Proxy Server Message Policy Enforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems lack effective methods for securely managing and processing messages between computer networks, particularly in ensuring authentication, authorization, and threat protection across internal and external networks, which is crucial for maintaining secure communication and data integrity.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a proxy server within a physical or logical subnetwork that analyzes messages to determine their intended destination and applies appropriate security and communication management policies, including authentication, key management, and DMZ threat protection, to ensure secure transmission and processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a proxy server is implemented to provide security services and message processing, then security and message transmission control are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A proxy server is implemented as an intermediary component between internal and external networks. The proxy server receives messages from either network, analyzes them against security policies, and forwards approved messages to their destinations. This intermediary approach provides comprehensive security control without requiring modification of endpoint devices, thereby improving security while maintaining relative simplicity in deployment.
2Reliability
If dynamic policy models are applied at multiple processing points, then security coverage and threat protection are improved, but processing time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Security policies are pre-configured and stored in the proxy server before message transmission occurs. The policy model includes predetermined rules for authentication, authorization, and threat detection. When a message arrives, the proxy server quickly matches it against these pre-established policies rather than creating security rules in real-time, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining comprehensive threat protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The security processing is divided into distinct stages: message reception, policy analysis, authentication/authorization checks, and message forwarding. Each stage applies specific policies independently, allowing for efficient processing where only relevant policy checks are performed on each message based on its type and origin, reducing overall processing time while maintaining thorough security coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the invention include techniques for processing messages transmitted between computer networks. In some embodiments, messages such as requests and responses for various types of web services, applications, and other web content may be transmitted between multiple computer networks. One or more intermediary devices or applications, such as a proxy server implemented within a physical or logical subnetwork, may receive, process, and transmit the messages between the communication endpoints. In some embodiments, a proxy server may be configured to operate within a subnetwork of an internal computer network, exposing various web applications and/or services of the internal computer network to external computer networks. Such a proxy server may select specific policies for processing messages based on various message characteristics and the current point in a predetermined processing flow for the message. After selecting the specific policies to be applied to the message, the proxy server may process the message in accordance with the policies and forward the message to its intended destination.