Patent ID: 7990967

Claim:
A method for use with a system including networked resources linked via a network where communication between resources is via at least first and second protocols wherein the first protocol includes a first protocol packet including a source identifier identifying a source resource, a first protocol destination identifier that indicates a first protocol destination resource and a first protocol data field, the second protocol including a second protocol packet including at least one second protocol destination identifier that indicates a second protocol destination resource and a second protocol data field, wherein at least some communication between the resources includes first protocol packets including second protocol packets embedded in the first protocol data field, packet transmitting and receiving resources being source and destination resources, respectively, the method for controlling communication between the resources and comprising the steps of: specifying access control information for at least a subset of the resources; for each first protocol packet transmitted on the network that includes a second protocol packet embedded in the first protocol data field: (i) intercepting the first protocol packet prior to the first protocol destination resource; (ii) examining at least a subset of embedded second protocol packet information to identify the second protocol destination resource; (iii) identifying the access control information associated with the second protocol destination resource; (iv) identifying at least a subset of characteristics of the first protocol packet, the subset of characteristics of the first protocol packet being first protocol packet characteristics; (v) comparing the first protocol packet characteristics to the access control information associated with the second protocol destination resource; and (vi) restricting transmission of the first protocol packet as a function of the comparison results.