Proxy String Detection for Distributed Security Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing layered security systems face inefficiencies in processing and resource management due to lack of a distribution infrastructure for content intelligence, difficulty in maintaining a central data store for threat classification, and limited real-time data mining capabilities, particularly in detecting proxy communications which can bypass security measures using anonymous proxy servers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing methods in processing nodes to identify and classify resource requests using regular expressions and proxy strings indicative of proxy communications, generating security notifications, and storing these patterns in a proxy string store to facilitate detection across multiple proxy applications, thereby updating detection data only when new proxy software is released.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a list of known proxy servers is maintained and blocked by security systems, then proxy communications can be detected and blocked, but maintaining an up-to-date list of all proxy servers is time consuming and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual maintenance of proxy server IP address lists with an automated string-based detection system. Instead of mechanically updating IP lists, the system uses regular expressions to automatically identify proxy communications by analyzing string patterns in HTTP requests and responses, thereby eliminating the time-consuming manual maintenance while maintaining detection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The security system performs self-updating by automatically learning and adapting to new proxy servers through string pattern recognition. The system continuously monitors traffic and updates its detection patterns without human intervention, allowing it to automatically adapt to newly出现的 proxy servers as they emerge in the network traffic
2Reliability
If layered security systems are implemented throughout the enterprise, then security coverage is improved, but processing inefficiencies increase and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal string-based detection mechanism that can be deployed across all security nodes in the enterprise network. This single detection approach works uniformly for all proxy servers regardless of their specific configurations or locations, providing comprehensive security coverage while maintaining consistent processing efficiency across the entire distributed security infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the detection parameter from static IP addresses to dynamic string patterns. This parameter transformation allows the security system to process traffic more efficiently by using pattern matching algorithms that are computationally lighter than maintaining and querying large IP blocklists, thereby improving processing speed while maintaining detection accuracy
3Reliability
If proxy server addresses are blocked, then access to prohibited resources is prevented, but new proxy servers can appear or addresses can change making the blocking list outdated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static blocking approach into a dynamic detection system. Instead of relying on fixed IP addresses that become outdated, the system continuously adapts by learning new proxy string patterns from network traffic. This dynamic approach allows the security system to automatically respond to new proxy servers as they appear, maintaining blocking effectiveness without requiring manual updates to address lists
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where detected proxy communications provide information that refines and updates the detection patterns. As the system encounters new proxy servers, it learns their string patterns and incorporates them into its detection rules, creating a self-improving system that becomes more effective over time rather than becoming outdated
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods and apparatus for a distributed security system that detects proxied resource requests. The system can search data communications, such as HTTP requests and responses, for proxy strings that are indicative of a string pattern associated with corresponding proxy software. Security operations can be initiated for each data communication that includes a proxy string. The security operations can block the data communication, modify the data communication, and/or generate security notifications for system administrators.