Patents by Inventor Muthukumar Lakshmanan

Muthukumar Lakshmanan has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11038658
    Abstract: An endpoint executes a deflection service that detects failed connection attempts (TCP RST packets) and evaluates whether they are likely the result of a reconnaissance attack. If an inbound connection fails, a connection request packet (TCP SYN) is sent to a decoy server that includes data from the TCP RST packet. The decoy server then completes a connection handshake with a destination of the TCP RST packet and engages a process at the destination. If an outbound connection fails, the deflection service facilitates a connection between a process executing on the endpoint and the decoy server and associated with a destination port referenced by the TCP RST packet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: ATTIVO NETWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Venu Vissamsetty, Muthukumar Lakshmanan
  • Publication number: 20200374087
    Abstract: An endpoint executes a deflection service that detects failed connection attempts (TCP RST packets) and evaluates whether they are likely the result of a reconnaissance attack. If an inbound connection fails, a connection request packet (TCP SYN) is sent to a decoy server that includes data from the TCP RST packet. The decoy server then completes a connection handshake with a destination of the TCP RST packet and engages a process at the destination. If an outbound connection fails, the deflection service facilitates a connection between a process executing on the endpoint and the decoy server and associated with a destination port referenced by the TCP RST packet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2019
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Inventors: Venu Vissamsetty, Muthukumar Lakshmanan
  • Patent number: 10609074
    Abstract: Endpoints of various domains implement forwarding modules as well as perform various production tasks. The endpoints of a domain participate in an election process by which one or more endpoints are selected to operate as honeypots. The forwarding modules of non-selected endpoints become inactive, but wake up periodically to determine whether an election process is occurring. Selected endpoints obtain configuration data from a management server. The endpoints then acquire IP addresses and implement one or more services according to the configuration data. The management server may configure the services based on a location of the selected endpoint. Traffic received by the selected endpoints is forwarded to the management server, which engages an attacker system using one or more VMs. When an endpoint moves to a different domain, it releases acquired IP addresses and attempts to participate in the election process in the different domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: ATTIVO NETWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Venu Vissamsetty, Muthukumar Lakshmanan, Harinath Vishwanath Ramchetty, Vinod Kumar A. Porwal
  • Patent number: 10599842
    Abstract: Endpoints in a network execute a sensor module that intercepts commands. The sensor module compares a source of commands to a sanctioned list of applications received from a management server. If the source does not match a sanctioned application and the command is a write or delete command, the command is ignored and a simulated acknowledgment is sent. If the command is a read command, deception data is returned instead. In some embodiments, certain data is protected such that commands will be ignored or modified to refer to deception data where the source is not a sanctioned application. The source may be verified to be a sanctioned application by evaluating a certificate, hash, or path of the source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: ATTIVO NETWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Venu Vissametty, Muthukumar Lakshmanan, Harinath Vishwanath Ramchetty, Vinod Kumar A. Porwal
  • Patent number: 10375110
    Abstract: Endpoints in a computer network create connections to a deception server without sending any payload data. The connections create records of the connection on the endpoints, by which an attacker accesses the deception server. Received packets that include payload data are determined to be unauthorized. The deception server acquires IP addresses in various VLANS and provides these IP addresses to the endpoints over a secure channel. The connections from the endpoints to the deception server are not performed on the secure channel. IP addresses acquired by the deception server are not assigned to an interface. Instead, NAT is used to route packets including the IP addresses to various engagement servers. Each IP address is assigned a unique hostname in order to appear as multiple distinct servers. The deception server further generates broadcast traffic to generate other records that may be used to lure an attacker to the deception server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: ATTIVO NETWORKS INC.
    Inventors: Venu Vissamsetty, Srikant Vissamsetti, Muthukumar Lakshmanan, Harinath Vishwanath Ramchetty, Vinod Kumar A. Porwal
  • Patent number: 10250636
    Abstract: MITM attacks are detected by intercepting network configuration traffic (name resolution, DHCP, ARP, ICMP, etc.) in order to obtain a description of network components. A computer system generates artificial requests for network configuration information and monitors responses. Multiple responses indicate a MITM attack. Responses that are different from previously-recorded responses also indicate a MITM attack. MITM attacks may be confirmed by transmitting fake credentials to a source of a response to a request for network configuration information. If the fake credentials are accepted or are subsequently used in an access attempt, then a MITM attack may be confirmed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: ATTIVO NETWORKS INC
    Inventors: Venu Vissamsetty, Muthukumar Lakshmanan, Sreenivasa Sudheendra Penupolu, Ankur Rungta
  • Publication number: 20180173876
    Abstract: Endpoints in a network execute a sensor module that intercepts commands. The sensor module compares a source of commands to a sanctioned list of applications received from a management server. If the source does not match a sanctioned application and the command is a write or delete command, the command is ignored and a simulated acknowledgment is sent. If the command is a read command, deception data is returned instead. In some embodiments, certain data is protected such that commands will be ignored or modified to refer to deception data where the source is not a sanctioned application. The source may be verified to be a sanctioned application by evaluating a certificate, hash, or path of the source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: Venu Vissamsetty, Muthukumar Lakshmanan, Harinath Vishwanath Ramchetty, Vinod Kumar A. Porwal
  • Publication number: 20180146008
    Abstract: Endpoints of various domains implement forwarding modules as well as perform various production tasks. The endpoints of a domain participate in an election process by which one or more endpoints are selected to operate as honeypots. The forwarding modules of non-selected endpoints become inactive, but wake up periodically to determine whether an election process is occurring. Selected endpoints obtain configuration data from a management server. The endpoints then acquire IP addresses and implement one or more services according to the configuration data. The management server may configure the services based on a location of the selected endpoint. Traffic received by the selected endpoints is forwarded to the management server, which engages an attacker system using one or more VMs. When an endpoint moves to a different domain, it releases acquired IP addresses and attempts to participate in the election process in the different domain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Inventors: Venu Vissamsetty, Muthukumar Lakshmanan, Harinath Vishwanath Ramchetty, Vinod Kumar A. Porwal
  • Publication number: 20180013788
    Abstract: MITM attacks are detected by intercepting network configuration traffic (name resolution, DHCP, ARP, ICMP, etc.) in order to obtain a description of network components. A computer system generates artificial requests for network configuration information and monitors responses. Multiple responses indicate a MITM attack. Responses that are different from previously-recorded responses also indicate a MITM attack. MITM attacks may be confirmed by transmitting fake credentials to a source of a response to a request for network configuration information. If the fake credentials are accepted or are subsequently used in an access attempt, then a MITM attack may be confirmed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Inventors: Venu Vissamsetty, Muthukumar Lakshmanan, Sreenivasa Sudheendra Penupolu, Ankur Rungta
  • Publication number: 20170331856
    Abstract: Endpoints in a computer network create connections to a deception server without sending any payload data. The connections create records of the connection on the endpoints, by which an attacker accesses the deception server. Received packets that include payload data are determined to be unauthorized. The deception server acquires IP addresses in various VLANS and provides these IP addresses to the endpoints over a secure channel. The connections from the endpoints to the deception server are not performed on the secure channel. IP addresses acquired by the deception server are not assigned to an interface. Instead, NAT is used to route packets including the IP addresses to various engagement servers. Each IP address is assigned a unique hostname in order to appear as multiple distinct servers. The deception server further generates broadcast traffic to generate other records that may be used to lure an attacker to the deception server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2016
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Inventors: Venu Vissamsetty, Srikant Vissamsetti, Muthukumar Lakshmanan, Harinath Vishwanath Ramchetty, Vinod Kumar A. Porwal