COMPUTER SECURITY SYSTEM

• US 20090328186A1
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Tran, Kiet Tuan, Kumar, Srinivas, Pollutro, Dennis Vance
• Granted Patent: US 8,910,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/335 for accessing specific resources, e.g. using Kerberos tickets
• 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 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/067 using one-time keys cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for generation of one-time passwords H04L9/0863
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0838 using one-time-passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer

Abstract

A method of packet management for restricting access to a resource of a computer system. The method includes identifying client parameters and network parameters, as a packet management information, used to determine access to the resource, negotiating a session key between client and server devices, generating a session ID based on at least the negotiated session key, inserting the packet management information and the session ID into each information packet sent from the client device to the server device, monitoring packet management information in each information packet from the client device, and filtering out respective information packets sent to the server device from the client device when the monitored packet management information indicates that access to the resource is restricted.

Claims

1. A method of packet management for restricting access to a resource of a computer system using client parameters and network parameters, as packet management information, said method comprising:

inserting, at a first device, the packet management information and a session ID into at least a portion of information packets sent from the first device to a second device;

monitoring, at the second device, the packet management information of the portion of the information packets sent from the first device; and

filtering out respective information packets sent to the second device from the first device when the monitored packet management information indicates that access to the resource is restricted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an unmonitored portion of the information packets sent from the first device includes information packets sent during session establishment or for a predetermined period of time from a beginning of the session establishment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring further includes:

reading and validating, by a packet manager of the second device, a control field at an end of the packet management information in each monitored information packet;

computing a length of the packet management information to determine a starting position thereof;

extracting and validating a unique ID that is embedded in the control field of the monitored information packets,

extracting a client ID unique to the first device from the monitored information packets;

re-generating a digital signature in the second device using a session key associated with the extracted client ID;

comparing the digital signature regenerated in the second device with the digital signature embedded in the monitored information packets;

responsive to the regenerated digital signature matching the digital signature of the respective packet management information, removing the respective packet management information from a corresponding information packet and recomputing the header of the corresponding information packet.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the digital signature is based on at least two of:

negotiated secret key, a random number, an obfuscated client ID, the control field, an application type ID, a sequence number corresponding to a sequence of the information packet in a communication to the second device, or a payload of the corresponding information packet.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the second device, a resource list indicating resource that are protected embedded packet management information; and

selectively embedding packet management information in information packets based on information from the resource list.

6. A method of packet management for restricting access to a resource of a computer system, said method comprising the steps of:

a) identifying client parameters and network parameters, as packet management information, used to determine access to the resource;

b) negotiating a session key between client and server devices;

c) generating a session ID based on at least the negotiated session key;

d) inserting the packet management information and the session ID into each information packet sent from the client device to the server device;

e) monitoring packet management information in each information packet from the client device; and

f) filtering out respective information packets sent to the server device from the client device when the monitored packet management information indicates that access to the resource is restricted.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising authenticating, by the server device, a user of the client device, wherein the step of negotiating the session key includes:

sending, by the client device to the server device, client device capability information;

determining, by the server device, a network access type used by the client device;

establishing, by the server device, session parameters based on at least the client device capability information;

sending, by the server device to the client device, the session parameters and information used to form the packet management information; and

establishing a client ID and the session key between the client and server devices.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

sending, by the server device, a list of predetermined applications used by the computer system and at least a corresponding application ID for each predetermined application wherein the packet management information received from the client device includes one of the corresponding application IDs and is used at least in part by the server device to determine whether access to the resource is restricted to the client device.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

sending, by the server device to the client device, a user ID unique to a user of the client device;

embedding the unique user ID, by the client device, in each information packet destined for the resource; and

verifying the unique user ID for each information packet.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the monitored packet management information used to determine access to the resource includes at least one of:

(1) a user ID of the user of the client device, (2) application type information corresponding to an application used by the user for access to the resource, (3) user domain information indicating a user domain of the resource being accessed, (4) client device health state information indicating a state of health of the client device, or (5) client device security compliance information indicating security compliance of the client device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the packet management information includes the client device health state information; and

the step of filtering out respective information packets sent to the server device from the client device includes;

comparing a health state indicated by the client device health state information in each respective information packet with pre-established policies at the server device to determine whether the client health is in compliance with the pre-established policies, and

for each respective information packet which is not in compliance with the pre-established rules, dropping, by the server device, the respective information packet.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of filtering out respective information packets includes

comparing the packet management information in each respective information packet with pre-established policies at the server device to determine whether the packet management information is in compliance with the pre-established policies, and

for each respective information packet which is not in compliance with the pre-established rules, dropping, by the server device, the respective information packet.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of filtering out respective information packets includes the step of restricting access to the resource by respective information packets based on at least one of:

(1) user information of the client device, (2) client health information of the client device, (3) network access type information indicating a type of access of the client device or (4) application type information which is embedded in the respective information packets.

