Resistance cell architecture

• US 6,684,335 B1
• Filed: 08/19/1999
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chia-Sheng Lu, Edwin A. Epstein III, Souk Souvannavong
• Original Assignee: Chia-Sheng Lu, Edwin A. Epstein III, Souk Souvannavong
• Inventors: Souvannavong, Souk, Lu, Chia-Sheng, Epstein, Edwin A. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOBAHAR, ABDULHAKIM
• Application Number:
  US09/377,277
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 713/201, 713/200
• US Class Current: 726/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002

Abstract

A communication network implements a “resistance cell architecture.” Each cell in the architecture comprises communication equipment such as a cell communication device coupled to one or more computers or terminals. Each cell is only permitted to communicate directly with certain predetermined other cells in the architecture. If a cell has a communication to be transmitted to a cell to which it does not directly communicate, the communication will be sent from one cell to another until the communication reaches the intended recipient. A security breach in the network can quickly, easily and effectively be isolated using the resistance cell architecture. For example, once a security is detected, the cell through which the security intrusion is detected can be deactivated or destroyed thereby preventing communications from the infected cell or branch of the resistance cell architecture to reach other parts of the network. Various cells in the resistance cell architecture can act as master controlling cells of various other subordinate cells. Master cells control many functions and the communication behavior of their subordinate cells. A set of commands is made available to the administrators of the cells to initiate and configure the network. The commands includes a number of controls and sub-controls that permit the master cells to initiate subordinate cells into the resistance cell architecture, alter the operating characteristics of the architecture, and respond to detected security breaches and problems.

Claims

1. A resistance cell architecture, comprising:

a plurality of cells in communication with one another over a communications medium, each cell having an associated address and capable of communicating directly with some, but not all cells, each cell aware of the addresses of only those cells to which the cell can directly communicate and not aware of the addresses of all other cells, each cell comprising;

an interface coupled to the communications medium;

memory containing routing data, said routing data comprising (a) the addresses of the cells that the cell is aware the cell can communicate directly with and (b) information as to how the cell is to communicate with all other cells of which it cannot communicate directly with; and

a processor coupled to said interface and said memory, said processor reading said routing data from said memory to determine the address of a cell to which a communication is to be transmitted;

wherein each cell is initiated into the resistance cell architecture according to an initiation process in which the cell receives an initiation storage device containing an address of another cell and establishes communication with such other cell.

2. The resistance cell architecture of claim 1 wherein the communications medium includes a publicly-available network.

3. The resistance cell architecture of claim 1 wherein the communications medium includes the Internet.

4. The resistance cell architecture of claim 1 wherein some of the cells cause other cells to execute preprogrammed commands.

10. The resistance cell architecture of claim 1 wherein the initiation storage device contains biometric information.

11. The resistance cell architecture of claim 1 wherein at least one cell comprises a destruction subsystem that can destroy at least a portion of at least one cell on command from another cell.

12. The resistance cell architecture of claim 11 wherein at least one cell comprises a capacitor that can be charged to provide a power surge to at least a portion of at least one cell to thereby destroy such portion of the cell on command from another cell.

13. The resistance cell architecture of claim 1 wherein a cell is used to initiate another cell into the resistance cell architecture by creating the initiation storage device and programming the initiation storage device to contain the address of the cell being used to create the initiation storage device and biometric information.

14. The resistance cell architecture of claim 1 wherein a cell cannot be used in the resistance cell architecture without having received the initiation storage device and establishing communication with the other cell.

15. The resistance cell architecture of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of cells defines a routing protocol to be implemented by another of the cells.

16. The resistance cell architecture of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of cells defines a routing protocol address or range of addresses pertaining to another of the cells.

17. The resistance cell architecture of claim 4 wherein the preprogrammed commands comprise a lock command that causes a cell to log off any currently logged on network administrator and prevent any further attempts of the network administrator to log on to the cell.

5. A method of transmitting a communication on a network of cells, comprising:

(a) in a new cell, receiving a security initiation device containing the address of a cell;

(b) initiating the new cell into the network using information contained on the security initiation device and not permitting the new cell to access the network until the cell has successfully communicated with the cell whose address is on the security initiation device;

(c) determining the address of the destination cell of the communication;

(d) looking up in a routing table to determine where to transmit the communication so that the communication will eventually be transmitted to the destination cell; and

(e) transmitting the communication to a cell address determined from the routing table.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the routing table of each cell includes addresses of other cells that are in direct communication with the cell, and addresses of cells in direct communication with the cell through which communications must be transmitted to go to cells not in direct communication with the cell.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein step (e) includes transmitting the communication to a cell that then forwards the communication to the destination cell.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein step (e) includes transmitting the communication to a cell that then looks up in a routing table to determine where to transmit the communication so that the communication will eventually be transmitted to the destination cell.

9. The method of claim 5 further including creating a routing table in each cell, each routing table determining which cells are in direct communication with the cell and to which cells communications should be transmitted that are destined for cells not in direct communication with the cell.