Network services platform

• US 8,874,707 B1
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tripwire Incorporated (Belden Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tripwire Incorporated (Belden Inc.)
• Inventors: Quilter, Alexander L., Lavery, Oliver, Meltzer, David J., Keanini, Timothy D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N
• Application Number:
  US14/140,388
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/222, 709/223, 709/224, 709/226, 709/228, 709/231, 709/232, 709/238, 370/331, 370/338
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/668 Internet protocol [IP] address subnets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2535 Multiple local networks, e.g. resolving potential IP address conflicts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2592 using tunnelling or encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes

Abstract

A network services platform provides services to remote enterprise networks. The services platform provides a control module to a computer in the enterprise network. The control module executes on the computer and interacts with the services platform to establish an Internet Protocol (IP) tunnel between the services platform and the computer. The control module also establishes a bridge between the IP tunnel and the enterprise network. The services platform allocates a unique private IP address space to the enterprise network, and translates IP addresses in network communications between enterprise network addresses and corresponding services platform addresses in the allocated unique private address space. The services platform provides network services to the enterprise network via the IP tunnel and bridge.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of using a services platform to provide a network service to a remote enterprise network, comprising:

establishing an Internet Protocol (IP) tunnel between the services platform and an endpoint of the remote enterprise network;

establishing a bridge between the IP tunnel and the remote enterprise network, wherein establishing the bridge comprises using packet injection to inject packets to the remote enterprise network, the packets injected to the remote enterprise network appearing to originate from the endpoint, the bridge being further configured to transfer packets from the remote enterprise network received by the endpoint through the IP tunnel;

translating IP addresses in network traffic received by the services platform from the remote enterprise network via the IP tunnel from enterprise network IP addresses to corresponding service platform IP addresses;

translating IP addresses in network traffic from the services platform to the remote enterprise network via the IP tunnel from services platform IP addresses to corresponding enterprise network IP addresses; and

providing the network service to the remote enterprise network via the IP tunnel and bridge;

wherein the providing the network service to the remote enterprise network comprises providing one or more of the following network services;

vulnerability management, configuration auditing, file integrity monitoring, or compliance auditing.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tunnel is formed at a layer of an Open Systems Interconnection model.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the network service is provided via the internet.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing a web page that displays the results of the network service.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing a web page that provides functionality for downloading modules to the enterprise network for implementing the tunnel and bridge.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tunnel is formed at the data link layer.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

allocating a unique private IP address space to the enterprise network;

inventorying the enterprise network to identify a plurality of endpoints on the enterprise network, ones of the plurality of endpoints identified with enterprise network IP addresses in an enterprise address space; and

assigning service platform IP addresses within the unique private IP address space to identified ones of the plurality of endpoints.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the services platform provides network services to a plurality of remote enterprise networks and wherein a different unique private IP address space is allocated to each of the plurality of enterprise networks.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method of using a services platform to provide a network service to a remote enterprise network, the method comprising:

establishing an Internet Protocol (IP) tunnel between the services platform and an endpoint of the remote enterprise network;

establishing a bridge between the IP tunnel and the remote enterprise network, wherein establishing the bridge comprises using packet injection to inject packets to the remote enterprise network, the packets injected to the remote enterprise network appearing to originate from the endpoint, the bridge being further configured to transfer packets from the remote enterprise network received by the endpoint through the IP tunnel;

translating IP addresses in network traffic received by the services platform from the remote enterprise network via the IP tunnel from enterprise network IP addresses to corresponding service platform IP addresses;

translating IP addresses in network traffic from the services platform to the remote enterprise network via the IP tunnel from services platform IP addresses to corresponding enterprise network IP addresses; and

providing the network service to the remote enterprise network via the IP tunnel and bridge;

wherein the providing the network service to the remote enterprise network comprises providing one or more of the following network services;

vulnerability management, configuration auditing, file integrity monitoring, or compliance auditing.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the tunnel is formed at a layer of an Open Systems Interconnection model.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the network service is provided via the internet.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises providing a web page that displays the results of the network service.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

allocating a unique private IP address space to the enterprise network;

inventorying the enterprise network to identify a plurality of endpoints on the enterprise network, ones of the plurality of endpoints identified with enterprise network IP addresses in an enterprise space; and

assigning service platform IP addresses within the unique private IP address space to identified ones of the plurality of endpoints.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the services platform provides network services to a plurality of remote enterprise networks and wherein a different unique private IP address space is allocated to each of the plurality of enterprise networks.

15. A system, comprising:

a processor;

memory storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method of using a services platform to provide a network service to a remote enterprise network, the method comprising;

establishing an Internet Protocol (IP) tunnel between the services platform and an endpoint of the remote enterprise network;

establishing a bridge between the IP tunnel and the remote enterprise network, wherein establishing the bridge comprises using packet injection to inject packets to the remote enterprise network, the packets injected to the remote enterprise network appearing to originate from the endpoint, the bridge being further configured to transfer packets from the remote enterprise network received by the endpoint through the IP tunnel;

translating IP addresses in network traffic received by the services platform from the remote enterprise network via the IP tunnel from enterprise network IP addresses to corresponding service platform IP addresses;

translating IP addresses in network traffic from the services platform to the remote enterprise network via the IP tunnel from services platform IP addresses to corresponding enterprise network IP addresses; and

providing the network service to the remote enterprise network via the IP tunnel and bridge;

wherein the providing the network service to the remote enterprise network comprises providing one or more of the following network services;

vulnerability management, configuration auditing, file integrity monitoring, or compliance auditing.