System for preventing unwanted access to information on a computer

• US 20050235348A1
• Filed: 03/03/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Christopher D. Coley, Ralph E. Wesinger Jr
• Original Assignee: Christopher D. Coley, Ralph E. Wesinger Jr
• Inventors: Coley, Christopher D., Wesinger, Ralph E. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US11/073,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20050235348A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/027 involving a payment switch or gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 Denial of Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A firewall device for preventing unwanted access to information on a computer is disclosed. In disclosed embodiments, the firewall device is managing traffic between a computer and an IP-compliant network. The computer may have a bundled application and associated information stored thereon. The firewall system includes a proxy agent cofigured to intercept incoming messages destined for the computer, and discard any incoming messages containing nested executable commands associated with the bundled application.

Claims

1. A system for preventing unwanted access to information on a computer comprising:

a computer including at least one bundled application and associated information stored thereon;

a firewall system for managing traffic between said computer and an IP-compliant network; and

the firewall system including a proxy agent configured to intercept incoming messages, and discard any message that contain nested executable commands associated with said bundled application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said bundled application comprises an email program residing on said computer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said executable command comprises a command to send email from said email program to the sender of said incoming message.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said information comprises one of a source or destination address information regarding said email destination application.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said firewall system is further configured to log information regarding said incoming messages in a transaction log.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said information comprises one of the source address of said incoming message.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein email messages not containing nested commands are allowed to pass normally through said system.

8. An apparatus for preventing unwanted access to information on a computer comprising:

firewall means for managing traffic between a computer and an IP-compliant network; and

proxy agent means operable within said firewall means for intercepting and discarding incoming messages that contain nested executable commands associated with a bundled application of said computer.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said bundled application comprises an email program residing on said computer, and wherein said executable command comprises a command to send email from said email program to the sender of said incoming message.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said information comprises one of a source or destination address information regarding said email destination application.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising means for logging information regarding said incoming messages in a transaction log.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising means for allowing email not containing nested commands to pass normally through said system.

13. A firewall device for preventing unwanted access to information on a computer comprising:

a firewall device for managing traffic between said computer and an IP-compliant network; and

the firewall system including a proxy agent configured to intercept incoming messages destined for a computer having a bundled application and associated information stored thereon; and

wherein said proxy agent being configured to discard any incoming messages that contain nested executable commands associated with said bundled application.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said bundled application comprises an email program residing on said computer.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein said executable command comprises a command to send email from said email program to the sender of said incoming message.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein said information comprises one of a source or destination address information regarding said email destination application.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein said firewall device is further configured to log information regarding said incoming messages in a transaction log.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein email messages not containing nested commands are allowed to pass normally through said system.