Patent ID: 8266688

Claim:
A method for improving security by selectively listening on a port for a connection request in response to a signal identifying an expected authorized connection request, the method comprising the steps of: (a) establishing a first process on a first device for receiving incoming connections via a port, the first process disabled from listening for incoming connections via the port; (b) receiving, by the first process from one of a third device or a second process on the first device, a signal indicating a connection request to be sent by a second device to connect to the first device is authorized, the signal comprising information identifying the authorized connection request to be sent by the second device; (c) enabling the first process to listen for an incoming connection on the port in response to receiving the signal; and (d) determining, by the first process, a connection request received on the port while the first process is enabled to listen on the port comprises connection information that either corresponds to the information of the first signal or does not correspond to the information of the first signal, is from the second device, responsive to comparing connection information of the connection request to the information of the signal identifying the authorized connection request of the second device, and respectively accepts or drops the received connection request.