Patent ID: 6230271
Filing Date: 2001-05-08
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A security handler for packet transfer between an insecure network and a secure network wherein packets are passed or blocked between the insecure network and the secure network to secure the secure network against attacks from the insecure network, the security handler comprising:means for obtaining customer security policies, wherein a customer security policy is a set of one or more rule defining a set of capabilities that are allowed or disallowed for a given customer's secure network, modifiable in response to security attacks encountered, and wherein customer security policies can be distinct for distinct customers;a plurality of packet processing components;a plurality of communication paths between components of the plurality of packet processing components; andconfigurable policy enforcement means, at each connection of a communication path and a packet processing component, for enforcing a packet policy for packets transported between the communication path and the packet processing component, wherein the packet policy is a function of the customer security policies.