Patent ID: 7594268

Claim:
A method for network security comprising: receiving a request from a remote address at a host; observing a behavioral pattern of packets associated with the request; authenticating the remote address based on the behavioral pattern of packets associated with the request; and enabling access to the host by the remote address for a configurable time period if the remote address is authenticated; wherein the authentication is based at least in part on a determination that the observed behavioral pattern of packets matches a properly authenticated pattern comprising a plurality of connection requests, probes, or scans received in a specific sequence corresponding to the pattern; and wherein enabling access comprises allowing the remote address to establish, through a connection request received during the configurable period of time, a connection with the host via a port with which the request is associated and closing the port after expiration of the configurable period of time; wherein closing the port after the expiration of the configurable period of time results in connection requests received after the port has been closed being rejected while allowing the remote address to continue to communicate with the host, even after the port has been closed to new connection requests, through the connection established through the connection request received during the configurable period of time.