Systems, methods, and media for firewall control via remote system information

• US 8,713,665 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2012
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, O'Connell, Brian M., Pavesi, John R., Walker, Keith R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chai, Longbit
• Application Number:
  US13/602,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20120331541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 726/11
• US Class Current: 726/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0218 Distributed architectures, e.g. distributed firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0254 Stateful filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management

Abstract

A method and system for controlling a firewall for a user computer system. One or more processors of the user computer system receive a control request to control a program of the user computer system by the firewall. The control request includes a condition pertaining to at least one process of a remote computer system. The at least one process is configured to be executed on the remote computer system. The firewall protects the user computer system from external threats. The processors store a remote system condition associated with the program of the user computer system. The remote system condition includes the condition pertaining to the at least one process. The processors ascertain whether the remote system condition is satisfied. The processors direct the firewall to block or allow the transmission of data if it is ascertained that the remote system condition is not satisfied or satisfied, respectively.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a firewall for a user computer system, said method comprising:

one or more processors of the user computer system receiving a control request to control a program of the user computer system by the firewall, said control request comprising a condition pertaining to at least one process of a remote computer system, said at least one process configured to be executed on the remote computer system, said firewall configured to protect the user computer system from external threats;

said one or more processors storing a remote system condition associated with the program of the user computer system, said remote system condition comprising the condition pertaining to the at least one process utilizing more than a specified percentage of CPU resources of the remote computer system;

said one or more processors ascertaining whether the remote system condition is satisfied; and

said one or more processors directing the firewall to allow or block a transmission of data if said ascertaining ascertains that the remote system condition is not satisfied or satisfied, respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising:

said one or more processors requesting, from the remote computer system, information indicating a current state of the at least one process of the remote computer system,

wherein said ascertaining whether the remote system condition is satisfied based on a comparison of the information indicating the current state of the at least one process with the condition pertaining to the at least one process.

3. The method of claim 2, said method further comprising:

said one or more processors receiving a data request for said transmission of data from or to the program of the user computer system to or from the remote computer system, respectively,

wherein said requesting information is in response to said receiving the data request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition pertaining to the at least one process comprises a condition of the at least one process utilizing more than a specified percentage of CPU resources of the remote computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition pertaining to the at least one process comprises a condition of a spam blocker or a virus scanner not running on the remote computer system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition pertaining to the at least one process comprises a condition of at least one server program process not running on the remote computer system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition pertaining to the at least one process comprises a condition of a game application running on the remote computer system.

8. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising:

prior to said storing the remote system condition, said one or more processors configuring the remote system condition for the program of the user computer system such that the remote system condition is specific to the program of the user computer system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote system condition further comprises a condition of the transmission of data being a transmission of data of a specified protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising:

specifying a direction of data flow as being either inbound or outbound with respect to the user computer system, wherein the remote system condition further comprises a condition of the transmission of data being a transmission of data in the specified direction of data flow.

11. A computer program product, comprising one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and computer-readable program instructions which are stored on the one or more storage devices and are configured to be executed by one or more processors of a user computer system to perform a method for controlling a firewall for the user computer system, said method comprising:

said one or more processors of the user computer system receiving a control request to control a program of the user computer system by the firewall, said control request comprising a condition pertaining to at least one process of a remote computer system, said at least one process configured to be executed on the remote computer system, said firewall configured to protect the user computer system from external threats;

said one or more processors storing a remote system condition associated with the program of the user computer system, said remote system condition comprising the condition pertaining to the at least one process utilizing more than a specified percentage of CPU resources of the remote computer system;

said one or more processors ascertaining whether the remote system condition is satisfied; and

said one or more processors directing the firewall or allow or block a transmission of data if said ascertaining ascertains that the remote system condition is not satisfied or satisfied, respectively.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, said method further comprising:

said one or more processors requesting, from the remote computer system, information indicating a current state of the at least one process of the remote computer system,

wherein said ascertaining whether the remote system condition is satisfied based on a comparison of the information indicating the current state of the at least one process with the condition pertaining to the at least one process.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, said method further comprising:

said one or more processors receiving a data request for said transmission of data from or to the program of the user computer system to or from the remote computer system, respectively,

wherein said requesting information is in response to said receiving the data request.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the condition pertaining to the at least one process comprises a condition of at least one server program process not running on the remote computer system.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the condition pertaining to the at least one process comprises a condition of a spam blocker or a virus scanner not running on the remote computer system.

16. A user computer system, comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, and program instructions which are stored on the one or more storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories to perform a method for controlling a firewall for the user computer system, said method comprising:

said one or more processors of the user computer system receiving a control request to control a program of the user computer system by the firewall, said control request comprising a condition pertaining to at least one process of a remote computer system, said at least one process configured to be executed on the remote computer system, said firewall configured to protect the user computer system from external threats;

said one or more processors storing a remote system condition associated with the program of the user computer system, said remote system condition comprising the condition pertaining to the at least one process utilizing more than a specified percentage of CPU resources of the remote computer system;

said one or more processors ascertaining whether the remote system condition is satisfied; and

said one or more processors directing the firewall or allow or block a transmission of data if said ascertaining ascertains that the remote system condition is not satisfied or satisfied, respectively.

17. The user computer system of claim 16, said method further comprising:

said one or more processors requesting, from the remote computer system, information indicating a current state of the at least one process of the remote computer system,

wherein said ascertaining whether the remote system condition is satisfied based on a comparison of the information indicating the current state of the at least one process with the condition pertaining to the at least one process.

18. The user computer system of claim 17, said method further comprising:

said one or more processors receiving a data request for said transmission of data from or to the program of the user computer system to or from the remote computer system, respectively,

wherein said requesting information is in response to said receiving the data request.

19. The user computer system of claim 16, wherein the condition pertaining to the at least one process comprises a condition of at least one server program process not running on the remote computer system.

20. The user computer system of claim 16, wherein the condition pertaining to the at least one process comprises a condition of a spam blocker or a virus scanner not running on the remote computer system.