US 8,554,903 B2 · Network appliance for vulnerability assessment auditing over multiple networks

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are directed towards enabling auditing of network vulnerabilities from multiple network vantage points virtually simultaneously. Multiple network vantage points may include, but are not limited to, remote/branch enterprise sites, devices on an enterprise perimeter, on either side of a security perimeter, and even through the security perimeter. In one embodiment, an auditor performs reflected audits thereby extending auditing of network vulnerabilities to provide a comprehensive 360 degree audit of internal, external, and remote enterprise network sites. In one embodiment, the present invention may be implemented employing a single auditing device, and one or more audit extension devices that are configured to extend the auditing device's audit reach. The auditing device and one or more audit extension devices may communicate using an encrypted network channel through a security perimeter and/or across multiple networks.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A system for managing an audit of a computing asset over a network comprising:

an audit extension device comprising:
program code that is operative to cause the audit extension device to perform actions, comprising:
receiving through a security perimeter an audit request to be performed on the computing asset, which audit request comprises, at least in part, a request for information to be provided by the computing asset;
reflecting the audit based on the request towards the computing asset;
and
sending a result of the audit through the security perimeter;
and
an audit device comprising:
program code that is operative to cause the audit device to perform actions, comprising:
sending the audit request through the security perimeter to the audit extension device;
receiving the result of the audit from the audit extension device through the security perimeter;
and
based at least in part on a security policy, performing a remediation action.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Network appliance for vulnerability assessment auditing over multiple networks

Life of this patent

Network appliance for vulnerability assessment auditing over multiple networks

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15