Abstract: A method includes retrieving, from a memory accessible by a computer, a document comprising a workload definition document that defines an intended virtual configuration to include at least one virtual machine and at least one network appliance to be associated with at least one of the virtual machines in the intended virtual configuration, each network appliance respectively serving a role in the intended virtual configuration of transforming, inspecting, filtering, or otherwise manipulating all the network traffic, before it reaches an intended virtual machine, for purpose other than a data packet forwarding in a virtual configuration. The workload definition document is parsed to extract attributes of each of the network appliances, including one or more security policy to be applied to each network appliance. Configuration data is extracted from the parsed workload definition document that is related to any security policy of any of the network appliances to be deployed.

Abstract: A method includes retrieving, from a memory accessible by a computer, a document comprising a workload definition document that defines an intended virtual configuration to include at least one virtual machine and at least one network appliance to be associated with at least one of the virtual machines in the intended virtual configuration, each network appliance respectively serving a role in the intended virtual configuration of transforming, inspecting, filtering, or otherwise manipulating all the network traffic, before it reaches an intended virtual machine, for purpose other than a data packet forwarding in a virtual configuration. The workload definition document is parsed to extract attributes of each of the network appliances, including one or more security policy to be applied to each network appliance. Configuration data is extracted from the parsed workload definition document that is related to any security policy of any of the network appliances to be deployed.

Abstract: A method includes retrieving, from a memory accessible by a computer, a document comprising a workload definition document that defines an intended virtual configuration to include at least one virtual machine and at least one network appliance to be associated with at least one of the virtual machines in the intended virtual configuration, each network appliance respectively serving a role in the intended virtual configuration of transforming, inspecting, filtering, or otherwise manipulating all the network traffic, before it reaches an intended virtual machine, for purpose other than a data packet forwarding in a virtual configuration. The workload definition document is parsed to extract attributes of each of the network appliances, including one or more security policy to be applied to each network appliance. Configuration data is extracted from the parsed workload definition document that is related to any security policy of any of the network appliances to be deployed.

Abstract: A method includes retrieving, from a memory accessible by a computer, a document comprising a workload definition document that defines an intended virtual configuration to include at least one virtual machine and at least one network appliance to be associated with at least one of the virtual machines in the intended virtual configuration, each network appliance respectively serving a role in the intended virtual configuration of transforming, inspecting, filtering, or otherwise manipulating all the network traffic, before it reaches an intended virtual machine, for purpose other than a data packet forwarding in a virtual configuration. The workload definition document is parsed to extract attributes of each of the network appliances, including one or more security policy to be applied to each network appliance. Configuration data is extracted from the parsed workload definition document that is related to any security policy of any of the network appliances to be deployed.

Abstract: An intrusion detection system (IDS) is enhanced to operate in a cluster of such systems, and IDSs organized into a cluster cooperate to exchange IP reputation influencing events information between or among the cooperating systems in real-time to enhance overall system response time and to prevent otherwise hidden attacks from damaging network resources. An IDS includes an IP reputation analytics engine to analyze new and existing events, correlate information, and to raise potential alerts. The IP reputation analytics engines may implement an algorithm, such as a pattern matching algorithm, a continuous data mining algorithm, or the like, to facilitate this operation. Clustering IDS endpoints to share IP reputation influencing events, using the cluster-wide view to determine IP reputation, and feeding the cluster-wide view back to the IDS endpoints, provides for enhanced and early detection of threats that is much more reliable and scalable as compared to prior art techniques.

Abstract: An intrusion detection system (IDS) is enhanced to operate in a cluster of such systems, and IDSs organized into a cluster cooperate to exchange IP reputation influencing events information between or among the cooperating systems in real-time to enhance overall system response time and to prevent otherwise hidden attacks from damaging network resources. An IDS includes an IP reputation analytics engine to analyze new and existing events, correlate information, and to raise potential alerts. The IP reputation analytics engines may implement an algorithm, such as a pattern matching algorithm, a continuous data mining algorithm, or the like, to facilitate this operation. Clustering IDS endpoints to share IP reputation influencing events, using the cluster-wide view to determine IP reputation, and feeding the cluster-wide view back to the IDS endpoints, provides for enhanced and early detection of threats that is much more reliable and scalable as compared to prior art techniques.

