Transient Transaction Server

• US 20180103051A1
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Published: 04/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratus Digital Systems
• Original Assignee: Stratus Digital Systems
• Inventors: Torkelson, Cary, Chanin, Kenneth Ari, Sullivan, Patrick J., Geankoplis, Brad
• Granted Patent: US 10,715,538 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0218 Distributed architectures, e.g. distributed firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1425 Traffic logging, e.g. anomaly detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1491 using deception as countermeasure, e.g. honeypots, honeynets, decoys or entrapment
• 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 67/143 Termination or inactivation of sessions, e.g. event-controlled end of session

Abstract

A networked computer system enables one or more transactions to be executed securely. An initiator sends a service request to a control server. The control server creates or selects an existing transaction server for the sole purpose of executing the transaction requested by the service request. If the transaction server is pre-existing, it may be in an inaccessible state and then be made accessible in response to receiving the service request. The control server informs the initiator of the created transaction server. The initiator (and possibly one or more other authorized participants) engages in the transaction with the transaction server, independently of the control server. The transaction server terminates, such as upon completion of the transaction, the expiration of a timeout period, or satisfaction of another server termination criterion. The use of such a one-time transaction server increases security, privacy, and anonymity.

Claims

1. A method performed by at least one computer processor executing computer program instructions tangibly stored on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the method comprising:

(A) receiving, over a network at a control server, from an initiator, a request to execute a transaction;

(B) creating a transaction server based on the request;

(C) providing the initiator with information about the transaction server, including an address of the transaction server; and

(D) using the transaction server to execute the transaction independently of the control server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein (C) comprises transmitting a message, containing the information about the transaction server, to the initiator over a network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(E) in response to determining that the transaction has completed, terminating the transaction server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(E) in response to determining that a timeout period has expired, terminating the transaction server.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(E) in response to determining that the transaction satisfies an anomalous condition, terminating the transaction server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein using the transaction server to execute the transaction independently of the control server comprises executing the transaction without communicating with the control server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the control server has a first IP address and the transaction server has a second IP address, wherein the first IP address differs from the second IP address.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein (B) comprises identifying a type of the transaction and creating the transaction server to be capable of executing a transaction of the identified type.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein (B) comprises identifying a property specified by the request and creating the transaction server to have the identified property.

10. A system comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer program instructions executable by at least one computer processor to execute a method, the method comprising:

(A) receiving, over a network at a control server, from an initiator, a request to execute a transaction;

(B) creating a transaction server based on the request;

(C) providing the initiator with information about the transaction server, including an address of the transaction server; and

(D) using the transaction server to execute the transaction independently of the control server.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein (C) comprises transmitting a message, containing the information about the transaction server, to the initiator over a network.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

(E) in response to determining that the transaction has completed, terminating the transaction server.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

(E) in response to determining that a timeout period has expired, terminating the transaction server.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

(E) in response to determining that the transaction satisfies an anomalous condition, terminating the transaction server.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein using the transaction server to execute the transaction independently of the control server comprises executing the transaction without communicating with the control server.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the control server has a first IP address and the transaction server has a second IP address, wherein the first IP address differs from the second IP address.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein (B) comprises identifying a type of the transaction and creating the transaction server to be capable of executing a transaction of the identified type.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein (B) comprises identifying a property specified by the request and creating the transaction server to have the identified property.

19. A computer-implemented method for use with a transaction server, the transaction server being unaddressable over a network, the method comprising:

(A) receiving, over a network at a control server, from an initiator, a request to execute a transaction;

(B) making the transaction server addressable in response to the request;

(C) providing the initiator with information about the transaction server, including an address of the transaction server; and

(D) using the transaction server to execute the transaction independently of the control server.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein (B) comprises:

at the control server, making the transaction server addressable in response to the request.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

(E) assigning an IP address to the transaction server in response to the request.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

(E) after (B), provisioning a new transaction server;

(F) making the new transaction server unaddressable over the network.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

(E) in response to determining that a server termination criterion has been satisfied, terminating the transaction server.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

(E) before (B), selecting the transaction server from a plurality of transaction servers.

25. A system comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer program instructions executable by at least one computer processor to execute a method, the method comprising:

(A) receiving, over a network at a control server, from an initiator, a request to execute a transaction;

(B) making the transaction server addressable in response to the request;

(C) providing the initiator with information about the transaction server, including an address of the transaction server; and

(D) using the transaction server to execute the transaction independently of the control server.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein (B) comprises:

at the control server, making the transaction server addressable in response to the request.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:

(E) assigning an IP address to the transaction server in response to the request.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:

(E) after (B), provisioning a new transaction server;

(F) making the new transaction server unaddressable over the network.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:

(E) in response to determining that a server termination criterion has been satisfied, terminating the transaction server.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises:

(E) before (B), selecting the transaction server from a plurality of transaction servers.