High resolution access control

• US 6,826,694 B1
• Filed: 10/22/1999
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dutta, Partha P., Kumar, Mahesh M, Lerner, Michah
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US09/422,952
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 713/201, 713/200, 713/151, 713/152, 713/154, 709/224, 709/225, 709/229
• US Class Current: 726/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0254 Stateful filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management

Abstract

A system and method for high resolution access control for packetized information. A packet is received at a firewall. A rule corresponding to header information in the packet prescribes referring the packet to an access control proxy. The access control proxy analyzes the contents of the packet, and identifies a rule based upon the contents. The rule is implemented at the firewall.

Claims

1. A method for filtering a packet, including the steps of:

a. receiving a packet having at least one header parameter and a payload;

b. selecting an access rule based upon the contents of the payload of the packet received in step a;

c. implementing the access rule for a packet, wherein the access rule is selected based upon a combination of the contents of the packet received in step a and the contents of at least one other packet.