AUTOMATED SNIFFER APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MONITORING COMPUTER SYSTEMS FOR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS

• US 20120240196A1
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arista Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Airtight Networks Incorporated (Arista Networks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bhagwat, Pravin, Gogate, Shantanu, King, David C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,789,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• 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 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/102 Route integrity, e.g. using trusted paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices

Abstract

An apparatus for wireless communication including an automated intrusion detection process is provided. The apparatus includes a processing unit. It includes a wireless network interface device and an Ethernet (or like) wired network interface device that are coupled to the processing unit. One or more memories are coupled to the processing unit. A code is directed to perform a process for detection of wireless activity within a selected local geographic region. According to a specific embodiment, the wireless activity is derived from a wireless access point device that is operational about the selected local geographic region. A code is directed to performing connectivity test using one or more marker packets to determine connectivity status of the wireless access point device to network to be protected from intrusion. Depending upon the embodiment, other codes may exist to carry out the functionality described herein.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method for monitoring for unauthorized wireless access to computer networks, the method comprising:

monitoring wireless communications within a selected geographic region using one or more sniffer devices that are positioned within the selected geographic region, the selected geographic region including a wired portion of a computer network, the wired portion to be protected from unauthorized wireless access over any unauthorized wireless access point device connected to the wired portion;

detecting an active wireless access point device that transmits wireless signals within the selected geographic region;

transferring a plurality of marker packets into the wired portion of the computer network, the plurality of marker packets being adapted to be transferred to wireless medium from the wired portion of the computer network through one or more wireless access point devices which are connected to the wired portion of the computer network and which are configured to function as layer two bridges between their wired and wireless interfaces, the plurality of marker packets having a predetermined format, at least a subset of the one or more sniffer devices being configured to be able to identify at least a portion of the predetermined format, the transferring being actively transferring at least for a process of detection of unauthorized wireless access to the wired portion of the computer network;

processing using at least one of the at least the subset of the one or more sniffer devices at least a portion of the monitored wireless communications within the selected geographic region, the processing being directed to at least identifying at least one of the plurality of marker packets being transferred from the wired portion of the computer network to the wireless medium within the selected geographic region through the active wireless access point device, the processing including identifying the at least the portion of the predetermined format within one or more packets included in the at least the portion of the monitored wireless communications;

determining that the active wireless access point device is connected to the wired portion of the computer network, based at least upon the at least one of the plurality of marker packets being identified as transferred from the wired portion of the computer network to the wireless medium within the selected geographic region through the active wireless access point device; and

generating an indication of unauthorized wireless access to the wired portion of the computer network, based at least upon the determining that the active wireless access point device is connected to the wired portion of the computer network.

22. The method of claim 21, and further comprising ascertaining that the active wireless access point device is not among one or more wireless access point devices which are allowed to be connected to the wired portion of the computer network within the selected geographic region, while generating the indication of unauthorized wireless access to the wired portion of the computer network.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the ascertaining that the active wireless access point device is not among the one or more wireless access point devices which are allowed to be connected to the wired portion of the computer network comprising comparing a feature set associated with the active wireless access point device with a feature set associated with each of the one or more wireless access point devices which are allowed to be connected to the wired portion of the computer network.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the feature set associated with the active wireless access point device comprises one or more features selected from the group consisting of encryption method for wireless link, authentication method for wireless link, and MAC address of a wireless interface of the active wireless access point device.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the feature set associated with the each of the one or more wireless access point devices which are allowed to be connected to the wired portion of the computer network comprises one or more features selected from the group consisting of encryption method for wireless link, authentication method for wireless link, and MAC address of a wireless interface of the each wireless access point device which is allowed to be connected to the wired portion of the computer network.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein the actively transferring the plurality of marker packets into the wired portion of the computer network including transferring the plurality of marker packets into the wired portion of the computer network responsive to the detecting the active wireless access point device that transmits wireless signals within the selected geographic region.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein the actively transferring the plurality of marker packets into the wired portion of the computer network including transferring periodically the plurality of marker packets into the wired portion of the computer network.

28. The method of claim 21 wherein the predetermined format comprises one or more predetermined bit patterns.

29. The method of claim 21 wherein the predetermined format comprises one or more predetermined sizes.

30. The method of claim 21 wherein the plurality of marker packets are transferred into the wired portion of the computer network from a computing device connected to the wired portion of the computer network using one or more wires.

31. The method of claim 21 wherein the computing device connected to the wired portion of the computer network using the one or more wires includes a sniffer device.

32. An apparatus for monitoring for unauthorized wireless access to computer networks, the apparatus comprising:

a wired network interface for coupling the apparatus to a wired portion of a computer network, the wired portion to be protected from unauthorized wireless access over any unauthorized wireless access point device connected to the wired portion;

a first portion of computer memory coupled to the wired network interface, the first portion of computer memory including computer code for transferring one or more marker packets into the wired portion of the computer network using the wired network interface, the one or more marker packets being adapted to be transferred to wireless medium from the wired portion of the computer network through one or more wireless access point devices which are connected to the wired portion of the computer network and which are configured to function as layer two bridges between their wired and wireless interfaces, a predetermined format being associated with the one or more marker packets, the transferring being actively transferring at least for a process of detection of unauthorized wireless access to the wired portion of the computer network;

a wireless network interface for receiving wireless communication activity;

a second portion of computer memory coupled to the wireless network interface, the second portion of computer memory including computer code for processing at least a portion of the wireless communication activity received using the wireless network interface to identify at least one marker packet from the one or more marker packets that is transferred to the wireless medium from the wired portion of the computer network through a first wireless access point device;

a third portion of computer memory including computer code for determining that the first wireless access point device is connected to the wired portion of the computer network, based at least upon the at least one marker packet being identified as transferred to the wireless medium from the wired portion of the computer network through the first wireless access point device; and

a fourth portion of computer memory including computer code for generating an indication of unauthorized wireless access to the wired portion of the computer network based at least upon the determining that the first wireless access point device is connected to the wired portion of the computer network.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, and further comprising a fifth portion of computer memory including computer code for ascertaining that the first wireless access point device is not authorized to be connected to the wired portion of the computer network, while generating the indication of unauthorized wireless access.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the computer code included in the fifth portion of computer memory is adapted to:

receiving a list of identities of one or more wireless access point devices that are authorized to be connected to the wired portion of the computer network; and

comparing identity of the first wireless access point device against the list.

35. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein the wired network interface, the first portion of computer memory, the wireless network interface, and the second portion of computer memory are all provided within a sniffer device.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein the third portion and/or the fourth portion of computer memory is provided within a server device which communicates with the sniffer device over one or more computer networks.

37. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein

the wired network interface and the first portion of computer memory are provided within a first sniffer device;

and

the wireless network interface and the second portion of computer memory are provided within a second sniffer device, the second sniffer device being different from the first sniffer device.

38. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein the computer code for processing the at least the portion of the wireless communication activity received using the wireless network interface to identify the at least one marker packet from the one or more marker packets that is transferred to the wireless medium from the wired portion of the computer network through the first wireless access point device includes computer code for detecting at least a portion of the predetermined format in one or more packets in the at least the portion of the wireless communication activity.

39. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein the wired network interface and at least a portion of the first portion of computer memory are provided within a computer system connected to the computer network using Ethernet cable.

40. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein the wireless network interface and at least a portion of the second portion of computer memory are provided within a sniffer device.