Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for negotiating a secure end-to-end connection using a proxy server as an intermediary. The client first negotiates a secure connection between the client and the proxy so that any credentials exchanged will be encrypted. After the exchange of authentication credentials, the secure client-proxy connection is altered so that no further encryption takes place. The client and server then negotiate a secure end-to-end connection through the proxy, with the secure end-to-end connection being encapsulated within the insecure client-proxy connection. In this way, the overhead of creating a separate client-proxy connection for the secure end-to-end connection may be avoided, but the insecure client-proxy connection introduces only minimal overhead because it no longer encrypts any data that it carries.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 19, 2001
Date of Patent:
February 7, 2006
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation
Inventors:
Donald J. Kadyk, Neil S. Fishman, Marc E. Seinfeld, Michael Kramer