Patent ID: 9407650
Filing Date: 2016-08-02
CPC Classification: H04L

Claim Text:
1. A method of detecting unauthorized redirection of Internet Protocol (IP) packets transmitted in a communication network, the method comprising, at a computer, performing the steps of: intercepting a plurality of IP packets generated by the computer, or by another computer connected to it via the communication network, and intended to be directed via one or more authorized destinations towards an original destination; inspecting the intercepted IP packets to determine a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or IP address of the original destination; determining, based on said URL or IP address of the original destination, a set of IP addresses of authorized destinations associated with the original destination; for each of the intercepted IP packets, inspecting a header of the intercepted IP packets to determine a set of IP addresses of other destinations the intercepted IP packet has traversed or will traverse, and comparing the set of IP addresses of other destinations to the set of IP addresses of authorized destinations and determining whether the intercepted IP packet is being redirected via an unauthorized destination which is not one of the authorized destinations, and blocking those detected intercepted IP packets associated with redirection via the unauthorized destination or modifying those detected intercepted IP packets such that they are directed via only authorized destinations.