Reverse TCP/IP Stack for Secure Local Traffic Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network traffic inspection technologies face challenges such as security vulnerabilities due to elevated privileges, latency issues, increased power consumption, and inefficient data access when analyzing network communications, particularly in securing against phishing threats and other security breaches.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a security application as an operating system extension that utilizes a network extension service, such as a VPN stack, to intercept and analyze network traffic locally, reducing latency and power consumption while enhancing security by executing in a non-privileged sandboxed process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a security application is installed with elevated privileges to access network traffic, then network traffic inspection capability is improved, but security vulnerabilities increase due to elevated privileges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network extension service as an intermediary layer between the security application and network traffic. This service provides privileged access to network traffic while isolating the security application in a non-privileged sandboxed process, thereby enabling inspection capability without direct privilege exposure to the application
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into separate components: a non-privileged security application, a network extension service with elevated privileges, and a sandboxed execution environment. This segmentation allows the security application to function without direct access to privileged resources, reducing the attack surface while maintaining inspection capabilities
2Reliability
If network traffic is analyzed by remote servers, then inspection capability is improved, but data access latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network extension service performs preliminary actions by intercepting and analyzing network traffic locally before it reaches remote servers. This preliminary local analysis reduces the amount of data that needs to be transmitted remotely, thereby reducing latency while maintaining inspection capability
3Reliability
If a security application runs with elevated privileges, then network traffic access is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network extension service manages its own privileged access independently from the security application. The service maintains necessary privileges for network traffic access while the sandboxed application environment consumes fewer resources, thereby reducing overall power consumption while preserving access capability
Data Source
AI summary
A reverse TCP/IP stack infrastructure is disclosed. In an example use, an application executing on a client device as an operating system extension that uses a virtual private network stack of the operating system intercepts a first IP packet generated by a client program. The application determines that the first IP packet comprises a Transmission Control Protocol synchronize message and opens a socket to a destination Internet Protocol address and destination port. A synchronize acknowledgement is received. A packet to transmit to the client program is synthesized that includes a synchronize acknowledgment.