System and method for real time data awareness

• US 8,601,034 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2011
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sourcefire Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roesch, Martin Frederick
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M
• Assistant Examiner(s): ASPINWALL, EVAN S
• Application Number:
  US13/046,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20120233222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 707/812, 709/224
• US Class Current: 707/812
• 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 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1466 Active attacks involving interception, injection, modification, spoofing of data unit addresses, e.g. hijacking, packet injection or TCP sequence number attacks

Abstract

A system includes a sensor and a processor. The sensor is configured to passively read data in packets as the packets are in motion on a network. The processor is cooperatively operable with the sensor The processor is configured to receive the read data from the sensor; and originate real-time map profiles of files and file data, both from the read data from the sensor, as the passively read packets are in motion on the network.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a sensor configured to;

passively read data in packets as the packets are in motion on a network;

a processor, being a hardware processor, cooperatively operable with the sensor, and configured to;

receive the read data from the sensor;

originate real-time map profiles of files and file data, both from the read data from the sensor, as the passively read packets are in motion on the network,

wherein the map profile is a topographical map of locations of the files on the network,

wherein the map profile further designates hosts which contain the files, destinations to where the files were transferred, and file directories of the files on the hosts and destinations;

extract metadata from the read data in the passively read packets to generate passively discovered metadata, as the packets are in motion on the network, the read data including;

the main hash of the entire file, the block hash of individual blocks within the file, the directory listing of files with file names, dates, time stamps, size, and file owners;

the hash being a cryptographic hash unique to the file;

store the passively discovered metadata, attributes of the files, and the file data, in a relational database; and

store the passively discovered metadata in a data map of passively discovered metadata.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

perform correlation and inference from the read data read by the sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

catalog attributes of the files and the file data, all from the read data in the packets in motion on the network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

create a user access map associating user identity with the files, file hashes, and databases the user has actually touched.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is further configured to embed a honeytoken into voids inside the file contained in the passively read packets when the file has a file format predetermined to have dead data that can be overwritten, and to use the honeytoken to aid tracking of the file'"'"'s movement around and outside the network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor further examines the read data from the sensor for the files and the file data, when the read data is a conversation between users, a page being downloaded, an e-mail attachment, a file download, a file repository access, and a file transfer via the network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the relational database is based around the file itself and indicates where the file has been transferred and who transferred it.

8. The system of claim 1, the relational database being implemented as a postprocessor to the sensor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

infer a user role from who is using the file and the file data and how the user is transferring or accessing the file and the file data; and

detect when the user is performing an inappropriate usage from the inferred user role and the read data from the sensor.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

report on how a content of the file has changed, the changes including location reflected in the file data, ownership reflected in the file data, changes in the file data itself, and changes in the file itself.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein the attributes which are cataloged include:

file name, file size, time stamp, file hash, block hashes, server ID that contained the file, host ID which contains the file, user ID who sent it, user ID who is receiving it, place file is transferred to, content of the file, where the file data is, who has access to the file data or the file, what device has the file data on it, how the file was transferred, how the file was transformed.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the content of the file which is cataloged comprises:

keywords, hashes, and file content changes.

13. The system of claim 11, the content of the file being determined by analyzing the file and the file data as it is flowing by for keywords or hashes in the files in the data.

14. The system of claim 5, wherein the honeytoken that is embedded in the file is one of a main hash of the entire file, and a block hash of an individual block within the file.

15. The system of claim 6, the file repository access being a download, an ftp transfer, a file share access, or an NFS access.

16. A method, comprising:

in a sensor, passively reading data in packets as the packets are in motion on a network;

in a processor, being a hardware processor, receiving the read data from the sensor;

originating real-time map profiles of files and file data from the read data, both from the sensor, as the passively read packets are in motion on the network,

wherein the map profile is a topographical map of locations of the files on the network,

wherein the map profile further designates hosts which contain the files, destinations to where the files were transferred, and file directories of the files on the hosts and destinations;

extracting metadata from the read data in the passively read packets to generate passively discovered metadata, as the packets are in motion on the network, the read data including;

the main hash of the entire file, the block hash of individual blocks within the file, the directory listing of files with file names, dates, time stamps, size, and file owners;

the hash being a cryptographic hash unique to the file;

storing the passively discovered metadata, attributes of the files, and the file data, in a relational database; and

storing the passively discovered metadata in a data map of passively discovered metadata.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

performing correlation and inference from the data retrieved by the sensor.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

cataloging attributes of the files and the file data, all from the read data in the packets in motion on the network.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

creating a user access map associating user identity with the files, file hashes, and databases the user has actually touched.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

passively reading, from a sensor, data in packets as the packets are in motion on a network;

receiving, in a processor, the read data from the sensor;

originating real-time map profiles of files and file data, both from the read data from the sensor, as the passively read packets are in motion on the network,

wherein the map profile is a topographical map of locations of the files on the network,

wherein the map profile further designates hosts which contain the files, destinations to where the files were transferred, and file directories of the files on the hosts and destinations;

extracting metadata from the read data in the passively read packets to generate passively discovered metadata, as the packets are in motion on the network, the read data including;

the main hash of the entire file, the block hash of individual blocks within the file, the directory listing of files with file names, dates, time stamps, size, and file owners;

the hash being a cryptographic hash unique to the file;

storing the passively discovered metadata, attributes of the files, and the file data, in a relational database; and

storing the passively discovered metadata in a data map of passively discovered metadata.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, further comprising:

performing correlation and inference from the read data read by the sensor.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, further comprising:

cataloging attributes of the files and the file data, all from the read data in the packets in motion on the network.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, further comprising:

creating a user access map associating user identity with the files, file hashes, and databases the user has actually touched.