Network Security Enhancement Methods, Apparatuses, System, Media, Signals and Computer Programs

• US 20070250910A1
• Filed: 07/19/2005
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inpixon Co.
• Original Assignee: AirPatrol Corp.
• Inventors: Miller, Nicholas, Cheng, Sheng Fu (Sunny)
• Granted Patent: US 8,838,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/85 interconnection devices, e.g. bus-connected or in-line devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/10 between terminal device and access point, i.e. wireless air interface

Abstract

A method of enhancing network security involves causing a wireless network interface of a computing device to be disabled, in response to detection of a network connection between the computing device and a wired network. Related apparatuses, systems, computer programs, computer-readable media and signals for enhancing network security are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing network security, the method comprising causing a wireless network interface of a computing device to be disabled, in response to detection of a network connection between the computing device and a wired network.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting the presence of one or more network interfaces of the computing device and identifying wired and wireless network interfaces from among the one or more network interfaces.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting said network connection by monitoring Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Network Driver Interface Specification (Ndis) events.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein monitoring WMI Ndis events comprises detecting connect, disconnect, arrival and removal events.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein causing the wireless network interface to be disabled comprises making calls to a SetupAPI block of Windows.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising verifying that the wireless network interface was successfully disabled, and, in response to detecting that the wireless network interface failed to be disabled, taking corrective action by causing incorrect registration information relating to the wireless interface to be corrected in an operating system registry and then attempting again to disable said wireless network interface.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting a disconnection of the network connection, and causing the wireless network interface to be enabled in response to the disconnection.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said detection of said network connection comprises detection of a network connection between a wired network interface of the computing device and said wired network.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising notifying a user of disablement of said wireless network interface.

14. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying comprises identifying said wired and wireless network interfaces from among the one or more detected network interfaces in response to a network adapter arrival event.

15. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying wireless network interfaces comprises determining whether a particular wireless network interface is associated with at least one predefined attribute indicative of a wireless network interface.

16. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying wireless network interfaces further comprises determining whether a particular wireless network interface supports a 802.11 service set object identifier (OID).

19. The method of claim 1 wherein causing comprises calling a device installation function to cause said wireless network interface to be disabled.

20. The method of claim 1 comprising detecting said network connection by using an adapter display name associated with a wired network interface of said computing device to register a Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) sink interface to receive notifications of Network Driver Interface Specification (Ndis) events relating to the wired network interface.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein causing said wireless network interface to be disabled further comprises using a hardware identifier associated with said wireless network interface as a parameter to a device installation function operable to disable said wireless network interface.

22. The method of claim 9 wherein detecting said disconnection comprises checking connection status for all wired interfaces detected as being installed in the system, and determining that none of the detected wired interfaces has a network connection with a wired network.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein causing said wireless network interface to be disabled comprises causing said wireless network interface to be inoperable at a hardware level.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein causing said wireless network interface to be disabled comprises implementing an operating system service.

51. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor circuit cause all the steps of claim 1 to be carried out.

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25. A system for enhancing network security, the system comprising:

means for detecting a network connection between a computing device and a wired network; and

means for causing a wireless network interlace of the computing device to be disabled, in response to detection of said network connection.

27. The system of claim 25 further comprising means for detecting the presence of one or more network interfaces of the computing device and means for identifying wired and wireless network interlaces from among the one or more network interfaces.

29. The system of claim 25 wherein said means for detecting the network connection comprises means for monitoring Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Network Driver Interface Specification (Ndis) events.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein said means for monitoring WMI Ndis events comprises means for detecting Ndis connect, disconnect, arrival and removal events.

31. The system of claim 25 wherein said means for causing the wireless network interface to be disabled comprises means for making calls to a SetupAPI block of Windows.

32. The system of claim 25 further comprising means for verifying that the wireless network interlace was successfully disabled, and means for taking corrective action by causing incorrect registration information in an operating system registry and relating to the wireless interface to be corrected responsive to detecting that the wireless network interface failed to be disabled.

33. The system of claim 25 further comprising means for detecting a disconnection of the network connection, and means for causing the wireless network interface to be enabled in response to the disconnection.

36. The system of claim 25 wherein said means for detecting comprises means for detecting said network connection between a wired network interface of the computing device and said wired network.

37. The system of claim 25 further comprising means for notifying a user of disablement of said wireless network interface.

38. The system of claim 27 wherein said means for identifying comprises means for identifying said wired and wireless network interfaces from among one or more detected network interfaces in response to a network adapter arrival event.

39. The system of claim 27 wherein said means for identifying comprises means for determining whether a particular wireless network interface is associated with at least one predefined attribute indicative of a wireless network interface.

40. The system of claim 27 wherein said means for identifying wireless network interfaces further comprises means for determining whether a particular wireless network interface supports a 802.11 service set object identifier (OID).

43. The system of claim 25 wherein said means for causing comprises means for calling a device installation function to cause said wireless network interface to be disabled.

44. The system of claim 25 further comprising means for using an adapter display name associated with a wired network interface of said computing device to register a Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) sink interface to receive notifications of Network Driver Interface Specification (Ndis) events relating to a wired network adapter.

45. The system of claim 44 wherein said means for causing said wireless network interface to be disabled further comprises means for using a hardware identifier associated with said wireless network interface, for use as a parameter to a device installation function operable to disable said wireless network interface.

46. The system of claim 33 wherein said means for detecting said disconnection comprises means for checking connection status for all wired interfaces detected as being installed in the system, and means for determining that none of the detected wired interfaces has a network connection with a wired network.

47. The system of claim 25 wherein said means for causing said wireless network interface to be disabled comprises means for causing said wireless network interface to be inoperable at a hardware level.

48. The system of claim 25 wherein said means for causing the wireless network interface to be disabled comprises means for implementing an operating system service.

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