SSL/TLS Interception Appliance Using Fake Socket Diversion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current network security measures, such as traditional transparent proxies, are limited by their reliance on specific Internet Protocol (IP) destination ports, preventing them from effectively intercepting, decrypting, and inspecting SSL/TLS communications across all ports, thereby failing to provide comprehensive protection against emerging threats.
Innovation Solution
A network-based appliance intercepts and decrypts SSL/TLS session initiation requests, creating a fake socket to divert the message, establishing a new SSL/TLS session with the server, and generating a trusted certificate to facilitate inspection of secure communications without port restrictions, allowing for comprehensive threat detection and mitigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional transparent proxies are used to intercept SSL/TLS communications, then inspection capability is improved, but port versatility deteriorates (limited to specific destination ports)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal proxy system that can intercept SSL/TLS communications on any destination port, not just specific ports like 443 or 636. The proxy uses SSL/TLS signature verification to identify encrypted sessions regardless of port number, enabling comprehensive inspection capability across all ports while maintaining transparency to applications.
2Reliability
If SSL/TLS encryption is used for network communications, then security is improved, but threat inspection capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a trusted intermediary proxy that positions itself between clients and servers to perform man-in-the-middle decryption. The proxy establishes separate SSL/TLS connections with both endpoints, obtaining encryption parameters from the server connection and using them to decrypt client communications for inspection while maintaining end-to-end encryption integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional port-based traffic interception mechanisms with cryptographic signature-based identification. Instead of relying on port numbers to identify SSL/TLS traffic, the system uses SSL/TLS signature verification to detect encrypted sessions, enabling port-agnostic threat inspection while preserving encryption security.
3Ease of manufacture
If port-specific proxy configuration is used, then implementation simplicity is improved, but comprehensiveness of protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-configuring proxy system that automatically discovers SSL/TLS communications across all ports through signature verification. The proxy continuously monitors network traffic, identifies encrypted sessions using cryptographic signatures rather than port numbers, and dynamically establishes interception connections without requiring manual port configuration or administration.
Data Source
AI summary
A network-based appliance includes a mechanism to intercept, decrypt and inspect secure network traffic flowing over SSL/TLS between a client and a server. The mechanism responds to detection of a session initiation request message from the client, the message being received following establishment of a TCP connection between the client and server. The mechanism responds by holding the session initiation request message, preferably by creating a fake socket to a local process, and then diverting the request message over that socket. The TCP connection is then terminated, and the mechanism initiates a new session in initiation request message, all while the original session initiation request message continues to be held. The server responds with its server certificate, which is then used by the mechanism to generate a new server certificate. The new server certificate is then returned to the requesting client as the response to the session initiation request message.