14. A server device configured to communicate with a client device to restrict access to a resource of a computer system using packet management information in information packets received from the client device, comprising:

a storage unit for storing identified client parameters and network parameters, as the packet management information, used for comparison with rules for determining access to the resource;

a packet processor for removing at least the packet management information inserted by the client device into information packets sent from the client device; and

a packet manager for monitoring the removed packet management information and for controlling the packet processor to filter out respective information packets sent to the server device when the monitored packet management information indicates that access to the resource is restricted.

15. The server device of claim 14, wherein the packet manager negotiates a session key between the client device and the server device and generates a session ID based on at least the negotiated session key such that information packets received by the server device include packet management information and the session ID.

16. The server device of claim 14, wherein the packet manager controls the packet processor to filter out respective information packets sent to the server device based on the monitored packet management information and session IDs therein using the rules for determining access to the resource.

17. The server device of claim 14, wherein the client device is on a first network and the resource is on a second protected network, the server device further comprising:

a transaction manager for translating first communications of protocols and standards of the first network to second communications of protocols and standards of the second protected network.

18. The server device of claim 14, wherein the storage unit includes

a rule library including predetermined quarantine rules for causing one of:

(1) the client device to be logged out of the computer system;

(2) the client device to be logged out and not allowed to be re-authenticated/re-authorized for a pre-determined period; and

(3) the client device to be logged out and not allowed to be re-authenticated/re-authorized, the server device further comprising;

a compliance monitor for determine whether communication from the client device indicates a security breach therewith by comparing the packet management information with the predetermined quarantine rules.

19. The server device of claim 18, wherein the compliance monitor determines whether a valid request for the resource is being processed from an authorized user or the client device based on information in the packet management information of each information packet which reflects a current statement of health of the client device.

20. The server device of claim 14, wherein the storage unit includes a rule library including established scheduling rules, the server device further comprising:

a scheduler for managing scheduling of network traffic through the server device based on information in the packet management information and the established scheduling rules.

21. The server device of claim 20, wherein the scheduler modifies priority of network traffic sent through the server device based on the packet management information in respective information packets.

22. The server device of claim 14, wherein:

the packet management information includes client device health state information; and

the packet manager compares a health state indicated by the client device health state information in each respective information packet with pre-established policies to determine whether the client health is in compliance with the pre-established policies such that for each respective information packet which is not in compliance with the pre-established rules, the packet processor drops the respective information packet sent by the client device.

23. The server device of claim 14, wherein the packet processor, controlled by the packet manager, filters out respective information packets based on at least one of:

(1) user information of the client device, (2) client health information of the client device, (3) network access type information indicating a type of access of the client device or (4) application type information which is embedded in the respective information packet.

24. A system for restricting access to a resource of a computer system using packet management information that includes network and device parameters, comprising:

a first device for inserting the packet management information into information packets destined for the resource of the computer system; and

a second device including;

a packet processor for removing at least the packet management information inserted by the first device into information packets received from the first device, and

a packet manager for monitoring the removed packet management information in the information packets from the client device and for controlling the packet processor to filter out respective information packets when the network and client parameters indicate that access to the resource is restricted.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the first device is in a logout state and sends a login request including the device parameters to initiate a communication channel with the second device using a first session key such that an operational state of the first device changes to a login state, and responsive to a predetermined period expiring and the first device not establishing a new session key with the second device, the operational state of the first device is changed to a re-key state in which the first device is limited to operations for establishing the new session key.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the packet management information in each of the information packets is a variable length security tag and a login message to establish a session between the client and server devices includes device parameters including control flags indicating (1) a set length of the security tag and (2) whether none, a part or an entire payload is used for encryption of the security tag.