Mechanism and method for controlling network access to a service provider

An apparatus within a DMZ for controlling network access to a service provider, comprising:

• a proxy coupled to the service provider for one-way communication from the service provider to the proxy through a firewall, the proxy being additionally coupled to a customer device;
• and
• a transaction buffer coupled to the proxy, the transaction buffer further coupled to and providing bidirectional communication through the firewall to the service provider,
• wherein a service request received at the proxy, while in an active session with the service provider, from the customer device is transformed to protected data by the proxy and passed from the proxy to the transaction buffer for retrieval by the service provider.

A proxy for controlling network access to a service provider, comprising:

• means for receiving an instruction at the proxy from the service provider over a one-way communication link to initiate a session, the received instruction including service provider authentication data;
• means for initiating the session at the proxy responsive to the received instruction, the session enabling communication between the proxy and a customer device;
• means for receiving at the proxy a request for service from the customer device, the service request including customer identification data and customer transaction data;
• means for producing protected data based on the service request;
• means for providing the protected data to a transaction buffer;
• and
• means for passing the protected data from the transaction buffer to the service provider.

A system for controlling network access to a service provider, the network including a router and a firewall in communication with the router, the system comprising:

• a DMZ formed between the firewall and the router, the DMZ comprising:
• a proxy coupled to the router and the firewall;
• and
• a transaction buffer coupled to the proxy;
• a secure network coupled to the firewall but not inside the DMZ, the secure network comprising:
• the service provider including at least one server, the service provider in one-way communication with the proxy via the firewall, the one-way communication being from the service provider to the proxy, the service provider further in communication with the transaction buffer via the firewall, the communication being from the transaction buffer to the service provider;
• and
• computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions configured, when executed, to cause:
• the proxy to receive an instruction from the service provider to initiate a session, the initiated session allowing communication between the proxy and a customer device;
• the proxy to produce protected data responsive to a service request received from the customer device;
• and
• the protected data to be passed from the proxy to the transaction buffer for communication to the service provider.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable instructions to control network access to a service provider, comprising:

• computer-readable code to receive an instruction at a proxy from the service provider to initiate a session, the instruction including service provider authentication data;
• computer-readable code to initiate the session at the proxy responsive to the received instruction, the session enabling communication between the proxy and a customer device;
• computer-readable code to receive a request for service from the customer device, the service request including customer identification data and customer transaction data;
• computer-readable code to produce protected data based on the service request;
• computer-readable code to provide the protected data to a transaction buffer;
• and
• computer-readable code to enable retrieval of the protected data from the transaction buffer by the service provider.