Network Protection Appliance Multi-Layer Property Gleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
As network topologies diversify, existing technologies face challenges in effectively characterizing and securing computing resources across diverse networks, necessitating improved methods to manage and protect communications between various network entities.
Innovation Solution
A network protection appliance is communicatively coupled between networks to discover computing resources and glean properties from multiple protocol layers, mapping these properties to network protection policies and applying appropriate policies to communications, thereby enhancing security and protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If network protection appliances analyze communications across multiple protocol layers to discover computing resources and glean properties, then security and protection are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the analysis of protocol layers into distinct functional components: discovery functions for identifying computing resources, property extraction functions for gathering characteristics, and mapping functions for correlating properties to protection policies. This segmentation allows the complex multi-layer analysis to be broken down into manageable, independent processing stages that can be implemented systematically across the network protection appliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary discovery and property extraction actions by analyzing communications before applying protection policies. The appliance proactively identifies computing resources and their properties from protocol layers (such as layer 2 through layer 7) in advance, building a knowledge base that enables subsequent automated policy mapping and application without requiring complex real-time analysis during the actual protection decision-making process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the network protection appliance dynamically configures protection by discovering computing resources and mapping properties to policies, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the network protection appliance continuously monitors communications, discovers computing resources, extracts properties, and updates its understanding of the network environment. This feedback loop enables the system to adapt to changing network conditions, newly discovered resources, and evolving security requirements, automatically adjusting protection policies based on the most current network state without manual reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the network protection appliance to perform multiple functions: it acts as a communication analyzer, a resource discovery tool, a property extraction system, a policy mapping engine, and a protection applicator. This multi-functionality allows a single device to handle diverse network topologies and protection requirements universally, reducing the need for multiple specialized devices while maintaining high adaptability across different network environments.
Data Source
AI summary
In response to communications between one or more given networks and one or more other networks, a network protection appliance discovers one or more computing resources of the one or more given networks from a plurality of protocol layers of the received communications. The network protection appliance also gleans properties of the one or more discovered computing resources of the one or more given networks from the plurality of protocol layers of the received communications. The network protection appliance maps the gleaned properties of the one or more discovered computing resources of the one or more given networks to a plurality of network protection policies. The network protection appliance also determines an applicable network protection policy for processing a corresponding received communication from the mapping of the gleaned properties of the one or more discovered given computing resources of the one or more given networks to the plurality of network protection policies. Thereafter, the network protection appliance applies the applicable network protection policies to the corresponding received communication between a computing resource of a given network and a computing resource of the other network.