Third party VPN certification

• US 8,761,168 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2011
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: VirnetX Inc. (Virnetx Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: VirnetX Inc. (Virnetx Holding Corporation)
• Inventors: Larson, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUNKULH, BOB A
• Application Number:
  US13/110,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20120131665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/64 Self-signed certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823

Abstract

A virtual private network (VPN) over a telecommunications network is created by sending a request from a first VPN device to a second VPN device for establishing a VPN between the first and second VPN devices. The request includes a first signed certificate having a verified VPN parameter for the first VPN device. A reply is received at the first VPN device from the second VPN device that includes a second signed certificate having a verified VPN parameter for the second VPN device. The VPN is established between the first and second VPN devices based on each verified VPN parameter for each of the first and second VPN devices.

Claims

1. A method for creating a virtual private network (VPN), comprising:

a first device querying an online database to request a secure domain name address of a second device, wherein the querying supplies a remote name of a pre-authorized VPN name pair to the online database;

the first device receiving the secure domain name address in response to the querying;

the first and second devices exchanging respective verified certificates for a VPN connection, wherein the certificates of the first and second devices each contain at least one verified VPN parameter for the first and second devices, respectively; and

establishing the VPN connection using the VPN parameters,

wherein the verified certificates are verified by a certification authority.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the first device storing information identifying a plurality of pre-authorized VPN name pairs, the name pairs each including a local device name and a remote device name for a VPN connection.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information identifying the plurality of pre-authorized VPN name pairs further includes information identifying a VPN connection type for the pair.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the information identifying the plurality of pre-authorized VPN name pairs further includes wildcard information in at least one of the local or remote device names.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the first device storing a plurality of verified certificates for the first device, the plurality of verified certificates containing different VPN parameters.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

the first device associating the stored plurality of verified certificates with a plurality of different local names.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the querying further supplies a public key of the first device to the online database, and wherein the online database uses the public key to verify the identity of the first device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device uses the received secure domain name address in the exchanging.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one VPN parameter in the certificates identifies a plurality of VPN parameters, and wherein the establishing uses a subset of the plurality of VPN parameters from the certificates.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the following:

causing a first device to query an online database to request a secure domain name address of a second device, wherein the query supplies a remote name of a pre-authorized VPN name pair to the online database;

causing the first device to receive the secure domain name address in response to the querying;

causing the first device to exchange respective verified certificates for a VPN connection with the second device using said secure domain name address, wherein the certificates of the first and second devices each contain at least one verified VPN parameter for the first and second devices, respectively; and

establishing the VPN connection using the VPN parameters,

wherein the verified certificates are verified by a certification authority.

11. The non-transitory medium of claim 10, further comprising computer-executable instructions for:

causing the first device to store information identifying a plurality of pre-authorized VPN name pairs, the name pairs each including a local device name and a remote device name for a VPN connection.

12. The non-transitory medium of claim 11, wherein the information identifying the plurality of pre-authorized VPN name pairs further includes information identifying a VPN connection type for the pair.

13. The non-transitory medium of claim 11, wherein the information identifying the plurality of pre-authorized VPN name pairs further includes wildcard information in at least one of the local or remote device names.

14. The non-transitory medium of claim 10, further comprising computer-executable instructions for:

causing the first device to store a plurality of verified certificates for the first device, the plurality of verified certificates containing different VPN parameters.

15. The non-transitory medium of claim 14, further comprising computer-executable instructions for:

causing the first device to associate the stored plurality of verified certificates with a plurality of different local names.

16. The non-transitory medium of claim 10, wherein the query further supplies a public key of the first device to the online database.

17. The non-transitory medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one VPN parameter in the certificates identifies a plurality of VPN parameters, and wherein the establishing uses a subset of the plurality of VPN parameters from the certificates.

18. A virtual private network (VPN) device, comprising:

a memory storing a plurality of verified certificates for VPN connections with the device, wherein the certificates include different VPN parameter settings and are verified by a certification authority, the certificates are associated with different local names, and the device is associated with the different local names; and

a processor configured to receive a request for a VPN connection from a second device, locate a name in the request and compare the name with the plurality of different local names to identify VPN parameter settings for a desired VPN connection.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein said memory further stores information identifying policy restrictions associated with one or more of the local names.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein said device is configured to provide VPN connections for a plurality of client devices.