Patent ID: 8423767

Claim:
A method comprising: transmitting, from a first network device, a secured message to a second network device across a network, the first network device and the second network device having a security association including a parent process and a corresponding child process; detecting, at the first network device, an incompatibility in the security association between the first network device and the second network device; in response to detecting the incompatibility in the security association, transmitting, from the first network device, a status query to the second network device in order to verify whether at least part of the security association is already established at the second network device; and wherein the status query is not protected by the at least part of the security association; wherein the status query does not cause the second network device to modify or apply the at least part of the security association; in response to the status query, receiving a verifiable reply message that is indicative of whether the at least part of the security association was already established at the second network device.