Patent ID: 7603549

Claim:
An apparatus for in-line processing data packets according to a network security protocol, comprising: a first network interface to a first computer network; a second network interface to a second computer network; a first data path, coupled to receive the data packets from the first network interface, the first data path comprising: a first group of pipeline stages for encrypting the data packets, using a feedback encryption algorithm; a first packet building circuit that encapsulates the encrypted data packets with security data bits of the security protocol and transmits the encapsulated data packets over the second network interface; and a first security policy lookup circuit for identifying one or more applicable security policies under the network security protocol applicable to each data packet; a second data path, coupled to receive encrypted data packets that are encapsulated according to the network security protocol, the second data path comprising: an integrity verification circuit that examines the security data bits to determine integrity of each encrypted data packet; a second group of pipeline stages for decrypting the encrypted data packets; a second packet building circuit that transmits the decrypted data packets over the first network interface; and a second security policy lookup circuit for identifying one or more applicable security policies under the network security protocol applicable to each data packet.