the class of user, the class of nodes, the class of information, whether the possible detected paths or storage places exceed the policy class graph.

12. A method for checking nodes of a data network and/or information stored in a node, wherein the nodes are connected with data paths, wherein at least one of the nodes and/or the information comprises an automatically searchable mark corresponding to a privacy policy for:

storing, accessing, transferring the information, for accessing the node, the method comprising the steps of;

searching for the mark and the marked information; and

analyzing the mark and checking whether the privacy policy of the marked information is maintained.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the mark defines data paths by which the information or the node can permissibly be accessed or by which the information could permissibly be transferred, wherein the mark of at least one node or one information is detected, wherein possible data paths to access the marked node or the marked information or possible data paths to transfer the marked information were detected and stored.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the detected data paths were compared to the privacy policy to detect whether an access deviant from the privacy policy is possible.

15. A method according to claim 13,

wherein the nodes comprise an information file that is automatically searchable, wherein the information file comprise data whether a node or an information was accessed and/or whether an information was transferred over the node, and

wherein the information files of the nodes are read out to detect over which data path a marked node or a marked information could be accessed or over which data path a marked information was transferred.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein for the possible path for accessing a marked node or a marked information or for transferring a marked information a graph of paths with nodes is detected.

17. A method according to claim 16,

wherein the detected observed graph is compared to a policy graph, wherein the policy graph is defined by the mark of the marked node or the mark of the marked information, wherein the policy graph comprises the permissible data paths and nodes, and

wherein a possible, but not permissible data path for accessing the marked information or the marked node or for transferring the marked information is detected if the observed graph exceeds the policy graph.

18. A method according to claim 13, wherein the transfer of marked information over data paths is monitored for a given time and the data paths that were used for transferring the marked information were constituted as an observed transfer graph.

19. A method according to claim 13,

wherein a log file is stored in a node, wherein it is stored in the log file which information was requested by an access to a marked node, and

wherein the log file is analyzed for detecting access data paths or transfer data paths for the marked information.

20. A method according to claim 12, wherein the mark defines a permissible storage place for the information, wherein the storage place of the information is detected and compared with the mark checking whether the privacy policy is maintained.

21. A computer program product directly loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer, comprising software code portions for performing the method according to claim 12.

22. A digital computer usable storage medium comprising a computer program product according to claim 21.

24. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for checking nodes of a data network and/or information stored in a node, said method steps comprising the steps of claim 12.

23. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing checking of nodes of a data network and/or information stored in a node, wherein the nodes are connected with data paths, wherein at least one of the nodes and/or the information comprises an automatically searchable mark corresponding to a privacy policy for:

storing, accessing, transferring the information, for accessing the node, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the steps of;

searching for the mark and the marked information; and

analyzing the mark and checking whether the privacy policy of the marked information is maintained.

25. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing functions of a data network, the computer readable program code means in said computer program product comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the functions of:

a set of nodes connected to each other by a data transmission path;

at least one node comprising a storage medium;

information that is stored in the storage medium,

the information and/or the node comprising an automatically searchable mark,

the mark corresponding to a privacy policy for storing or accessing or transferring the information or for accessing the node; and

a searching engine for detecting and analyzing the mark.