Detecting secure or encrypted tunneling in a computer network

• US 8,782,794 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2011
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Ramcharran, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRONG H
• Application Number:
  US13/298,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20120060211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• US Class Current: 726/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/556 involving covert channels, i.e. data leakage between processes inhibiting the analysis of circuitry or operation with measures against power attack G06F21/755
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2592 using tunnelling or encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• 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
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer

Abstract

A computer assisted method for detecting encrypted tunneling or proxy avoidance is presented. The method may include electronically receiving information from a proxy server, extracting information regarding a CONNECT function of Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP) from the electronically received information, determining at least one destination to which the extracted information regarding the CONNECT function of HTTP corresponds and attempting to negotiate a standard HTTPS session with each of the at least one destination. Further, the computer assisted method may further include, for each of the at least one destination, determining whether the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling or proxy avoidance application, wherein such a determining may be based on characteristics of an Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate associated with the destination or a response received from the destination over a TCP/IP connection.

Claims

1. A computer assisted method for detecting encrypted tunneling comprising:

electronically receiving information from a proxy server;

extracting information regarding a CONNECT function of Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP) from the electronically received information;

determining at least one destination to which the extracted information regarding the CONNECT function of HTTP corresponds;

attempting to negotiate a standard Hyper Text Transport Protocol Secure (HTTPS) session with each of the at least one destination;

for each of the at least one destination,

determining if a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate associated with the destination has been issued by a trusted certificate authority;

determining whether the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application, wherein the determining whether the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application includes;

identifying a plurality of characteristics of the SSL certificate;

comparing the plurality of characteristics of the SSL certificate with a list of authentic characteristics to determine whether the SSL certificate is authentic;

wherein identifying the plurality of characteristics includes determining at least a name of at least one of;

to whom the SSL certificate was issued and who issued the SSL certificate; and

identifying, based on the identified plurality of characteristics of the SSL certificate, a type of encrypted tunneling application associated with the at least one destination.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one destination is at least one IP address or at least one IP address in combination with at least one port number.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a destination, of the at least one destination to which the extracted information regarding the CONNECT function of HTTP corresponds, is a destination that has been previously identified by the method as a destination hosting an encrypted tunneling or proxy avoidance application by comparing the destination with a database of previously identified destinations.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

for each destination of the at least one destination,

comparing the destination with a database of previously identified destinations identified as hosting an encrypted tunneling application; and

determining if the destination, is a previously identified destination.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

upon determining the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application, recording the destination in a database of previously identified destinations identified as hosting an encrypted tunneling application.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

upon determining the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application, generating a security alert.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining whether the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application includes determining whether the SSL certificate is self signed.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining whether the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application includes determining whether at least the name of at least one of:

to whom the SSL certificate was issued and who issued the SSL certificate, contains a string of random characters that is unintelligible.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining whether the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application includes determining a service being operated at the destination.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining whether the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application includes determining at least one of:

a port or channel hopping patterns of a service being operated at the destination, a length of traffic of a service being operated at the destination.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extracting information regarding a CONNECT function of HTTP from the electronically received information and the determining at least one destination to which the extracted information regarding the CONNECT function of HTTP corresponds occur immediately upon the electronically received information from the proxy server being received.

12. An encrypted tunneling detecting apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer executable instructions that cause the at least one processor to perform a method for detecting encrypted tunneling comprising;

electronically receiving information from a proxy server;

extracting information regarding a CONNECT function of Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP) from the electronically received information;

determining at least one destination to which the extracted information regarding the CONNECT function of HTTP corresponds;

attempting to negotiate a standard Hyper Text Transport Protocol Secure (HTTPS) session with each of the at least one destination;

for each of the at least one destination,

determining if a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate associated with the destination has been issued by a trusted certificate authority; and

determining whether the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application, wherein the determining whether the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application includes;

identifying a plurality of characteristics of the SSL certificate;

comparing the plurality of characteristics of the SSL certificate with a list of authentic characteristics to determine whether the SSL certificate is authentic;

wherein identifying the plurality of characteristics includes determining at least a name of at least one of;

to whom the SSL certificate was issued and who issued the SSL certificate; and

identifying, based on the identified plurality of characteristics of the SSL certificate, a type of encrypted tunneling application associated with the at least one destination.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

determining if a destination, of the at least one destination to which the extracted information regarding the CONNECT function of HTTP corresponds, is a destination that has been previously identified by the method as a destination hosting an encrypted tunneling or proxy avoidance application by comparing the destination with a database of previously identified destinations.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

for each destination of the at least one destination,

comparing the destination with a database of previously identified destinations identified as hosting an encrypted tunneling application; and

determining if the destination, is a previously identified destination.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

upon determining the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application, recording the destination in a database of previously identified destinations identified as hosting an encrypted tunneling application.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

upon determining the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application, generating a security alert.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the determining whether the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application includes determining whether the SSL certificate is self signed.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the determining whether the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling application includes determining a service being operated at the destination.

19. A computer assisted method for detecting encrypted tunneling or proxy avoidance comprising:

electronically receiving information from a proxy server;

extracting information regarding a CONNECT function of Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP) from the electronically received information;

determining at least one destination to which the extracted information regarding the CONNECT function of HTTP corresponds;

attempting to negotiate a standard Hyper Text Transport Protocol Secure (HTTPS) session with each of the at least one destination;

for each of the at least one destination,

determining whether the destination is hosting an encrypted tunneling or proxy avoidance application, wherein such a determining includes;

identifying a plurality of characteristics of a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate associated with the at least one destination, wherein identifying the plurality of characteristics includes determining at least a name of at least one of;

to whom the SSL certificate was issued and who issued the SSL certificate;

comparing the plurality of characteristics of the SSL certificate with a list of authentic characteristics to determine whether the SSL certificate is authentic; and

identifying, based on the identified plurality of characteristics of the SSL certificate, a type of encrypted tunneling application associated with the at least one destination.