Packet Redaction for Multi-Destination Network Traffic Privacy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing network technologies fail to adequately protect customer data privacy and security by providing unnecessary information to third-party analysis applications, leading to potential data leaks and non-compliance with privacy laws.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a multi-destination packet redaction device that customizes the redaction process based on the intended recipient application, ensuring only relevant network data is sent to third-party analysis tools while redacting unnecessary information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If multi-destination network traffic is provided to third-party analysis applications, then network analysis and monitoring capabilities are improved, but customer data privacy and security are compromised due to unnecessary information exposure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork analysis capabilityVSAvoiddata privacy exposure
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes unnecessary customer data from network packets before providing them to third-party analysis applications. The system identifies and redacts specific data fields such as customer names, addresses, and personal information while retaining only the network traffic data needed for analysis purposes, thus resolving the contradiction between analysis capability and privacy protection

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different quality levels of data to different parts of the network traffic. Sensitive customer information fields are redacted or removed entirely, while network protocol and traffic pattern data are preserved in full detail. This local differentiation allows comprehensive network analysis while protecting specific privacy-critical areas

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Loss of information

If all network packet information is provided to third-party applications, then complete network visibility is achieved, but compliance with privacy laws is violated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork visibilityVSAvoidlegal compliance
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs redaction actions before the network traffic is provided to third-party applications. By preemptively removing sensitive information in advance, the system ensures that third-party analysts receive only compliant data, eliminating the risk of privacy law violations while maintaining complete network visibility for analysis purposes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Object-affected harmful factors

If network packets are redacted to protect privacy, then data security is improved, but network analysis effectiveness is reduced due to information loss

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoidanalysis effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent selectively extracts only the necessary network traffic information while leaving sensitive customer data behind. By removing only what is unnecessary for network analysis (customer identifiers, personal information) and retaining essential network protocol data, the system maintains analysis effectiveness while improving data security

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies redaction selectively to specific fields within network packets rather than uniformly across all data. Network protocol headers, traffic patterns, and metadata are preserved for analysis, while only customer-specific sensitive fields are redacted, thus maintaining local quality appropriate for each data type's purpose

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3639183B1Multi-destination packet redaction
Publication Date: 2025.12.17 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC
  • EP3639183B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3639183B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3639183B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

Presented herein are techniques for redacting mirrored network packets prior to providing the mirrored packets to an intended recipient application, such as a third-party analysis application. More specifically, a multi-destination packet redaction device obtains mirrored network traffic that comprises one or more mirrored network packets. The multi- destination packet redaction device filters the mirrored network traffic to determine an intended recipient application of the one or more mirrored network packets and applies a redaction process to redact one or more portions of at least one of the one or more mirrored network packets. The redaction process is customized based on one or more attributes of the intended recipient application.