Monitoring propagation protection within a network

• US 20060117385A1
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cymtec Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cymtec Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Mester, Michael L., Gunsalus, Bradley W.
• Application Number:
  US11/040,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20060117385A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Described are methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for propagation protection within a network. A management station receives event messages from a plurality of transparent network appliances, each of the event messages comprising a threat indication generated in response to a detected threat in data being transmitted through the respective transparent network appliance.

Claims

1. A computerized method for monitoring propagation protection within a network, the method comprising:

receiving, by a management station, event messages from a plurality of transparent network appliances, each of the event messages comprising a threat indication generated in response to a detected threat in data being transmitted through the respective transparent network appliance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, by the management station, a graphical user interface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating further comprises generating user interface elements associated with a summary of events, events details, device details, or configuration details.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein generating further comprises generating user interface elements to select one or more of the network appliances in the plurality.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user interface elements correspond to different reporting periods.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein generating further comprises generating a graph, a table, or a listing indicating an aggregation of the threats reported in the event messages.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein generating further comprises generating user interface elements that enable a user to set a particular configuration.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the particular configuration is associated with

i) one of the plurality of network appliances;

ii) the plurality of network appliances;

or

iii) the management station.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the particular configuration is associated with automatic updating.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the particular configuration enables a periodic updating and an immediate manual updating.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the particular configuration is associated with time setting.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the particular configuration is associated with a domain name system (DNS).

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the particular configuration is associated with email alerting.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising, registering the network appliance with the management station.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein registering comprises:

transmitting a device identifier to the network appliance; and

receiving an acknowledgement from the network appliance that its device identifier is set to the transmitted device identifier.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the management station comprises a management server.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the management station comprises a management console application.

18. A system for monitoring propagation protection within a network, the system comprising:

a server including a management console application that receives event messages from a plurality of transparent network appliances with which the management console communicates,

wherein each of the event messages comprises a threat indication generated in response to a detected threat in data being transmitted through the respective transparent network appliance.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising the plurality of network appliances, each network appliance being configured to analyze data being transmitted from a first portion of the network to a second portion of the network for a threat.

20. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for monitoring propagation protection within a network, the computer program product including instructions being operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive, by a management station, event messages from a plurality of transparent network appliances, each of the event messages comprising a threat indication generated in response to a detected threat in data being transmitted through the respective transparent network appliance.