Secure access to remote resources over a network

• US 8,090,827 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SonicWALL, Inc. (SonicWall Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Aventail LLC
• Inventors: Hoover, Paul Lawrence, Erickson, Rodger Del, Sauvé, Bryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Swearingen, Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US12/690,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20100121943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4675 Dynamic sharing of VLAN information amongst network nodes configuration of the network or of network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/021 Ensuring consistency of routing table updates, e.g. by using epoch numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5046 Resolving address allocation conflicts; Testing of addresses testing when self-assigning an address H04L61/5092
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

A client computer hosts a virtual private network tool to establish a virtual private network connection with a remote network. Upon startup, the virtual private network tool collects critical network information for the client computer, and sends this critical network information to an address assignment server in the remote network. The address assignment server compares the critical network information with a pool of available addresses in the remote network, and assigns addresses for use by the client computer that do not conflict with the addresses for local resources. The address assignment server also provides routing information for resources in the remote network to the virtual private network tool. The virtual private network tool will postpone loading this routing information into the routing tables of the client computer until the client computer requests access to a specific resource in the remote network. When the client computer requests access to a specific resource in the remote network, the virtual private network tool will only provide the routing table with the routing information for that specific remote resource.

Claims

1. A method for securely accessing a remote resource on a remote network, the method comprising:

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of instructions by a processor;

requests access to the remote resource using a network address;

accesses a routing table stored in memory, the routing table including known routes for accessing the remote resource;

locates a routing rule in the routing table, the routing rule associated with the network address; and

opens a secure connection with the remote network, the secure connection corresponding to the routing rule upon authentication of a client device requesting access to the remote resource, wherein authentication of the client device includes comparing authentication information of the client device with an access policy, the access policy used for determining which remote resource the client device is permitted to access.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein opening a secure connection with the remote network includes opening a redirect all connection mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein opening a secure connection with the remote network includes opening a split tunnel connection mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, the routing rule contain a resource identifier value and a permission value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing rule includes information corresponding to a name of the remote resource that has be requested.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing rule indicates the client device is permitted to access the remote resource that has been requested.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for securely accessing a remote resource on, a remote network, the method comprising:

requesting access to the remote resource using a network address;

accessing a routing table stored in memory, the routing table including known routes for accessing the remote resource;

locating a routing rule in the routing table, the routing rule associated with the network address; and

opening a secure connection with the remote network, the secure connection corresponding to the routing rule upon authentication of a client device requesting access to the remote resource, wherein authentication of the client device includes comparing authentication information of the client device with an access policy, the access policy used for determining which remote resource the client device is permitted to access.