×

Integration of social network information and network firewalls

  • US 8,122,492 B2
  • Filed: 04/21/2006
  • Issued: 02/21/2012
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
Patent Images

1. A method of operating a firewall embodied as a standalone hardware device, the method comprising:

  • providing the firewall operatively coupled to one or more internal endpoints and configured to provide firewall services to the one or more internal endpoints for traffic arriving through a network connection from one or more external endpoints;

    monitoring, at the firewall, an invitation to join in peer-to-peer activity sent from a first internal endpoint to a first external endpoint, wherein the first internal endpoint, the first external endpoint, and the firewall are separate devices;

    extracting, at the firewall, information from the invitation in transit between the first internal endpoint and the first external endpoint;

    comparing, at the firewall, the information extracted from the invitation to a list of entities for which the first internal endpoint requires an authenticated connection;

    determining, at the firewall, that the first internal endpoint requires an authenticated connection with the first external endpoint;

    determining, at the firewall, whether the information extracted from the invitation includes cryptographic matter to support establishment of the authenticated connection with the first external endpoint;

    storing, at the firewall, a firewall setting specific to the first external endpoint that blocks incoming traffic from the first external endpoint destined for the first internal endpoint;

    dynamically programming, at the firewall, a firewall exception for the firewall setting specific to the first external endpoint when the information extracted from the invitation includes the cryptographic matter, wherein the firewall exception sets a limited duration period for the first external endpoint to attempt to establish the authenticated connection with the first internal endpoint over the network connection; and

    configuring, at the firewall, the network connection for receiving incoming traffic from the first external endpoint destined for the first internal endpoint in accordance with the firewall setting specific to the first external endpoint.

View all claims
  • 2 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×