Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and methods for detecting and preventing the delivery of unsolicited communications. A communication transmitted over a communications network is received and analyzed by a system processor. The system processor can extract attributes from the communication and compare extracted attributes to information stored in a system data store. In processing the communication, the system processor may assign a confidence level) a trust level, or other indicia of content. The results of that processing, analysis, and comparison can be propagated to one or more upstream computers in the path from the communication's origin to its destination. Such one or more upstream computers are identified from within the content of the communication, the header of the communication and/or the transfer protocol interactions in receiving the communication. The identified computers are authenticated to limit forgery.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for providing authentication to a firewall using a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory server is disclosed. The firewall can be configured through a graphical user interface to implement an authentication scheme. The authentication scheme is based upon a determination of whether at least part of one or more LDAP entries satisfy an authorization filter.

Abstract: A system and method for the secure transfer of data between a workstation connected to a private network and a remote computer connected to an unsecured network. A secure computer is inserted into the private network to serve as the gateway to the unsecured network and a client subsystem is added to the workstation in order to control the transfer of data from the workstation to the secure computer. The secure computer includes a private network interface connected to the private network, an unsecured network interface connected to the unsecured network, wherein the unsecured network interface includes means for encrypting data to be transferred from the first workstation to the remote computer and a server function for transferring data between the private network interface and the unsecured network interface.

Abstract: A mechanism that enables flexible expansion of proxy firewall services is disclosed. In accordance with the present invention, the firewall system can be configured to include a dispatch host computer and one or more load host computers. Proxy firewall services can be provided by proxy applications that reside on either the dispatch host computer and/or the load host computers. In one embodiment, a load host computer can be configured to support multiple proxy applications. In other embodiments, a load host computer can be dedicated to a single resource intensive application. In this framework, a network administrator can flexibly decide how to accommodate the demand for proxy firewall services. Load hosts can be added or removed from the firewall system without disrupting ongoing security services. In one embodiment, this feature is enabled through the inclusion of a configuration file on the dispatch host computer that stores information relating to the load host computers in the firewall system.

Abstract: A public key authentication system and method for use in a computer system having a plurality of users. The system includes a virtual smart card server, storage connected to the virtual smart card server, and a virtual smart card agent connected to the virtual smart card server. The storage includes a plurality of virtual smart cards, wherein each virtual smart card is associated with a user and wherein each smart card includes a private key. The virtual smart card agent authenticates the user and accesses the authenticated user's virtual smart card to obtain the user's private key.

Abstract: A system and method for the secure transfer of data between a workstation connected to a private network and a remote computer connected to an unsecured network. A secure computer is inserted into the private network to serve as the gateway to the unsecured network and a client subsystem is added to the workstation in order to control the transfer of data from the workstation to the secure computer. The secure computer includes a private network interface connected to the private network, an unsecured network interface connected to the unsecured network, wherein the unsecured network interface includes means for encrypting data to be transferred from the first workstation to the remote computer and a server function for transferring data between the private network interface and the unsecured network interface.

Abstract: An inventive security framework for supporting kernel-based hypervisors within a computer system. The security framework includes a security master, one or more security modules and a security manager, wherein the security master and security modules execute in kernel space.

Abstract: A system and method for the secure transfer of data between a workstation connected to a private network and a remote computer connected to an unsecured network. A secure computer is inserted into the private network to serve as the gateway to the unsecured network and a client subsystem is added to the workstation in order to control the transfer of data from the workstation to the secure computer. The secure computer includes a private network interface connected to the private network, an unsecured network interface connected to the unsecured network, wherein the unsecured network interface includes means for encrypting data to be transferred from the first workstation to the remote computer and a server function for transferring data between the private network interface and the unsecured network interface.

Abstract: Systems and methods for an associative policy model are provided. One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for implementing an associative policy. In this embodiment, the method includes providing a policy on a policy server, the policy having a service definition that contains first and second relational components, providing first and second network entities, operatively coupling the first and second network entities to the policy server, dynamically associating the first network entity with the second network entity (wherein such associating includes binding the first relational component of the service definition in the policy to the first network entity, and binding the second relational component of the service definition in the policy to the second network entity), and enforcing the policy on the first and second network entities.

Abstract: A system and method for secure group communications is provided. One embodiment provides a method for implementing a virtual private group network. The method includes creating a virtual private group definition on a policy server, establishing a plurality of secure connections between the policy server and a plurality of group nodes, sending a copy of the virtual private group definition from the policy server to the group nodes, sending a shared traffic encryption key from the policy server to each of the group nodes, and sharing secure communication information among the group nodes using the shared traffic encryption key, wherein each group node is included in the virtual private group definition.

