Patent ID: 8219679

Claim:
A method for detecting peer-to-peer communication on a data communication network, between an internal client machine within an internal network address space and an external client machine, the method comprising steps of: routing all messages from external client machines addressed to internal client machines to an analysis device; identifying by the analysis device messages of a specified nature, wherein the messages of the specified nature pertain to establishing a peer-to-peer communication between the internal client machine and the external client machine corresponding to communication policy, wherein the identifying the messages of a specified nature includes posing one or more queries to the external client machine over a plurality of peer-to-peer protocols; and identifying the internal client machine to which the messages of a specified nature are addressed to; spoofing a network address of the internal client machine by the analysis device to carry out an exchange with the external client machine; and terminating, by the analysis device, connection with the external client machine if communication establishing of the peer-to-peer communication is in violation of a pre-determined internal network rule.