Patent ID: 8099774

Claim:
A computing device configured to execute a firewall for implementing security policy for controlling network traffic, the computing device comprising: an electronic processor; and code executable by the electronic processor to: receive a policy rule at a policy level interface, the policy rule comprising a keyword reference to a predefined container that specifies a permissible value range of at least one firewall parameter allowable under the policy rule, the keyword reference being an identifier associated with the predefined container; receive at a non-policy level interface a request from a program protected by the firewall to populate the predefined container referenced by the keyword with a firewall parameter value; identify the program from which the request is received and determine whether the program is authorized to populate the predefined container referenced by the keyword; and populate the predefined container with the firewall parameter value if the firewall parameter value is within the permissible value range and if the program is authorized to populate the firewall parameter.