Multi-network virus immunization

• US 7,917,956 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2006
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Jung, Edward K. Y., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, Jr., John D., Wood, JR., Lowell L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Parthasarathy, Pramila
• Application Number:
  US11/413,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20070256071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

An apparatus, device, methods, computer program product, and system are described that determine a virus associated with a communications network, and distribute an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one of a higher transmission speed, a higher transmission reliability, a higher transmission security, and/or a physically-separate transmission path, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network.

Claims

1. A processor-executable method comprising:

determining a virus associated with a communications network; and

distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network; and

providing the anti-viral agent to the communications network based on a determination of a potential path of the virus, the determination based on a topological and/or statistical analysis of the communications network.

2. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein determining a virus associated with a communications network comprises:

detecting an effect of the virus with respect to the communications network.

3. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein determining a virus associated with a communications network comprises:

receiving a notification of the virus from a virus detection program; and

determining the virus, based on the notification.

4. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein determining a virus associated with a communications network comprises:

determining a fault pattern associated with the virus and/or with the communications network; and

determining the virus, based on the fault pattern.

5. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein determining a virus associated with a communications network comprises:

performing a comparison of an expected characteristic of the communications network with an actual characteristic of the communications network; and

determining the virus, based on the comparison.

6. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein determining a virus associated with a communications network comprises:

determining the virus associated with the communications network, the communications network including an entity-assured network.

7. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein determining a virus associated with a communications network comprises:

determining the virus associated with the communications network, the communications network including a subset of a larger network, and provided in association with the larger network.

8. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

providing the anti-viral agent to a network device of the communications network in advance of an infection of the network device by the virus, using the bypass network.

9. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

providing a reference to the anti-viral agent to a network device of the communications network, wherein the reference provides access to the anti-viral agent.

10. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is at least partially logically separate from the communications network.

11. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is associated with an entity sponsorship thereof

12. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is associated with sponsorship by an entity, the sponsorship including assurance and/or provision of the transmission of the anti-viral agent with the at least one of the higher transmission speed, a higher transmission reliability, a higher transmission security, and/or a physically-separate transmission path.

13. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, using a network device that is in communications with both the communications network and the bypass network.

14. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, using a network traffic management device that is operable to implement rules governing the distributing of the anti-viral agent onto the communications network.

15. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, using a network traffic management device that is operable to prioritize transmission of the anti-viral agent with respect to communications data of the communications network.

16. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, using a network traffic management device that is operable to suppress and/or delay transmission of the virus relative to transmission of the anti-viral agent.

17. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, the bypass network including at least one of;

a virtual local area network, a virtual private network, a peer-to-peer network, and/or an intranet.

18. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, the bypass network including at least one of;

a satellite network, a satellite radio network, a cellular network, and/or a paging network.

19. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

providing the anti-viral agent to at least one network device of the communications network that is ahead of a propagation path of the virus on the communications network.

20. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a competitive propagation of the anti-viral agent with respect to the virus.

21. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is configured and/or expected to provide point-to-point transmission of the anti-viral agent between a first network device and a second network device in less time than the communications network takes to transmit the virus from the first network device to the second network device.

22. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is configured and/or expected to provide end-to-end transmission of the anti-viral agent over a network path in less time than the communications network takes to transmit the virus over the network path.

23. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent using a bypass transmission medium supporting a higher bandwidth than a communications transmission medium used by the communications network.

24. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent using a bypass transmission medium supporting faster data transfer than a communications transmission medium used by the communications network.

25. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission reliability wherein the bypass network is configured to provide a more reliable point-to-point transmission of the anti-viral agent between a first network device and a second network device than the communications network.

26. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission reliability wherein the bypass network is configured to provide a more reliable end-to-end transmission of the anti-viral agent between a first network device and a second network device than the communications network.

27. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is configured to provide a transmission of the anti-viral agent with a greater quality of service (QoS) than the communications network.

28. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is configured to provide a transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one of;

a lesser number of dropped packets, a shorter delay, a lesser likelihood of out-of-order delivery, and/or fewer errors than the communications network.

29. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent to the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is configured to provide a higher level of data encryption than that provided by the communications network.

30. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is configured to provide a more secure point-to-point transmission of the anti-viral agent between a first network device and a second network device than the communications network.

31. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is configured to provide a more secure end-to-end transmission of the anti-viral agent between a first network device and a second network device than the communications network.

32. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is configured to provide point-to-point transmission of the anti-viral agent between a first network device and a second network device using a physically-separate path from that used by the communications network to transmit the virus from the first network device to the second network device.

33. The processor-executable method of claim 1 wherein distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network comprises:

distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is configured to provide end-to-end transmission of the anti-viral agent over a physically-separate network path than that used by the communications network to transmit the virus.

34. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium bearing

(a) one or more instructions for determining a virus associated with a communication network,

(b) one or more instructions for distributing an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communication network, and

(c) one or more instructions for distributing the anti-viral agent onto the communications network based on a determination of a potential path of the virus, wherein the determination includes a statistical analysis of the determination.

35. A system comprising:

a computing device; and

instructions that when executed on the computing device cause the computing device to

(a) determine a virus associated with a communications network, and

(b) distribute an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network, wherein the determination includes a statistical analysis of the determination.

36. A device comprising:

a multi-network virus immunization system, the multi-network virus immunization system comprising

(a) a network monitor operable to determine a virus associated with a communications network, and

(b) a response generator operable to distribute an anti-viral agent onto the communications network using a bypass network, the bypass network configured to provide transmission of the anti-viral agent with at least one higher transmission speed, relative to transmission of the virus on the communications network, the response generator operable to distribute the anti-viral agent onto the communications network using the bypass network, wherein the bypass network is configured to provide point-to-point transmission of the anti-viral agent between a first network device and a second network device using a physically-separate path from that used by the communications network to transmit the virus from the first network device to the second network device.

37. The device of claim 36 wherein the response generator is operable to implement response rules associated with determining the anti-viral agent and providing the anti-viral agent to the communications system using the bypass network.