System and method employing an agile network protocol for secure communications using secure domain names

• US 9,819,649 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2015
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: VirnetX Inc. (Virnetx Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: VirnetX Inc. (Virnetx Holding Corporation)
• Inventors: Larson, Victor, Short, III, Robert Dunham, Munger, Edmund Colby, Williamson, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): PERUNGAVOOR, VENKATANARAY
• Application Number:
  US14/702,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20150237022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/30 Types of network names
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/3015 Name registration, generation or assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• 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 63/0421 : Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 : wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 : wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0478 : applying multiple layers of encryption, e.g. nested tunnels or encrypting the content with a first key and then with at least a second key cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0485 : Networking architectures for enhanced packet encryption processing, e.g. offloading of IPsec packet processing or efficient security association look-up
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 : for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 : based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 : Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 : by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 : Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 : Denial of Service
• 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 63/164 : at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 : above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 : Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 : Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

A system for connecting a first network device and a second network device includes one or more servers. The servers are configured to: (a) receive, from the first network device, a request to look up a network address of the second network device based on an identifier associated with the second network device; (b) determine, in response to the request, whether the second network device is available for a secure communications service; and (c) initiate a virtual private network communication link between the first network device and the second network device based on a determination that the second network device is available for the secure communications service, wherein the secure communications service uses the virtual private network communication link.

Claims

1. A method for connecting a first network device to a second network device over a network, the method comprising:

receiving, from the first network device, a request to resolve a network address of the second network device, the request including a name associated with the second network device that corresponds to the network address, wherein the name includes a prefix and a suffix;

evaluating the request to resolve a network address of the second device, the evaluating including confirming that the name associated with the second network device is registered with a name service that facilitates resolving the name and facilitates establishing an encrypted communication link between the first network device and the second network device over the network;

determining whether the second network device communicates over an encrypted communication link, the determining including determining whether the suffix of the name is a predetermined suffix indicating that the second network device communicates over an encrypted communication link; and

if the second device is registered and communicates over an encrypted communication link, automatically establishing, the encrypted communication link between the first network device and the second network device over the network, the establishing including returning a resource for the encrypted communication link to at least one of the first network device or the second network device;

wherein the first network device is a user device,

wherein the encrypted communication link enables the first network device to directly communicate with the second network device over the network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising returning the resolved network address to the first network device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising using an application program of the first network device to communicate data over the encrypted communication link between the first network device and the second network device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the application program comprises a messaging application program of the first network device to communicate data over the encrypted communication link between the first network device and the second network device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the application program comprises one or more of a telephony application or a video conferencing application;

the data includes at least one of video data or audio data; and

the at least one of video data or audio data is encrypted over the encrypted communication link.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing an encrypted communication link with a third network device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least the first network device and the second network device communicate in an encrypted communication link over a single session.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least the first network device and the second network device communicate in an encrypted communication link over multiple sessions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted communication link is based on one of frequency-division multiplexing (FDM), time-division multiplexing (TDM), or code division multiple access (CDMA).

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether software for the encrypted communication link is installed; and

if the software is not installed;

accessing a network address for downloading the software;

downloading the software; and

installing the software.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising further evaluating the request to resolve a network address of the second device to confirm that a user associated with the first network device is registered with the name service as a user for whom encrypted communication services are defined.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the name is a domain name.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing an encrypted communication link between the first network device and the second network device over the network avoids returning the IP address of the second network device to the first network device.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined suffix is one of .scom, .sorg, .snet, .snet, .sedu, .smil and .sint.

14. A system for connecting a first network device to a second network device over a network, the system comprising:

one or more servers configured to;

receive, from the first network device, a request to resolve a network address of the second network device, the request including a name associated with the second network device that corresponds to the network address, wherein the name includes a prefix and a suffix;

evaluate the request to resolve a network address of the second device, the evaluating including confirming that the name associated with the second network device is registered with a name service that facilitates resolving the name and facilitates establishing an encrypted communication link between the first network device and the second network device over the network;

determine whether the second network device communicates over an encrypted communication link, the determining including determining whether the suffix of the name is a predetermined suffix indicating that the second network device communicates over an encrypted communication link; and

if the second device is registered and communicate over an encrypted communication link, automatically establish the first network device and the second network device to establish the encrypted communication link between the first network device and the second network device over the network, the establishing including returning a resource for the encrypted communication link to at least one of the first network device or the second network device;

wherein the first network device is a user device,

wherein the encrypted communication link enables the first network device to directly communicate with the second network device over the network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more servers are further configured to return the resolved network address to the first network device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more servers are further configured to provision the first network device and the second network device to use an application program of the first network device to communicate data over the encrypted communication link between the first network device and the second network device.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the application program comprises one or more of an e-mail application, a word processing application, or a browser application.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the application program comprises one or more of a telephony application or a video conferencing application;

the data includes at least one of video data or audio data; and

the at least one of video data or audio data is encrypted over the encrypted communication link.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more servers are further configured to evaluate the request to resolve a network address of the second device to confirm that a user associated with the first network device is registered with the name service as a user for whom encrypted communication services are defined.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the encrypted communication link enables the first network device to address the second network device over the network.