International Business Machines Corporation

Curtis Matthew Gearhart

Christopher Meyer

Linwood H Overby, Jr

David John Wierbowski

Linwood Hugh Overby, Jr

Scott Christopher Moonen

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods, systems and computer program products for the centralized, secure offloading of security services for distributed security enforcement points. In an embodiment, a network data processing system can be configured for centralized secure offload of security services for distributed security enforcement points and can include a set of security enforcement points controlling communication flows between devices in different less trusted zones of protection. The system also can include a security server communicatively coupled to the security enforcement points and hosting security services logic disposed in a more trusted zone of protection. Each of the security enforcement points can include an interface to the security services logic and program code enabled to offload security related services processing through the interface to the security services logic disposed in the more trusted zone of protection.

Centralized secure offload of security services for distributed security enforcement points

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to network security and provide a method, system and computer program product for centralized secure offload of key exchange services for distributed security enforcement points. In one embodiment, a data processing system for centralized secure offload of key exchange services for distributed security enforcement points can be provided. The system can include a security enforcement point controlling communication flows between devices in different less trusted zones of protection, and a security server communicatively coupled to the security enforcement point and hosting key exchange services disposed in a more trusted zone of protection. The security enforcement point can include an interface to the key exchange services and program code enabled to offload at least one portion of a key exchange through the interface to the key exchange services disposed in the more trusted zone of protection.

Centralized secure offload of cryptographic security services for distributed security enforcement points

A network node for communicating data packets secured with a security protocol over a communications network includes a host information handling system (IHS) and one or more external security offload devices coupled by a secure data link. The host IHS communicates state information about data packets, and the external offload security device provides stateless secure data encapsulation and decapsulation of packets using a security protocol. An external network interface controller or internal network interface controller communicates encapsulated data packets over the communications network to a final destination. Encapsulation and decapsulation of packets by the external security offload device reduces network latency and reduces the computational load on the processor in the host IHS. Maintaining state information in the host IHS allows hot-swapping of external security offload devices without information loss. The external security offload device may be included in a firewall, or intrusion detection device, and may implement IPsec protocol.

Network node with network-attached stateless security offload device employing out-of-band processing

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to IPsec SA recovery and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for selective IPsec SA recovery from security enforcement point outages. In one embodiment of the invention, a security enforcement point outage recovery method can be provided. The method can include compiling a listing of SAs for a security enforcement point and monitoring the security enforcement point for an outage. Responsive to detecting an outage in the security enforcement point, the listing can be pruned to include SAs that remain contextually valid or are utilized by the peer of the security enforcement point. Thereafter, only SAs in the pruned list can be re-established.

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Curtis Matthew Gearhart