Abstract: Invention selectively enables usage of services and communication conduits in a computer network, wherein the enablement is contingent on usage conditions, resulting in containment of the spread of unauthorized activity within a networked computer system and limiting the scope of results when an element becomes part of a hostile execution environment. Instead of protecting individual networked elements from a potentially hostile execution environment, the elements' usage of the networked environment is restricted to the extent of selectively allowing usage of needed resources explicitly authorized for use by such elements.

Abstract: On a host, host content change requests are intercepted in real-time. In a tracking mode, the change requests are logged and allowed to take effect on the host. In an enforcement mode, the change requests are logged and additionally compared against authorized change policies and a determination is made whether to allow the change to take effect or to block the changes, thereby enforcing the authorized change policies on the host. Tracking and enforcement can be done in real-time. In either mode and at any time, the logged changes can be reconciled against a set of approved change orders in order to identify classes of changes, including changes that were deployed but not approved and changes that were approved but not deployed.

Abstract: On a host, host content change requests are intercepted in real-time. In a tracking mode, the change requests are logged and allowed to take effect on the host. In an enforcement mode, the change requests are logged and additionally compared against authorized change policies and a determination is made whether to allow the change to take effect or to block the changes, thereby enforcing the authorized change policies on the host. Tracking and enforcement can be done in real-time. In either mode and at any time, the logged changes can be reconciled against a set of approved change orders in order to identify classes of changes, including changes that were deployed but not approved and changes that were approved but not deployed.

Abstract: A method for providing solidified software in a computing environment includes creating a new reference for a function in a function table; copying an address of the function and associating the address with the new reference; replacing the address associated with an old reference of the function with a dummy address; and substituting each old reference in normal code with the new reference, where injected code is not able to execute in the computing environment. The function table entries can be further randomized by reordering the entries, introducing intermediate mappings, or providing non-operative entries. Alternatively, all or part of the code of the function can be copied and moved to a different storage location and associated with the new reference. The copied code can be further randomized by the insertion of dummy code, utilizing reverse peephole techniques, varying the size of the copied portion, or interleaving non-operative code.

Abstract: A method for providing solidified software in a computing environment includes creating a new reference for a function in a function table; copying an address of the function and associating the address with the new reference; replacing the address associated with an old reference of the function with a dummy address; and substituting each old reference in normal code with the new reference, where injected code is not able to execute in the computing environment. The function table entries can be further randomized by reordering the entries, introducing intermediate mappings, or providing non-operative entries. Alternatively, all or part of the code of the function can be copied and moved to a different storage location and associated with the new reference. The copied code can be further randomized by the insertion of dummy code, utilizing reverse peephole techniques, varying the size of the copied portion, or interleaving non-operative code.