Patent ID: 8745373

Claim:
An information handling system including a multi-layer network including a data link layer, a network layer, and a layer above the network layer, each layer constituting a particular network level and being capable of encrypting data passing there through, the information handling system comprising: a receiver for inbound encrypted data destined for delivery to a network node, the inbound data having a field identifying encryption properties of the data including the identity of the network level at which the inbound data received by the receiver is encrypted; an encryption recognition engine operable to identify the network levels at which the inbound data received by the receiver is encrypted and wherein the encryption recognition engine is further operable to determine whether the inbound data is encrypted at the particular network level; an encryption policy store containing an encryption policy specifying encryption to apply to data encrypted at particular network levels, the store comprising information indicating encryption capabilities of the information handling system for three network levels and information indicating whether encryption should be applied for the three network levels based on a predefined encryption level policy; an encryption policy application engine operable to apply the encryption policy of the encryption policy store to the inbound encrypted data on the basis of network level encryption properties identified by the encryption recognition engine in the inbound data; an encryption engine operable to selectively and additionally encrypt the inbound encrypted data on the basis of the encryption policy as applied by the encryption policy application engine; and a packet delivery engine operable to deliver the inbound data to its destination.