Peer-to-peer name resolution protocol (PNRP) security infrastructure and method

• US 20060174005A1
• Filed: 03/15/2006
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, John L., Gavrilescu, Alexandru, Gupta, Rohit, Wheeler, Graham A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,962 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 Denial of Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A security infrastructure and methods are presented that inhibit the ability of a malicious node from disrupting the normal operations of a peer-to-peer network. The methods of the invention allow both secure and insecure identities to be used by nodes by making them self-verifying. When necessary or opportunistic, ID ownership is validated by piggybacking the validation on existing messages. The probability of connecting initially to a malicious node is reduced by randomly selecting to which node to connect. Further, information from malicious nodes is identified and can be disregarded by maintaining information about prior communications that will require a future response. Denial of service attacks are inhibited by allowing the node to disregard requests when its resource utilization exceeds a predetermined limit. The ability for a malicious node to remove a valid node is reduced by requiring that revocation certificates be signed by the node to be removed.

Claims

1. A method of inhibiting denial of service attacks based on node resource consumption in a peer-to-peer network, comprising:

receiving the message at a node in the peer-to-peer network;

examining resource utilization at the node; and

rejecting processing of the message when examining the resource utilization at the node indicates that the node resource utilization is above a predetermined level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a RESOLVE message, the RESOLVE message comprising at least one message field.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

accepting processing of the RESOLVE message when examining the node resource utilization indicates that the node resource utilization is below the predetermined level;

processing the RESOLVE message at the node;

calculating a bitpos as a hash of the at least one message field when a first node identification is not locally registered;

setting a first bit at an index of a bit vector, the index of the bit vector corresponding to the bitpos;

storing the bit vector at the node, the bit vector specifically identifying the RESOLVE message with a sending node;

finding a next hop to forward the RESOLVE message;

modifying the RESOLVE message to indicate processing the RESOLVE message; and

forwarding the RESOLVE message to the next hop if the next hop is verified.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein rejecting processing of the message when examining the node resource utilization indicates that the node resource utilization is above a predetermined level comprises sending an AUTHORITY message from the node to the a sending node, the AUTHORITY message containing an indication that the RESOLVE message will not be processed because the node resource utilization is above the predetermined level.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the indication that the RESOLVE message will not be processed comprises a set AF_REJECT_TOO_BUSY field.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a message from a first node in the peer-to-peer network further comprises:

receiving a FLOOD message at a node in the peer-to-peer network, the FLOOD message containing a peer address certificate (PAC); and

determining that the PAC should be stored in one of two lowest cache levels;

wherein rejecting processing of the message when examining the current resource utilization indicates that the current resource utilization is above a predetermined level comprises placing the PAC in a node set aside list for later processing.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising processing the PAC in the node set aside list at a random interval, wherein the node resource utilization is above the predetermined level.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a message from a first node in the peer-to-peer network further comprises:

receiving a FLOOD message at a second node in the peer-to-peer network, the FLOOD message containing a peer address certificate (PAC); and

determining that the PAC should be stored in a node cache level higher than two lowest cache levels;

wherein rejecting processing of the message when examining the current resource utilization indicates that the current resource utilization is above a predetermined level comprises rejecting the FLOOD message.

9. A method of inhibiting denial of service attacks based on node bandwidth consumption in a peer-to-peer network comprising:

receiving a request for cache synchronization at a first node in the peer-to-peer network from a second node in the peer-to-peer network;

examining a metric; and

rejecting processing of the request for cache synchronization when examining the metric indicates that the number of cache synchronizations performed between the first node and the second node exceeds a predetermined maximum.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the number of cache synchronizations performed comprises the number of cache synchronizations performed during a predetermined preceding period of time.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions inhibiting denial of service attacks based on node resource consumption in a peer-to-peer network, the computer-executable instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving the message at a node in the peer-to-peer network;

examining a node resource utilization; and

rejecting processing of the message when examining the node resource utilization indicates that the node resource utilization is above a predetermined level.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the message comprises a RESOLVE message, the RESOLVE message comprising at least one message field.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein rejecting processing of the message when examining the node resource utilization indicates that the node resource utilization is above the predetermined level comprises sending an AUTHORITY message from the node to an additional node, the AUTHORITY message containing an indication that the RESOLVE message will not be processed because the node resource utilization is above the predetermined level.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the indication that the RESOLVE message will not be processed comprises a set AF_REJECT_TOO_BUSY field.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

accepting processing of the RESOLVE message when examining the node resource utilization indicates that the second node resource utilization is below the predetermined level;

processing the RESOLVE message;

converting the RESOLVE message to a RESPOND message when a second node identification is locally registered; and

sending the RESPOND message to the second node.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

accepting processing of the RESOLVE message when examining the node resource utilization indicates that the node resource utilization is below the predetermined level;

processing the RESOLVE message at the node;

calculating a bitpos as a hash of the at least one message field when a second node identification is not locally registered;

setting a first bit at an index of a bit vector, the index of the bit vector corresponding to the bitpos;

storing the bit vector at the node, the bit vector specifically identifying the RESOLVE message with the second node;

finding a next hop to forward the RESOLVE message;

modifying the RESOLVE message to indicate processing the RESOLVE message; and

forwarding the RESOLVE message to the next hop if the next hop is verified.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

setting a second bit in the RESOLVE message when the next hop is not verified; and

forwarding the RESOLVE message to the next hop;

wherein the second bit comprises a request to identify the ownership of the RESOLVE message.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein receiving a message at the node in the peer-to-peer network further comprises:

receiving the FLOOD message at a node in the peer-to-peer network, the FLOOD message containing a peer address certificate (PAC); and

determining that the PAC should be stored in one of two second node lowest cache levels;

wherein rejecting processing of the message when examining the current resource utilization indicates that the current resource utilization is above a predetermined level comprises placing the PAC in a second node set aside list for later processing.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising processing the PAC in the node set aside list at a random interval.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein receiving a message at the node in the peer-to-peer network further comprises:

receiving the FLOOD message at a second node in the peer-to-peer network, the FLOOD message containing a peer address certificate (PAC); and

determining that the PAC should be stored in a second node cache level higher than two second node lowest cache levels;

wherein rejecting processing of the message when examining the current resource utilization indicates that the current resource utilization is above a predetermined level comprises rejecting the FLOOD message.