Systems, methods and computer program products for firewall use of certified binaries

• US 7,913,299 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: May, Alan D., Miller, Jeffery A., Sullivan, Malissa G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim; Krisna
• Application Number:
  US11/962,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20090165113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 726/11, 713/156, 713/176, 380/287, 380/52
• US Class Current: 726/11
• 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: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer program products for firewall use of certified binaries. Exemplary embodiments include a method including reading a plaintext component from a digital signature, searching the plaintext component for an identifier, reading in a TotalTCPIPPorts field for a total number of sockets to be opened for an application, reading in ports and descriptions for each of the ports, displaying information from the plaintext component up to a block including the identifier, the port being opened and the port description, prompting an instruction, displaying on the screen information from the plaintext component up to a block including the identifier, displaying a warning that the application is opening additional ports beyond the default number specified displaying a warning that opening the additional ports should be avoided and prompting the instruction.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a screen, a method for firewall use of certified binaries, the method comprising:

reading a plaintext component from a digital signature;

searching the plaintext component for an identifier to indicate it contains a firewall information block;

in response to finding the identifier;

reading in a TotalTCPIPPorts field for a total number of sockets to be opened for an application;

reading in a plurality of ports and descriptions for each of the plurality of ports;

in response to a port being opened being present in a list of ports;

displaying on the screen information from the plaintext component up to a block including the identifier, the port being opened and the port description;

prompting an instruction on the screen;

in response to a port being opened being absent in a list of ports;

displaying on the screen information from the plaintext component tip to a block including the identifier;

in response to a determination that the application has exceeded a value of the TotalTCPIPPorts;

displaying a warning on the screen that the application is opening additional ports beyond the default number specified;

displaying a warning on the screen that opening the additional ports should be avoided unless they have modified the configuration of this application to use a port or additional ports than by default; and

prompting the instruction on the display.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the identifier is in the form:

Firewall TCP/IP Component \r\n.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein prompting an instruction on the display is selected from the group consisting of:

“

Allow this time only”

, “

Always Allow”

, “

Never Allow”

, “

Not this time”

, “

Always allow this Signer”

, and “

Never Allow this Signer”

.