Applying network traffic policy to an application session

• US 8,813,180 B1
• Filed: 10/23/2013
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: A10 Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Chen, Lee, Chiong, John, Oshiba, Dennis I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Simitoski, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAVELLE, GARY E
• Application Number:
  US14/061,720
• Time in Patent Office: 300 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0254 Stateful filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/30 for supporting lawful interception, monitoring or retaining of communications or communication related information circuit switched telephony call monitoring H04M3/2281
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 : at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1004 : Server selection for load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 : Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 : Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 : Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 : with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 : using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 : Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 : Time-dependent

Abstract

Applying a security policy to an application session, includes: recognizing the application session between a network and an application via a security gateway; determining by the security gateway a user identity of the application session using information about the application session; obtaining by the security gateway the security policy comprising network parameters mapped to the user identity; and applying the security policy to the application session by the security gateway. The user identity may be a network user identity or an application user identity recognized from packets of the application session. The security policy may comprise a network traffic policy mapped and/or a document access policy mapped to the user identity, where the network traffic policy is applied to the application session. The security gateway may further generate a security report concerning the application of the security policy to the application session.

Claims

1. A method for generating a report for one or more application session records, comprising:

recognizing an application session between a network and an application via a security gateway;

creating by the security gateway an application session record for the application session, the application session record comprising a first user identity used for accessing the application through a first host, a first host identity for the first host, and an application session time;

recognizing by the security gateway an access session between a second host and the network;

creating by the security gateway an access session record for the access session, the access session record comprising a second user identity used for accessing the network through the second host, a second host identity for the second host, and an access session time;

querying, by the security gateway, an identity server by sending the first host identity and the application session time in the application session record, the identity server comprising the access session record for the access session between the second host and the network;

comparing, by the identity server, the first host identity in the application session record with the second host identity in the access session record, and comparing the access session time with the application session time;

returning, by the identity server, the second user identity in the access session record if the first host identity in the application session record matches the second host identity in the access session record, and if the access session time matches the application session time;

storing, at the identity server, the second user identity as a network user identity used for accessing the network in the application session record;

determining by the security gateway at least one security policy applicable to the application session based on the network user identity; and

generating by the security gateway a security report based on the application session record and the at least one security policy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the security report further comprises generating a security message when the at least one security policy is applied to the application session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one security policy comprises a network traffic policy.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the network traffic policy comprises a bandwidth rate capacity for the network.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the network traffic policy comprises a quality of service mapped to the network user identity for the application session.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the network traffic policy comprises one or more of the following:

a queuing delay, a queuing priority, a packet forwarding path, a link interface preference, a server load balancing preference, and a packet routing policy.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the network traffic policy comprises a traffic shaping control.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the traffic shaping control comprises a TCP profile.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the network traffic policy comprises an application session modification control based on the network user identity.

10. A computer program product for generating a report for one or more application session records, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code configured to;

recognize an application session between a network and an application via a security gateway;

create by the security gateway an application session record for the application session, the application session record comprising a first user identity used for accessing the application through a first host, a first host identity for the first host, and an application session time;

recognize by the security gateway an access session between a second host and the network;

create by the security gateway an access session record for the access session, the access session record comprising a second user identity used for accessing the network through the second host, a second host identity for the second host, and an access session time;

query, by the security gateway, an identity server, by sending the first host identity and the application session time in the application session record, the identity server comprising the access session record for the access session between the second host and the network;

compare, by the identity server, the first host identity in the application session record with the second host identity in the access session record, and compare the access session time with the application session time;

return, by the identity server, the second user identity in the access session record if the first host identity in the application session record matches the second host identity in the access session record, and if the access session time matches the application session time;

store, at the identity server, the second user identity as a network user identity used for accessing the network in the application session record;

determine, by the security gateway, at least one security policy applicable to the application session based on the network user identity; and

generate, by the security gateway, a security report based on the application session record and the at least one security policy.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer readable program code configured to generate the security report is further configured to generate a security message when the at least one security policy is applied to the application session.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the at least one security policy comprises a network traffic policy.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the network traffic policy comprises a bandwidth rate capacity for the network.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the network traffic policy comprises a quality of service mapped to the network user identity for the application session.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the network traffic policy comprises one or more of the following:

a queuing delay, a queuing priority, a packet forwarding path, a link interface preference, a server load balancing preference, and a packet routing policy.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the network traffic policy comprises a traffic shaping control.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the traffic shaping control comprises a TCP profile.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the network traffic policy comprises an application session modification control based on the network user identity.

19. A system, comprising:

a corporate directory comprising at least one security policy; and

a security gateway, wherein the security gateway;

recognizes an application session between a network and an application via a security gateway;

creates an application session record for the application session, the application session record comprising a first user identity used for accessing the application through a first host, a first host identity for the first host, and an application session time;

recognizes an access session between a second host and the network;

creates an access session record for the access session, the access session record comprising a second user identity used for accessing the network through the second host, a second host identity for the second host, and an access session time;

queries an identity server by sending the first host identity and the application session time in the application session record, the identity server comprising the access session record for the access session between the second host and the network, wherein the identity server;

compares the first host identity in the application session record with the second host identity in the access session record, and compares the access session time with the application session time;

returns the second user identity in the access session record if the first host identity in the application session record matches the second host identity in the access session record, and if the access session time matches the application session time; and

stores the second user identity as a network user identity used for accessing the network in the application session record;

determines at least one security policy applicable to the application session based on the network user identity; and

generates a security report based on the application session record and the at least one security policy.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the generates the security report further comprises generates a security message when the at least one security policy is applied to the application session.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one security policy comprises a network traffic policy.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the network traffic policy comprises a bandwidth rate capacity for the network.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the network traffic policy comprises a quality of service mapped to the network user identity for the application session.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the network traffic policy comprises one or more of the following:

a queuing delay, a queuing priority, a packet forwarding path, a link interface preference, a server load balancing preference, and a packet routing policy.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the network traffic policy comprises a traffic shaping control.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the traffic shaping control comprises a TCP profile.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the network traffic policy comprises an application session modification control based on the network user identity.