SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MONITORING AND CONTROLLING APPLICATION FILES

• US 20140156838A1
• Filed: 02/04/2014
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Forcepoint LLC
• Original Assignee: Forcepoint LLC
• Inventors: Kester, Harold M., Dimm, John Ross, Anderson, Mark Richard, Papa, Joseph, Jones, Nicole Kaster
• Granted Patent: US 9,253,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• 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 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for updating, monitoring, and controlling applications on a workstation. The workstation includes a workstation management module configured to detect the launch or request to access a network by an application. A workstation application server receives data associated with the application from the workstation. The application server module can determine one or more policies or categories to associate with the application by referencing an application inventory database. Once the application server module has the category or policy, it forwards a hash/policy table to the workstation management module. Upon receipt of the hash/policy table, the workstation management module applies the policy that is associated with the application to control network access by the application.

Claims

1. A system, including one or more processors, for collecting network access data for use in updating a monitoring system which controls programs accessing a network, comprising:

a workstation management module configured to detect a program on a workstation accessing a network, determine whether the program is in a network access database, send program data associated with the program to an application server module if the program is not in the network access database, and apply one or more policies that are associated with the program, wherein the network access database includes a protocol that is associated with the program; and

the application server module being configured to receive the program data from the workstation management module if the program was not in the network access database, determine whether the program is operating in a predetermined manner based at least in part on analyzing past network activity involving the same or relevant programs and text strings associated with the program, if the program is not operating in the predetermined manner, then send the program data to an application database factory, if the program is operating in the predetermined manner, then provide the one or more policies associated with the program to the workstation management module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application database factory is configured to receive the program data from the application server module if the program is not operating in the predetermined manner, determine whether the program was previously analyzed by the application database factory, if the program was not previously analyzed, then determine one or more policies to associate with the program and provide the one or more policies to the application server module, if the program was previously analyzed, then provide the one or more policies that were previously associated with the program data to the application server module.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the protocol is a transport protocol.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the transport protocol is transmission control protocol (TCP).

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the transport protocol is user database protocol (UDP).

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the network access database comprises hash values.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the network access database comprises one or more categories and one or more policies associated with the program.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the workstation management module comprises an application digest generator configured to determine the program data to associate with the program.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the program data includes a source IP address.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the program data includes a destination IP address.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more policies include allowing the program to access the network based on the one or more policies associated with the user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more policies include not allowing the program to access the network based on the one or more policies associated with the user.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising a classification user interface configured to provide an interface for a network administrator to select the one or more policies that are associated with the program.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising an upload/download manager module configured to send the program data to the application database factory and to receive the one or more policies from the application database factory.

15. A system, including one or more processors, for collecting network access data for use in updating a monitoring system which controls a program on a computer from accessing a network based at least in part on information collected from another computer over the network, the system comprising:

a first workstation management module configured to detect a program on a first workstation accessing a network, determine whether the program is in a first network access database, send program data associated with the program to an application server module if the program is not in the first network access database, and apply one or more policies that are associated with the program;

the application server module being configured to receive the program data from the first workstation management module if the program was not in the first network access database, determine whether the program is operating in a predetermined manner based at least in part on analyzing past network activity involving the same or relevant programs and text strings associated with the program, if the program is not operating in the predetermined manner, then send the program data to an application database factory, if the program is operating in the predetermined manner, then provide the one or more policies associated with the program to at least a second workstation; and

a second workstation management module being configured to receive the one or more policies from the application server module and update a second network access database resident on the second workstation.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the application server module is further configured to associate one or more indicators with the program.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more indicators includes a category flag.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the application server module uses the one or more indicators to screen the program prior to sending the program data to the application database factory.

19. A system, including one or more processors, for collecting network access data for use in updating a monitoring system which controls programs accessing a network, comprising:

a workstation management module configured to detect a program on a workstation accessing a network, determine whether the program is in a network access database, send program data associated with the program to an application server module if the program is not in the network access database, and apply one or more policies that are associated with the program, wherein the network access database includes a protocol that is associated with the program;

the application server module being configured to receive the program data from the workstation management module if the program was not in the network access database, analyze past network activity involving the same or relevant programs and text strings associated with the program to determine whether the program is operating in a predetermined manner and to associate one or more indicators with the program, if the program is not operating in the predetermined manner, then send the program data to an application database factory, if the program is operating in the predetermined manner, then provide the one or more policies associated with the program to the workstation management module.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more indicators includes a category flag.