Client Agent Fine-Grained VPN Traffic Interception
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual private network (VPN) systems face challenges in securely routing data communications due to the blanket routing of all traffic, which increases security risks and complicates authorization policies, as malicious users can exploit correct address ranges to harm the protected data center.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method where a client-side agent intercepts network communications and determines whether to route them based on a network destination description authorized for access via the VPN, allowing granular control by identifying the application, protocol, and source information, thereby filtering appropriate traffic and denying unauthorized access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If blanket routing of all traffic to VPN is implemented, then all communications are protected, but security risks increase and authorization policies become difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments network traffic into authorized and unauthorized categories based on fine-grained destination descriptions. Instead of treating all traffic uniformly, the system divides traffic flows according to specific applications, protocols, and destination details, allowing selective VPN routing only for authorized traffic while blocking unauthorized traffic before it reaches the VPN gateway.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary authorization checks at the client agent before traffic is routed to the VPN gateway. The system pre-establishes fine-grained authorization policies that define which applications and protocols are permitted to use the VPN, filtering traffic in advance and preventing unauthorized traffic from being routed through the VPN, thereby eliminating the need for complex post-routing authorization policies.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If fine grained interception is implemented, then security is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by having the client agent automatically perform fine-grained interception and authorization checks locally on each client device. The agent maintains a cache of fine-grained destination descriptions and autonomously evaluates incoming traffic against these descriptions, eliminating the need for complex centralized interception mechanisms at the VPN gateway while enhancing security through distributed intelligence.
3Ease of operation
If all traffic is routed through VPN, then comprehensive access control is possible, but network performance decreases due to unnecessary traffic encryption and decryption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the authorized portion of network traffic and routes it through the VPN gateway for encryption and decryption. Unauthorized traffic is identified and filtered out by the client agent before reaching the VPN gateway, eliminating unnecessary encryption/decryption operations for traffic that should not use the VPN, thereby improving network performance while maintaining comprehensive access control for authorized traffic.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for intercepting communication of a client to a destination on a virtual private network includes an agent executing on the client that intercepts a network communication of the client. The agent provides a virtual private network connection from a first network to a second network. The decision to intercept is based on a network destination description or an identification of an application authorized to be accessed via the virtual private network. In one case, the agent determines that a destination specified by the intercepted communication corresponds to a network identifier and a port of a network destination description of an application on the second network authorized for access via the virtual private network. In response to this determination, the agent transmits the intercepted communication.