Patent ID: 7979585

Claim:
A method for associating a user identity used for accessing a network, comprising: (a) recognizing an application session between a network and an application via a security gateway; and (b) creating an application session record for the application session, wherein the application session record comprises the user identity used for accessing the network through a host, a host identity for the host, and an application session time, wherein the creating comprises: (b1) querying an identity server by sending the host identity and the application session time in the application session record, wherein the identity server comprises an access session record for an access session between a second host and the network, wherein the access session record comprises a second user identity used for accessing the network through the second host, a second host identity for the second host, and an access session time; (b2) comparing by the identity server the host identity in the application session record with the second host identity in the access session record, and comparing the access session time with the application session time; (b3) returning by the identity server the second user identity in the access session record, if the host identity in the application session record matches the second host identity in the access session record, and if the access session time matches the application session time; and (b4) storing the second user identity as the user identity used for accessing the network in the application session record.