Patent ID: 8627443

Claim:
A network adapter, comprising: at least one designated trusted port; at least one designated untrusted port; and a processor provisioned in the network adapter, configured for providing firewall capabilities, and coupled within a computer, the network adapter coupled to a network via the ports, wherein network traffic from the at least one trusted port bypasses the processor, wherein the network adapter processor is configured for: assembling the network traffic into packets; performing an initial determination whether certain assembled incoming packets are of interest for screening activities based on determining a timing of the certain assembled incoming packets and content within the certain assembled incoming packets; bypassing the firewall capabilities and communicating the certain assembled incoming packets directly to a network driver of the computer if the certain assembled incoming packets are determined to not be of interest; determining whether the certain assembled incoming packets of interest violate a plurality of predetermined rules for packet transmissions, wherein the plurality of predetermined rules include at least one rule based on a security level selected from among a plurality of security levels, and wherein each security level includes specific rules to indicate whether incoming packets associated with a particular protocol violate the security level specific rule; and denying access to certain areas of the computer based on a violation of the predetermined rules.