Systems and methods for modifying network map attributes

• US 8,289,882 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sourcefire Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vogel, William Andrew III, Bruzek, Dina L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRUTCHFIELD, CHRISTOPHER M
• Application Number:
  US12/688,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20100205675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis

Abstract

The disclosed systems and methods provide a user interface for modifying host configuration data that has been automatically and passively determined and for adding or modifying other parameters associated with a host. A host data table can store various parameters descriptive of a host including the applicability of specific vulnerabilities. If it is determined that one or more hosts should not be identified as associated with a specific vulnerability, a graphical user interface can be used to modify the vulnerability parameter.

Claims

1. A method for assigning a vulnerability parameter to a device on a network, comprising:

passively determining, responsive to a passively read packet, a vulnerability parameter for an operating system or service;

storing, responsive to the vulnerability parameter being passively determined, the vulnerability parameter in a host map associated with a network device;

modifying the vulnerability parameter which was passively determined; and

storing the modified vulnerability parameter in the host map, wherein the vulnerability parameter is invalid or valid,

when the vulnerability is invalid and a pre-defined change in the operating system or service occurs on the network device, a new vulnerability lookup is performed for the changed operating system or service and the vulnerability parameter is remapped from invalid to valid based on the new vulnerability lookup for the changed operating system or service,

wherein the vulnerability parameter is associated with a universal unique identifier to distinguish between locally and remotely generated vulnerability parameters and is synchronized to a high availability peer, the vulnerability parameter being propagated from the host map to the high availability peer,

when the vulnerability parameter is modified at the high availability peer, the modified vulnerability parameter is propagated from the high availability peer back to the host map.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a graphical user interface is provided through an application program interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a graphical user interface provides a function for setting the vulnerability parameter for a plurality of selected hosts or services.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a graphical user interface provides a function for deleting a host from a network map.

5. A method for assigning a vulnerability parameter to a device on a network, comprising:

passively determining, responsive to a passively read packet, a vulnerability parameter for an operating system or service, wherein the vulnerability parameter is associated with a universal unique identifier to distinguish between locally and remotely generated vulnerability parameters;

storing, responsive to the vulnerability parameter being passively determined, the vulnerability parameter in a host map associated with a network device;

modifying the vulnerability parameter which was passively determined; and

storing the modified vulnerability parameter in the host map, wherein

the vulnerability parameter is invalid or valid,

when the vulnerability is invalid and a pre-defined change in the operating system or service occurs on the network device, a new vulnerability lookup is performed for the changed operating system or service and the vulnerability parameter is remapped from invalid to valid based on the new vulnerability lookup for the changed operating system or service,

wherein the vulnerability parameter is propagated from the host map to the high availability peer,

when the vulnerability parameter is modified at the high availability peer, the modified vulnerability parameter is propagated from the high availability peer back to the host map.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a graphical user interface is provided through an application program interface.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein a graphical user interface provides a function for setting the vulnerability parameter for a plurality of selected hosts or services.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein a graphical user interface provides a function for deleting a host from a network map.

9. A method for assigning a vulnerability parameter to a device on a network, comprising:

passively determining, responsive to a passively read packet, a vulnerability parameter for an operating system or service;

storing, responsive to the vulnerability parameter being passively determined, the vulnerability parameter in a host map associated with a network device;

modifying the vulnerability parameter which was passively determined; and

storing the modified vulnerability parameter in the host map, wherein

the vulnerability parameter is invalid or valid,

when the vulnerability is invalid and a pre-defined change in the operating system or service occurs on the network device, a new vulnerability lookup is performed for the changed operating system or service and the vulnerability parameter is remapped from invalid to valid based on the new vulnerability lookup for the changed operating system or service,

wherein the vulnerability parameter is associated with a universal unique identifier to distinguish between locally and remotely generated vulnerability parameters and is synchronized to a peer, the vulnerability parameter being propagated from the host map to the peer,

when the vulnerability parameter is modified at the peer, the modified vulnerability parameter is propagated from the peer back to the host map.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a graphical user interface is provided through an application program interface.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a graphical user interface provides a function for setting the vulnerability parameter for a plurality of selected hosts or services.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein a graphical user interface provides a function for deleting a host from a network map.