Network Mapping Using Fingerprint Scanning for Vulnerability Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
System administrators often fail to detect and address security vulnerabilities in internet-connected assets due to the complexity and variety of configuration options, leading to undetected vulnerabilities.
Innovation Solution
A network mapping system using fingerprints that scans for specific identifying criteria such as open ports, services, encryption certificates, and text patterns to identify and store associated addresses in a client network database, enabling comprehensive network scanning and vulnerability detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If network scanning is performed manually by system administrators, then detailed inspection of each system is possible, but the complexity and variety of configuration options cause vulnerabilities to go undetected and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates digital fingerprints that copy and represent the essential characteristics of network systems (open ports, services, configurations). These fingerprints serve as simplified representations that can be rapidly compared against vulnerability databases, enabling automated detection without manual inspection of each system's full configuration complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms the complex, variable configuration parameters of network systems into standardized fingerprint parameters (port lists, service types, configuration patterns). This parameter transformation allows consistent vulnerability matching across diverse systems while maintaining detection accuracy.
2Reliability
If comprehensive network scanning is performed to detect all vulnerabilities, then security coverage is improved, but the device complexity and difficulty of managing multiple configuration options increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex task of comprehensive vulnerability scanning into discrete fingerprint components (open ports, service identifiers, configuration patterns). Each fingerprint element can be independently generated, stored, and matched, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining comprehensive detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The fingerprinting system serves multiple functions: system identification, vulnerability detection, and network mapping. A single fingerprint structure can represent various system types and configurations, making the solution universally applicable across diverse network environments without requiring separate tools for each system type.
3Measurement precision
If detailed configuration information is collected from all network systems, then complete vulnerability assessment is achieved, but the quantity of data to be managed and analyzed increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential identifying characteristics from complete system configurations to create fingerprints. Instead of collecting and analyzing all configuration data, the system extracts key parameters (port configurations, service types, critical settings) that are sufficient for vulnerability detection, significantly reducing data volume while maintaining assessment completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary fingerprint generation and storage before vulnerability scanning. By pre-processing and organizing system characteristics into standardized fingerprint formats, the data is ready for rapid matching and analysis, reducing the computational burden during actual vulnerability assessment.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for network mapping includes an interface and a processor. The interface is configured to receive an indication to scan a set of addresses using a fingerprint. The processor is configured to for an address of the set of addresses: receive a response associated with the address; determine whether the response matches the fingerprint; and store the address in a client network database in the event the response matches the fingerprint.