Applying a Packet Routing Policy to an Application Session

• US 20160105395A1
• Filed: 12/17/2015
• Published: 04/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Chen, Lee, Oshiba, Dennis, Chiong, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,356,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/365 Application layer names, e.g. buddy names, unstructured names chosen by a user or home appliance name
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2596 Translation of addresses of the same type other than IP, e.g. translation from MAC to MAC addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 : Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 : with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 : using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 : using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 : Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/45 : using multiple identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 : Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 : Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/76 : Group identity

Abstract

A security gateway includes packet routing policies, each including a host network address, an application network address, and a forwarding interface. In routing data packets of an application session, the security gateway: recognizes the application session between a network and an application; determines a user identity from an application session record for the application session; determines packet routing policies applicable to the application session based on the user identity; receives a data packet for the application session, including a source network address and a destination network address; compares the source network address with the host network address, and the destination network address with the application network address; and in response to finding a match between the source network address and the host network address, and between the destination network address and the application network address, processes the data packet using the forwarding interface of the packet routing policy.

Claims

1. A method for routing data packets of an application session, the method comprising:

inspecting, by a security gateway, a data packet for an application session and storing a host identity and application session time in an application session record;

determining, by a security gateway, from the data packet for the application session a user identity and storing the user identity in the application session record;

determining, by a security gateway, a second user identity by matching an access session record of an access session accessed during the application session that comprises the second user identity, a second host identity, and an access session time, wherein the second host identity and access session time match the host identity and application session time of the application session record;

storing the second user identity in the application session record;

determining, by the security gateway, at least one packet routing policy applicable to the application session, the at least one packet routing policy comprising a host network address, an application network address, and a forwarding interface;

receiving, at the security gateway, a second data packet for the application session, the second data packet comprising a source network address and a destination network address;

comparing, by the security gateway, the source network address from the second data packet with the host network address of the at least one packet routing policy, or comparing the destination network address from the second data packet with the application network address of the at least one packet routing policy; and

in response to finding a match between the source network address from the second data packet and the host network address of the at least one packet routing policy, or a match between the destination network address from the second data packet and the application network address of the at least one packet routing policy, processing the second data packet using the forwarding interface of the at least one packet routing policy by the security gateway.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the security gateway comprises a network interface, wherein the forwarding interface of the at least one packet routing policy indicates a modification to be applied to the second data packet, wherein the processing further comprises:

in response to finding the match between the data packet and the at least one packet routing policy, modifying the data packet by the security gateway.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting the modified data packet using the network interface of the security gateway.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the modifying the data packet by the security gateway comprises adding a tunnel header to the data packet.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the tunnel header is one of:

an IP-IP tunnel header, an L2TP tunnel header, an IPSec tunnel header, or a layer 2 tunnel header.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the security gateway is coupled to a network element, wherein the forwarding interface of the at least one packet routing policy directs the security gateway to apply a modification to the second data packet and send the second data packet to the network element, wherein the processing further comprises:

in response to finding the match between the data packet and the at least one packet routing policy, modifying the data packet by the security gateway.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting the modified data packet to the network element using a network interface of the security gateway.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the modifying the second data packet by the security gateway comprises adding a tunnel header to the data packet.

9. A system, comprising:

a security gateway, wherein the security gateway;

inspects a data packet for an application session and stores a host identity and application session time in an application session record;

determines from the data packet for the application session a user identity and stores the user identity in the application session record;

determines a second user identity by matching an access session record of an access session accessed during the application session that comprises the second user identity, a second host identity, and an access session time, wherein the second host identity and access session time match the host identity and application session time of the application session record;

stores the second user identity in the application session record;

determines at least one packet routing policy applicable to the application session, the at least one packet routing policy comprising a host network address, an application network address, and a forwarding interface;

receives a second data packet for the application session, the second data packet comprising a source network address and a destination network address;

