Patent ID: 8561154
Filing Date: 2013-10-15
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A computer program product for assessing security of a perimeter of a network, the computer program product comprising: one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, the program instructions comprising: first program instructions to review security of the network perimeter by executing tests to attempt to circumvent security controls of the network perimeter; second program instructions to review security of a firewall at the network perimeter by analyzing message flow rules of the firewall; third program instructions to review security of an application that transfers data across the network perimeter by analyzing message flows and a protocol used by the application; fourth program instructions to review security of an authentication computer from attack, the authentication computer residing within the network perimeter and authenticating users outside of the network perimeter that request access to an application within the network perimeter; fifth program instructions to review vulnerability of a gateway computer at the network perimeter from applications outside of the network perimeter by scanning ports on the gateway computer to determine whether unauthorized services from the applications outside the network perimeter are available within the network perimeter via the gateway computer, and determining and executing penetration tests on the gateway computer to attempt to exploit a vulnerability of the gateway computer as revealed by the scanning of the ports on the gateway computer; sixth program instructions to identify a first component associated with a first respective connection to the network and determine if the first component complies with a corresponding industry benchmark for security, and identify a second component associated with a second respective connection to the network and determine if the second component complies with a corresponding security policy of a company associated with the network, the corresponding security policy not being an industry benchmark; and seventh program instructions to generate a report of security of the network perimeter based upon results generated by the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth program instructions.