Patent ID: 8001594
Filing Date: 2011-08-16
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for electronically monitoring security enforcement provisions in a computer network, the method comprising: receiving, by a security service provider server, a first group of reports including information regarding security violations associated with a network component, wherein the first group of reports was transmitted by a monitoring module of the network component; detecting, by the security service provider server, a first group of security policy violations based on the first group of reports, the security policy including security rules identifying security enforcement provisions that must be operational on the network component; detecting, by the security service provider server, a second group of security policy violations based on a failure to receive a second group of reports at a scheduled time, wherein the first group of reports was scheduled to be transmitted by the monitoring module of the network component; based on the detection of the first and second groups of security policy violations, acting on the network component in a manner in which the computer network operates at a level appropriate to the degree of the first or second group of security violations determining a reason for a reset of the monitoring module; and determining, based on the reason, that the security policy has been one of violated, modified, or circumvented.