compares the source network address from the second data packet with the host network address of the at least one packet routing policy, or compares the destination network address from the second data packet with the application network address of the at least one packet routing policy; and

in response to finding a match between the source network address from the second data packet and the host network address of the at least one packet routing policy, or a match between the destination network address from the second data packet and the application network address of the at least one packet routing policy, processes the second data packet using the forwarding interface of the at least one packet routing policy by the security gateway.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the security gateway comprises a network interface, wherein the forwarding interface of the at least one packet routing policy indicates a modification to be applied to the second data packet, wherein in processing the data packet, the security gateway:

in response to finding the match between the data packet and the at least one packet routing policy, modifies the data packet.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein in processing the second data packet, the security gateway further:

transmits the modified data packet using the network interface of the security gateway.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein in modifying the second data packet, the security gateway adds a tunnel header to the data packet.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the tunnel header is one of:

an IP-IP tunnel header, an L2TP tunnel header, an IPSec tunnel header, or a layer 2 tunnel header.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising a network element coupled to the security gateway, wherein the forwarding interface of the at least one packet routing policy directs the security gateway to apply a modification to the second data packet and send the second data packet to the network element, wherein in processing the data packet, the security gateway:

in response to finding the match between the data packet and the at least one packet routing policy, modifies the data packet by the security gateway.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein in processing the second data packet, the security gateway further:

transmits the modified data packet to the network element using a network interface of the security gateway.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein in modifying the second data packet, the security gateway adds a tunnel header to the data packet.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith for routing data packets of an application session, the computer readable program code configured to:

inspect, by a security gateway, a data packet for an application session and storing a host identity and application session time in an application session record;

determine, by a security gateway, from the data packet for the application session a user identity and store the user identity in the application session record;

determine, by a security gateway, a second user identity by matching an access session record of an access session accessed during the application session that comprises the second user identity, a second host identity, and an access session time, wherein the second host identity and access session time match the host identity and application session time of the application session record;

store the second user identity in the application session record;

determine, by the security gateway, at least one packet routing policy applicable to the application session, the at least one packet routing policy comprising a host network address, an application network address, and a forwarding interface;

receive, at the security gateway, a second data packet for the application session, the second data packet comprising a source network address and a destination network address;

compare, by the security gateway, the source network address from the second data packet with the host network address of the at least one packet routing policy, or compare the destination network address from the second data packet with the application network address of the at least one packet routing policy; and

in response to finding a match between the source network address from the second data packet and the host network address of the at least one packet routing policy, or a match between the destination network address from the second data packet and the application network address of the at least one packet routing policy, process the second data packet using the forwarding interface of the at least one packet routing policy by the security gateway.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the security gateway comprises a network interface, wherein the forwarding interface of the at least one packet routing policy indicates a modification to be applied to the second data packet, wherein the computer readable program code configured to process is further configured to:

in response to finding the match between data packet and the at least one packet routing policy, modify the data packet by the security gateway.

19. The medium of claim 18, wherein the computer readable program code configured to process is further configured to:

transmit the modified data packet using the network interface of the security gateway.

20. The medium of claim 18, wherein the modification of the data packet by the security gateway comprises adding a tunnel header to the data packet.

21. The medium of claim 20, wherein the tunnel header is one of:

an IP-IP tunnel header, an L2TP tunnel header, an IPSec tunnel header, or a layer 2 tunnel header.

22. The medium of claim 17, wherein the security gateway is coupled to a network element, wherein the forwarding interface of the at least one packet routing policy directs the security gateway to apply a modification to the second data packet and send the data packet to the network element, wherein the computer readable program code configured to process is further configured to:

in response to finding the match between the data packet and the at least one packet routing policy, modify the data packet by the security gateway.

23. The medium of claim 22, wherein the computer readable program code configured to process is further configured to:

transmit the modified data packet to the network element using a network interface of the security gateway.

24. The medium of claim 22, wherein the modification of the data packet by the security gateway comprises adding a tunnel header to the data packet.