System and method for providing a secure connection between networked computers

• US 8,108,915 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Rocksteady Technologies LLC
• Inventors: White, Eric, Turley, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrishamkar, Kaveh
• Application Number:
  US12/617,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20100058458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a system, method, and computer program product for establishing a secure network connection between two computers, a client and a server. The client may send a connection request over a public network to the server. In response, the server may generate a set of credentials, select a controller to automatically run on the client, and send the controller and the set of credentials to the client. The controller automatically executes on the client and utilizes the set of credentials from the server to establish a secure network connection with the server without user intervention. The set of credentials is valid until the secure network connection between the client and the server is severed.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a secure network connection between a client computer and a server computer over a public network, comprising:

sending a connection request from the client computer to the server computer over the public network;

in response to receiving the connection request at the server computer,

dynamically generating a set of credentials;

selecting a controller and any configuration information required by the controller to automatically run on the client computer;

preparing a response containing the controller and the set of credentials; and

sending the response from the server computer to the client computer over the public network; and

receiving the response containing the controller and the set of credentials at the client computer, wherein the controller automatically executes on the client computer and utilizes the set of credentials dynamically generated at the server computer to automatically establish a secure network connection between the client computer and the server computer without user intervention at the client computer, and wherein the set of credentials is valid until the secure network connection between the client computer and the server computer is severed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the server computer is coupled to a wireless router.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the connection request is sent from the client computer to the server computer in response to the client computer entering a range of the wireless router.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection request is initiated via a browser application running on the client computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of credentials generated by the server computer contains information associated with a user of the client computer, further comprising:

sending from the client computer to the server computer a secure network connection request containing the set of credentials generated by the server computer;

in response to receiving the secure network connection request at the server computer,

verifying the information associated with the user of the client computer; and

establishing a tunnel connection with the client computer over the public network after the information associated with the user of the client computer is verified.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of credentials generated by the server computer comprises a username and password.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the server computer serves as a gateway between an intranet and the public network and wherein the client computer is external to the intranet.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the server computer also serves as a firewall for the intranet.

9. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer instructions translatable by a processor to perform:

at a server computer, dynamically generating a set of credentials in response to a connection request from a client computer;

selecting a controller and any configuration information required by the controller to automatically run on the client computer;

preparing a response containing the controller and the set of credentials; and

sending the response containing the controller and the set of credentials to the client computer, wherein the controller automatically executes on the client computer and utilizes the set of credentials dynamically generated at the server computer to automatically establish a secure network connection for the client computer without user intervention at the client computer, and wherein the set of credentials is valid during the secure network connection.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the set of credentials generated by the server computer contains information associated with a user of the client computer and wherein the computer instructions are further translatable by the processor to perform:

receiving from the client computer a secure network connection request containing the set of credentials generated by the server computer;

authenticating the user utilizing the information associated with the user; and

establishing a tunnel connection with the client computer after the user is authenticated.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the set of credentials generated by the server computer comprises a username and password.

12. A system for establishing a secure network connection over a public network, comprising:

a client computer coupled to the public network and operable to send a connection request over the public network; and

a server computer coupled to the public network and operable to;

dynamically generate a set of credentials in response to receiving the connection request from the client computer;

select a controller and any configuration information required by the controller to automatically run on the client computer;

prepare a response containing the controller and the set of credentials; and

send the response containing the controller and the set of credentials to the client computer over the public network, wherein the controller automatically executes on the client computer and utilizes the set of credentials dynamically generated at the server computer to automatically establish a secure network connection between the client computer and the server computer without user intervention at the client computer, and wherein the set of credentials is valid until the secure network connection between the client computer and the server computer is severed.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a wireless router coupled to the server computer.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the connection request is sent from the client computer to the server computer in response to the client computer entering a range of the wireless router.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the connection request is initiated via a browser application running on the client computer.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the set of credentials contains information associated with a user of the client computer and wherein the computer instructions are further translatable by the processor to perform:

receiving from the client computer a secure network connection request containing the set of credentials generated by the server computer;

authenticating the user utilizing the information associated with the user; and

establishing a tunnel connection with the client computer after the user is authenticated.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the set of credentials generated by the server computer comprises a username and password.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a database coupled to the server computer for storing user authentication profile data.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the server computer serves as a gateway between an intranet and the public network and wherein the client computer is external to the intranet.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the server computer also serves as a firewall for the intranet.