Abstract:
A computer program product for monitoring a user computing entity's status, the program being adapted to: evaluate one more parameters of operation of one more functional elements of the user entity; if an evaluated parameter has a value outside of a predetermined range which is indicative of normal user entity behaviour, operate the user entity to enable, in a predetermined manner, administrative access to the user entity to be gained by an administrative computing entity, thereby to permit the administrative entity to perform an administrative operation on the user entity.
Abstract:
A computing platform 20 provides multiple computing environments 24 each containing a guest operating system 25 provided by a virtual machine application 26. Optionally, each computing environment 24 is formed in a compartment 220 of a compartmented host operating system 22. A trusted device 213 verifies that the host operating system 22 and each guest operating system 25 operates in a secure and trusted manner by forming integrity metrics which can be interrogated by a user 10. Each computing environment is isolated and secure, and can be verified as trustworthy independent of any other computing environment.
Abstract:
A host computing platform 20 provides one or more computing environments 24 and includes a trusted device 213 arranged to form an integrity metric individual to each computing environment 24. The integrity metric is provided to a user 10 in response to an integrity challenge, signed for authentication using a signature key 213 held by the trusted device. In one embodiment the trusted device 213 selects a signature key unique to the computing environment 24, or in a second embodiment the trusted device forms the signed integrity metric including an identity label, in each case such that the user 10 can verify that the signed integrity metric corresponds to the expected computing environment 24.
Abstract:
A method of restricting data communication to a network, the network comprising a plurality of data processors and a network communication element arranged to receive data communications originating outside the network, the method comprising monitoring data communications originating from outside the network and received at the network communication element and identifying the intended recipient data processor within the network of the received data communications; and determining if the identified intended recipient data processor has a corresponding entry on a record of network data processors and if not, adding a corresponding entry to the first record of network data processors and adding a corresponding entry to a second record of network data processors.
Abstract:
An apparatus includes a first processing resource to execute a program code, and a second processing resource separate from the first processing resource. The program code includes an embedded execution unit. The execution unit, during execution of the program code, calculates a first security value for a part of the program code. The second processing resource runs a validation program. The validation program receives the first security value, checks the first security value against a second security value calculated from a corresponding part of a reference copy of the program code to obtain a check result, returns the check result to the execution unit. The execution unit performs a security-related action in response to a check result indicating a mismatch between the first security value and the second security value.
Abstract:
A method of restricting transmission of data packets from a host entity in a network, including: transmitting outgoing packets to destination hosts whose identities are contained in a record stored in a working set of host identity records; over the course of repeated predetermined time intervals, restricting, to a predetermined number, destination hosts not identified in the working to which packets may be transmitted; upon transmission of a packet to a host whose identity is not contained in a record in the working set, adding a record containing the host's identity to the working set and attributing a time to live to the record; deleting each record from the working set whose time to live has expired.
Abstract:
A method of restricting transmission of data packets from a host entity in a network, comprising: transmitting outgoing packets to destination hosts whose identities are contained in a record stored in a working set of host identity records; over the course of repeated predetermined time intervals, restricting, to a predetermined number, destination hosts not identified in the working set and to which packets may be transmitted; deleting packets whose transmission has been restricted.
Abstract:
Propagation of viruses in a network having a plurality of hosts is restricted. Network activity of a first host of the plurality is monitored, and a first record established which is at least indicative of identities of hosts within the network contacted by a first host. Contact of the first host to other hosts within the network is limited over the course of a first time interval, so that during the first time interval the first host is unable to contact more than a predetermined number of hosts not in the first record. The method further includes an additional selection process for determining hosts of the plurality the first host is allowed to contact.
Abstract:
One embodiment of an apparatus for monitoring from a first location in a computer network traffic emanating from a source at a second location in the network, the apparatus comprising means at the first location for detecting traffic emanating from the source and means for monitoring the number, per unit time, of distinct destinations of the traffic that lie outside a first set specifying familiar destinations of the traffic. This monitoring process can trigger various responses such as the isolation of the source from the network. Other systems and methods are also provided.
Abstract:
A method of administering a network comprises the steps of: detecting the occurrence of a triggering event alerting an administrator to the presence of a user entity on the network, the triggering event being selected from the group consisting of: (i) allocation of a network address to the user entity; (ii) alteration of the user entity's network address; (iii) an action by the user entity causing resolution between a network address and an identifier; (iv) association of the user entity's network address and an identifier. Upon detecting such an event, the user entity having the network address is scanned for vulnerabilities by sending at least one outward packet to it, for example seeking to establish a connection on a particular port, and the response, if any, is then used to determine whether is vulnerable to known malicious code.