Network Traffic Search via Pcap Indexing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems lack the ability to provide full search access to massive repositories of network traffic, including Pcap files, mail archives, and line-rate packet captures, which contain both networking attributes and content information, making it difficult to identify information transmitted by or exchanged with specific entities or to reconstruct social networks.
Innovation Solution
The development of systems and software products that translate Pcap files or streams of IP network packets into scalable forms suitable for search engine functionality, enabling text-based searches on both network information and human relationship-identifying metadata, and correlating metadata to identify human users and social networks within these repositories.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If network traffic is captured and stored in massive repositories (Pcap files, mail archives, IM archives), then the quantity of network information is increased, but the ability to search and retrieve specific information efficiently deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary indexing of network traffic data before search operations. Pcap files, mail archives, and IM archives are pre-processed to create searchable indexes that enable efficient retrieval without scanning entire repositories, thus resolving the contradiction between storing massive quantities of data and maintaining fast search capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary indexing layer between the raw network traffic repositories and the search interface. This intermediary structure (search indexes, metadata catalogs) mediates between the vast quantity of stored network information and the user's search needs, enabling efficient access without requiring direct search through the entire data volume
2Measurement precision
If detailed networking attributes and content information are retained in network traffic repositories, then the measurement precision of network forensics is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments network traffic data into distinct categories (networking attributes, content information, metadata) and processes each segment separately through specialized indexing and storage mechanisms. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high measurement precision for forensic analysis while managing complexity through modular, organized data structures rather than monolithic processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal search and analysis platform that handles multiple types of network traffic data (Pcap files, mail archives, IM archives) through a single integrated system. This multi-functional approach reduces overall system complexity by providing unified processing mechanisms that work across different data types, rather than requiring separate specialized systems for each format
3Loss of information
If full search access is enabled across all network traffic data including locally stored and remotely stored information, then the completeness of information retrieval is improved, but the loss of time for processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary indexing and metadata extraction from all network traffic data sources before search operations. This pre-processing creates ready-to-query structures that enable complete information retrieval across local and remote data without requiring time-consuming full scans during actual search operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the search system learns from query patterns and data distribution. This feedback enables the system to optimize search paths and prioritize likely relevant data sources, reducing processing time while maintaining complete search coverage across all network traffic repositories
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, devices and computer program code products for enabling searches of digital communications network traffic to identify information transmitted by, received by, or exchanged with a given human or non-human entity, include, or include elements for, translating Pcap files or streams of IP network packets obtained from the network into a scalable form suitable for query by search engine functionality, thereby to enable scalable, text-based search of network information contained in the Pcap files, and providing scalable search engine functionality to enable a user to execute text-based searches on textual or human relationship-identifying information derived from the Pcap files or streams of IP network packets, thereby to identify information transmitted by, received by, or exchanged with the given human or non-human entity, wherein the scalable search engine functionality is capable of scaling to search massive quantities of Pcap file or IP network packet data.