Abstract: A novel system and method for transmitting and receiving secure data in a virtual private group (VPG). In one embodiment, a method for transmitting secure data from a first node to a second node includes accessing a group membership table on the first node, the group membership table having group membership information for each group, including a first group, to which the first node belongs and group security information associated with each group, wherein the first group has two or more members, and checking the group membership table to determine if the second node is a member of the first group. If the second node is a member of the first group, the method further includes encrypting a data packet using the group security information associated with the first group, processing the encrypted data packet, and transmitting the encrypted data packet from the first node to the second node.

Abstract: A system and method of limiting access from an external network to documents stored on an internal network. A client list is built in which each client is assigned to one or more roles. Each role has access to one or more documents as defined on a document list. A request from an external network is reviewed and, if possible, the request is associated with a client on the client list. The requested document is then compared to the document list associated with the client's role and, if the requested document is in the list of documents available to a client in the client's role, the requested document is fetched, cleaned and sent to the client.

Abstract: A security framework for wrapping standard, commercially-available software applications in order to limit the amount of potential damage that a successful attacker or corrupt program can cause. The security framework includes a security master that coordinates installation and removal of kernel-based security modules and that provides a means for managing these modules. The security module are loadable kernel modules that include security information for enforcing application-specific or resource-specific policies. The security module are easy to install and require no modification to the existing operating system or to the software applications that they are monitoring. The security framework has a number of potential applications, including protecting a computing system from malicious software downloaded via a web browser, for wrapping web servers and firewalls in order to limit possible compromise and for replicating file operations.

Abstract: A system and method of limiting access from an external network to documents stored on an internal network. A client list is built in which each client is assigned to one or more roles. Each role has access to one or more documents as defined on a document list. A request from an external network is reviewed and, if possible, the request is associated with a client on the client list. The requested document is then compared to the document list associated with the client's role and, if the requested document is in the list of documents available to a client in the client's role, the requested document is fetched, cleaned and sent to the client.

Abstract: A system and method of implementing a security policy, comprising the steps of providing a plurality of access policies, defining a process and connecting the access policies and the process to form a security policy.

Abstract: A system and method of limiting access from an external network to documents stored on an internal network. A client list is built in which each client is assigned to one or more roles. Each role has access to one or more documents as defined on a document list. A request from an external network is reviewed and, if possible, the request is associated with a client on the client list. The requested document is then compared to the document list associated with the client's role and, if the requested document is in the list of documents available to a client in the client's role, the requested document is fetched, cleaned and sent to the client.

Abstract: A system and method of limiting access from an external network to documents stored on an internal network. A client list is built in which each client is assigned to one or more roles. Each role has access to one or more documents as defined on a document list. A request from an external network is reviewed and, if possible, the request is associated with a client on the client list. The requested document is then compared to the document list associated with the client's role and, if the requested document is in the list of documents available to a client in the client's role, the requested document is fetched, cleaned and sent to the client.

Abstract: A secure commerce server system and method. A secure commerce server system includes a plurality of regions or burbs, including an internal burb and an external burb, a commerce server and an administration server. Processes and data objects associated with the administration server are bound to the internal burb. Processes and data objects associated with the commerce server are bound to the external burb. Processes bound to one burb cannot communicate directly to processes and data objects bound to other burbs. The administration server cannot be manipulated by a process bound to the external burb.

Abstract: A secure commerce server system and method. A secure commerce server system includes a plurality of regions or burbs, including an internal burb and an external burb, a commerce server and an administration server. Processes and data objects associated with the administration server are bound to the internal burb. Processes and data objects associated with the commerce server are bound to the external burb. Processes bound to one burb cannot communicate directly to processes and data objects bound to other burbs. The administration server cannot be manipulated by a process bound to the external burb.

Abstract: A communication security system is described which uses a server to communicate to an unprotected network, such as the Internet. The system intercepts an IP packet prior to stack incursion and replaces the destination address with that of a firewall's network interface address. Because of the modification to the IP header destination address, an IP header checksum is recalculated prior to presentation to the local stack. The system uses a shim to replace the destination address and store the original destination address. When a communication is authorized, the firewall performs a system call to retrieve the original destination address such that the data communication can be routed to the indented destination address.