Patent ID: 6996841

Claim:
In computer network interconnecting a client system, a proxy system, and a server system, wherein data exchanged over the computer network is subject to being compromised, a method of negotiating, through the proxy system, a secure end-to-end connection between the client system and the server system, wherein the client system securely authenticates to the proxy system, the method comprising the acts of: receiving a request from the client system for a secure connection between the client system and the proxy system; establishing a secure connection between the client and proxy systems, in which at least the client is authenticated to the proxy system; receiving a request from the client system for a secure end-to-end connection with the server system; upon authenticating the client, downgrading the secure connection between the client and the proxy systems to an insecure client-proxy connection; forwarding the client system request for a secure end-to-end connection to the server system only after authenticating the client and upon downgrading the secure connection between the client and the proxy systems to an insecure client-proxy connection, such that the secure connection between the client and the proxy systems is downgraded to an insecure client-proxy connection prior to establishing the secure end-to-end connection between the client and server systems, and such that the secure end-to-end connection is encapsulated within the insecure client-proxy connection, and such that the proxy server does not encrypt or decrypt any data sent between the client and the server within the insecure client-proxy connection.