System and method for controlling and tracking network content flow

• US 20070280112A1
• Filed: 05/30/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cham, Jack C., Zheng, Danyang Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 8,233,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling the flow of information content in a network are described. The system includes a tracking module that remembers a sensitivity level of the information content and a location of that information content with respect to the system. A marking module is included that receives the sensitivity level from the tracking module upon a call for the information content. The marking module marks a sensitivity tag in a packet header associated with the information content according to the sensitivity level. Flow of the information content in the network is controlled according to the sensitivity tag.

Claims

1. A system for controlling the flow of information content in a network, said system comprising:

a tracking module, for storing;

a sensitivity level of said information content; and

a location of said information content with respect to said system; and

a marking module that receives said sensitivity level from said tracking module upon a call for said information content, for marking a sensitivity tag in a packet header associated with said information content according to said sensitivity level wherein said flow of said information content in said network is controlled according to said sensitivity tag.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said sensitivity tag relates to at least one of Network Layer 3 and Transport Layer 4 in the Open Systems Interconnect Standard.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said stored information content comprises metadata from which said packet headers were removed upon storage of said content.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said tracking module receives said sensitivity level from at least one of:

a user interface with which an author thereof classifies said information content according to said sensitivity level;

a discovery agent that discovers said sensitivity level in said information content wherein said information content comprises data that is pre-existing with respect to said system; and

a receiving module that receives incoming packets for said system.

5. The system as recited in claim 4 wherein said discovery agent discovers said sensitivity level among said pre-existing data with a process that comprises:

crawling through a plurality of said pre-existing data;

searching said plurality of pre-existing data for indicators of sensitivity therein; and

assigning said sensitivity level based on said indicators.

6. The system as recited in claim 4 wherein said receiving module detects said sensitivity level among said incoming packets with a process that comprises:

extracting a header from said incoming packets wherein said header comprises data relating to said sensitivity level as associated with said incoming packets; and

informing said tracking module as to said sensitivity level of said incoming packets wherein said tracking module performs said storing accordingly.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said marking module further receives said sensitivity level from an application that functions with said system.

8. The system as recited in claim 7 wherein said marking module comprises an application program interface for informing said application to perform said marking directly and wherein, upon performing said marking, said application calls a network driver to allow said flow of said information content to said network.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a component that functions with said tracking module and allows management of said information content based on a life cycle characteristic thereof.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a system administrator module for promulgating a policy in said network that relates to said sensitivity level and said controlling said flow based thereon.

11. A method for controlling the flow of information content in a network, said method comprising:

determining a sensitivity level of said information content;

tracking said information content wherein said tracking comprises;

storing a location of said information content with respect to said system wherein said information content is stored at said location as metadata; and

maintaining an association between said sensitivity level and said metadata; and

marking a sensitivity tag in a packet header associated with said information content according to said sensitivity level upon a call for said information content, wherein said flow of said information content in said network is controlled according to said sensitivity tag.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said sensitivity tag relates to at least one of Network Layer 3 and Transport Layer 4 in the Open Systems Interconnect Standard.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising managing said network based on said controlling said information content flow wherein said method comprises a business method and wherein said managing comprises accessing a fee to a user of said network in exchange for said controlling.

14. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said determining comprises at least one of:

classifying said information content with said sensitivity level according to a corresponding sensitivity input from an author of said information content;

discovering said sensitivity level in said information content wherein said information content comprises data that is pre-existing with respect to said system; and

detecting said sensitivity level among incoming packets wherein said incoming packets comprise a header and content and wherein said header comprises information relating to said sensitivity of said content.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said discovering comprises:

crawling through a plurality of said pre-existing data;

searching said plurality of pre-existing data for indicators of sensitivity therein; and

assigning said sensitivity level based on said indicators.

16. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said detecting comprises:

extracting said header from said incoming packets;

decoding said header to process said sensitivity information therein; and

controlling said tracking according to said processing wherein said maintaining an association is performed according to said sensitivity information.

17. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said marking comprises one or more of said classifying, said discovering, said detecting, and receiving said sensitivity level from an application.

18. An apparatus that controls flow in a network utilizing a data structure, said data structure comprising:

a payload of information content that has an associated sensitivity level; and

a header coupled to said payload for designating a destination of said data structure in said network, said header comprising a sensitivity tag associated with said sensitivity level wherein flow of said data structure in said network is controlled according to said sensitivity tag.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein said data structure comprises a packet.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 19 wherein said packet comprises code that is substantially compliant with Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.

21. The data structure as recited in claim 20 wherein said sensitivity tag comprises information that relates to at least one of Network Layer 3 and Transport Layer 4 in the Open Systems Interconnect Standard.

22. A computer readable medium that contains encoded thereon computer usable code that causes a computer system to perform a process for controlling the flow of information content in a network, said process comprising:

determining a sensitivity level of said information content;

tracking said information content wherein said tracking comprises;

storing a location of said information content with respect to said system wherein said information content is stored at said location as metadata; and

maintaining an association between said sensitivity level and said metadata; and

marking a sensitivity tag in a packet header associated with said information content according to said sensitivity level upon a call for said information content, wherein said flow of said information content in said network is controlled according to said sensitivity tag.

23. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 22 wherein said sensitivity tag relates to at least one of Network Layer 3 and Transport Layer 4 in the Open Systems Interconnect Standard.

24. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 22 wherein said determining comprises at least one of:

classifying said information content with said sensitivity level according to a corresponding sensitivity input from an author of said information content;

discovering said sensitivity level in said information content wherein said information content comprises data that is pre-existing with respect to said system; and

detecting said sensitivity level among incoming packets wherein said incoming packets comprise a header and content and wherein said header comprises information relating to said sensitivity of said content.

25. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 24 wherein said discovering comprises:

crawling through a plurality of said pre-existing data;

searching said plurality of pre-existing data for indicators of sensitivity therein; and

assigning said sensitivity level based on said indicators.

26. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 24 wherein said detecting comprises:

extracting said header from said incoming packets;

decoding said header to process said sensitivity information therein; and

controlling said tracking according to said processing wherein said maintaining an association is performed according to said sensitivity information.

27. A system for controlling the flow of information content in a network, said system comprising:

means for determining a sensitivity level of said information content;

means for tracking said information content wherein said tracking means comprise;

means for storing a location of said information content with respect to said system wherein said information content is stored at said location as metadata; and

means for maintaining an association between said sensitivity level and said metadata; and

means for marking a sensitivity tag in a packet header associated with said information content according to said sensitivity level upon a call for said information content, wherein said flow of said information content in said network is controlled according to said sensitivity tag.