Patent ID: 7793338

Claim:
An endpoint security system configured to reside on a quarantined virtual local area network and to manage the connection of a host to either the quarantined virtual local area network or to a non-quarantined virtual area network based on a security assessment of the added host, the endpoint security system comprising: a security scanner configured to perform a security assessment on the host; a dynamic host configuration protocol server configured to assign Internet Protocol addresses to hosts added to the quarantined virtual local area network; and an endpoint security agent configured to: extract, from at least one packet sent by the dynamic host configuration protocol server, an Internet Protocol address that has been assigned to a host added to the quarantined virtual local area network; forward the extracted Internet Protocol address to the security scanner and cause the security scanner to perform a security assessment on the added host by scanning the added host, wherein the security scanner is located on a security engine on which the endpoint security agent is located; receive the security assessment; and cause a switch to connect the added host to the non-quarantined virtual local area network if, based on the security assessment of the added host, the added host is deemed to be a secure host.