Patent ID: 7440452

Claim:
A communication system that provides secure communication services, comprising: node devices; computers and Internet Protocol (IP) addressable devices coupled to the node devices; each node device having at least one network communication interface for coupling the node device to the network; each node device having at east one local communication interface for coupling the node device to computers and IP addressable devices; each node device having a tunneling communication service coupled to the at least one network communication interface and configured to establish at least one cryptographically secured communication tunnel with at least one other node device; each node device having automated means logic configured and arranged to dynamically update and adapt to changes in the routing topology of the local network of computers and IP addressable devices and of the computers and IP addressable devices coupled through a plurality of other node devices that are reachable over the at least one cryptographically secured communication tunnel; each node device having a routing database for holding dynamically updated routing data; each node device having a router that uses routing database information obtained from the dynamically updated routing data to identify the at least one cryptographically secured communication tunnel or the at least one local communication interface over which to forward data that has been received from a cryptographic communication tunnel or from a local communication interface; and each node device having at least one cryptographic module for encrypting/decrypting data sent or received over the at least one cryptographically secured communication tunnel.