Patent ID: 7778194
Filing Date: 2010-08-17
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method facilitating classification of data flows traversing a computer network, comprising detecting, at a network device, a handshake in a data flow between a first node and a second node, wherein the handshake comprises an exchange of messages including information useful to establish an encrypted connection between the first node and the second node, wherein the information includes a digital certificate; classifying, using the network device, the data flow based on an encrypted connection protocol identified in the exchange of messages; examining, using the network device, the messages corresponding to the handshake relative to at least one handshake attribute and examining the digital certificate to identify one or more digital certificate attributes, wherein the one or more digital certificate attributes are contained in the digital certificate; and further classifying, using the network device, the data flow into a network-application-specific traffic classification based at least in part on at least one digital certificate attribute of the one or more digital certificate attributes.