Abstract: A method is presented for processing data for a privacy policy concerning management of personally identifiable information. A proxy intercepts a first message from a server to a client and determines that the first message initiates collection of personally identifiable information from a user of the client. The proxy then sends a second message to the client that requests consent from the user to the privacy policy. If the user provides consent within a third message that is received by the proxy from the client, then the proxy sends the intercepted first message to the client. If the user does not provide consent, then the proxy sends a fourth message to the server that fails the collection of personally identifiable information from the client by the server. The proxy may also obtain user preferences for options concerning management of the personally identifiable information by a data processing system.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product is presented for providing access to a set of resources in a distributed data processing system. A reverse proxy server receives a resource request from a client and determines whether or not it is managing a session identifier that was previously associated with the client by the reverse proxy server; if so, it retrieves the session identifier, otherwise it obtains a session identifier and associates the session identifier with the client using information that is managed by the reverse proxy server. The reverse proxy server then modifies the resource request to include the session identifier and forwards the modified resource request to an application server.

Abstract: A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product are presented for processing cookies that are transmitted from a server through a proxy server to a client that is operated by a user. The proxy server detects that a response message from the server for the client has an associated cookie. The proxy server extracts a domain identifier associated with the server from the response message, and the proxy server retrieves a set of parameters that contain domain identifiers that are associated with indications of whether to block transmission of cookies from servers associated with the domain identifiers. The proxy server then processes the cookie in the response message in accordance with the retrieved set of parameters and the extracted domain identifier, either blocking or not blocking cookies from the identified domain. Blocked cookies are cached for subsequent use. Multiple sets of parameters may be configured by the user.

Abstract: A method is presented for enforcing a privacy policy concerning management of personally identifiable information in a centralized manner through a privacy proxy agent. A proxy intercepts a message from a first system to a second system, e.g., from a server to a client, and determines whether the message is associated with an operation on personally identifiable information; if not, then the proxy sends the message to the second system, but if so, then the proxy determines whether the operation on the personally identifiable information is compliant with a privacy policy and with user preference information with respect to the privacy policy for a user who is associated the personally identifiable information. If the message is compliant with the privacy policy and user preference data, then the proxy sends the first message to the second system; otherwise, an error indication is returned to the first system.

Abstract: This invention automates the selection of purpose usages when a user agent interacts with a web site that has been enabled for automated purpose usage information exchange. A user first configures the purpose usage automation in his or her user agent. At this stage, which typically occurs off-line, the user decides on a level of automation when specifying the one or more purpose usages. If desired, this preference may depend on how “trusted” the site is to the user. Later, when the user navigates to an organization's web site, the user agent communicates the purpose usage settings to the organization according to the level of purpose usage automation that has been configured. In particular, when a user's agent visits a web site, the user agent detects that “automated purpose usage” is enabled for the web site. The web site then provides the user agent with a list of one or more purpose usage options required or desired by the organization.

Abstract: The present invention provides a way to protect PII (or, more generally, any user “sensitive” information) throughout its life cycle in an organization. The techniques described herein ensure that a user's PII is protecting during storage, access or transfer of the data. Preferably, this objective is accomplished by associating given metadata with a given piece of PII and then storing the PII and metadata in a “privacy protecting envelope.” The given metadata includes, without limitation, the privacy policy that applies to the PII, as well as a set of one more purpose usages for the PII that the system has collected from an end user's user agent (e.g., a web browser), preferably in an automated manner. Preferably, the PII data, the privacy policy, and the user preferences (the purpose usages) are formatted in a structured document, such as XML.

Abstract: This invention automates the selection of purpose usages when a user agent interacts with a web site that has been enabled for automated purpose usage information exchange. A user first configures the purpose usage automation in his or her user agent. At this stage, which typically occurs off-line, the user decides on a level of automation when specifying the one or more purpose usages. If desired, this preference may depend on how “trusted” the site is to the user. Later, when the user navigates to an organization's web site, the user agent communicates the purpose usage settings to the organization according to the level of purpose usage automation that has been configured. In particular, when a user's agent visits a web site, the user agent detects that “automated purpose usage” is enabled for the web site. The web site then provides the user agent with a list of one or more purpose usage options required or desired by the organization.

Abstract: A method is presented for performing authentication operations. When a client requests a resource from a server, a non-certificate-based authentication operation is performed through an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) session between the server and the client. When the client requests another resource, the server determines to step up to a more restrictive level of authentication, and a certificate-based authentication operation is performed through the SSL session without exiting or renegotiating the SSL session prior to completion of the certificate-based authentication operation. During the certificate-based authentication procedure, an executable module is downloaded to the client from the server through the SSL session, after which the server receives through the SSL session a digital signature that has been generated by the executable module using a digital certificate at the client. In response to successfully verifying the digital signature at the server, the server provides access to a requested resource.