Cisco Technology, Inc.

Pok Wong

Ramesh Nampelly

Allan Thomson

Nancy Cam-Winget

Vanaja Ravi

Thomas Alan Parker

Sunil Mehta

Aaron Troy Woland

Vivek Santuka

Amol Borole

Jesse Ryan Dubois

Kannan Muthusamy

Venkataramana Ragothaman

Aaron Rodriguez

Lokesh Ethirajan

Paul Forbes Bigbee

Sunil Bhupatrai Mehta

In one embodiment, a device in a network extracts words from traffic data for a particular endpoint node in the network. The device determines one or more topical categories associated with the particular endpoint node by applying a machine learning-based topical model to the extracted words. The device identifies one or more similar endpoint nodes in the network based on the determined one or more topical categories associated with the particular endpoint node and on one or more topical categories associated with the one or more similar endpoint nodes. The device determines a device type for the particular endpoint node based on a device type associated with the one or more similar endpoint nodes.

Network endpoint profiling using a topical model and semantic analysis

In one embodiment, a service monitors collection of telemetry data by a telemetry exporter in a network. The telemetry exporter collects the telemetry data from a plurality of interfaces via which a plurality of encrypted traffic flows flow. The telemetry exporter also sends the collected telemetry data to a traffic analysis service for analysis. The service determines that a cost associated with the collection of the telemetry data by the telemetry exporter exceeds a cost threshold. The service selects a subset of the interfaces from which telemetry data is to be captured by the telemetry exporter, based in part on a determination that the cost associated with the collection of the telemetry data exceeds the cost threshold. The service controls the telemetry exporter to collect telemetry data from a subset of the plurality of encrypted traffic flows that use the selected subset of interfaces.

Encrypted traffic analysis control mechanisms

A management server communicates with an authentication server that authenticates endpoints, which are configured to connect wirelessly with access points (APs) controlled by respective ones of a plurality of controllers. Weights for the APs and the controllers are stored. Event logs detailing requests for authentication of the endpoints are received. For each request, roaming conditions for the endpoint that triggered the request are determined. Also, a respective weight of one or more of the AP connected with the endpoint and of the controller that controls the AP is increased by a respective amount depending on whether the roaming conditions are caused by the AP and the controller being improperly configured or properly configured. Identities of ones of the APs and the controllers having weights that exceed one or more weight thresholds each indicative of an improperly configured AP or controller are stored.

Detecting network device configuration errors using authentication requests from wireless endpoints

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving at an enforcement node, a request to access a network from an endpoint, transmitting at the enforcement node, the access request to a policy server, receiving at the enforcement node from the policy server, a dynamic authorization comprising a plurality of ranks, each of the ranks comprising a policy for access to the network by the endpoint, assigning the endpoint to one of the ranks and applying the policy associated with the rank to traffic received from the endpoint at the enforcement node during a communication session between the endpoint and the network, assigning the endpoint to a different rank, and applying the policy associated with the rank to traffic received from the endpoint during the communication session. An apparatus and logic are also disclosed herein.

Network access with dynamic authorization

A computing device providing a network service to a service area may receive a connection request from a user device and generate a session start request to start a user session in a service domain covering the service area. One or more policy rules may be evaluated to determine whether any rule is applicable to the user device, which includes determining that an authoritative user session has already been established in the service domain. The user session may be established in the service domain for the user device, and at least one permission for access to a controlled network resource may be associated with the user session based on the determination that the authoritative user session has already been established. A request from the user device to access the controlled network resource may be received and access to the controlled network resource may be granted.

Managing network resource access using session context

Presented herein are techniques for adding a secure control layer to a distributed communication fabric that supports publish-subscribe (pub-sub) and direct query (synchronization) communication. The secure control layer is configured to perform policy-based authentication techniques to securely manage the exchange of data/information within the communication fabric and enable registration/discovery of new capabilities.

Policy-based control layer in a communication fabric

A server is in communication with a network device that has network connectivity to an endpoint device. The server receives from the network device a packet that includes a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the endpoint device. A determination is made as to whether at least a portion of the MAC address matches stored information for MAC addresses of known endpoint devices. One or more attributes that carry further descriptive information of the endpoint device are extracted from the packet. It is determined based whether the endpoint device can be classified at a level of granularity according to a policy rule. If the endpoint device cannot be classified at the level of granularity, a probe function is dynamically selected based on the one or more attributes extracted from the packet and the MAC address to collect additional data about the endpoint device.

Dynamic control of endpoint profiling

An access control module in an enterprise computing network receives contextual information of a first active network session at a first network endpoint and contextual information of a second active network session at a second network endpoint. The access control module is configured to evaluate the contextual information of one or more of the first or second network sessions based on one or more network policies to determine a policy action for enforcement on at least one of the first or second network endpoints.

Network session management based on contextual information

Presented herein are object filtering techniques that optimize the communication of information over an infrastructure that supports publish-subscribe (pub-sub) and direct query (synchronization) communication. In the object filtering techniques, a single information publisher can share that information in an associated object graph with many different consumers over the infrastructure without sharing the entire object graph.

Object filtering in a computing network

A notification is received that a network device in a computing network has blocked a service request directed towards a network resource of the computing network. A determination is made, based on authentication information associated with one or more of a network endpoint that transmitted the service request and a user at the network endpoint, as to whether the user should be notified of a reason that the network device blocked the service request. If it is determined that the user should be notified, a notification summarizing the reason that the network device blocked the service request is transmitted to the network endpoint.

User notifications during computing network access

An example embodiment of the present invention provides processes relating to the authentication, by an authentication server, of a supplicant/user for access to a network. In one particular implementation, an authentication server receives a request for access from a supplicant, which request is forwarded to the authentication server by an authenticator that controls a port to the network. The authentication server scores various authentication methods, based on configured preferences, currently cached credentials, and the availability of a networked credential store as measured by a link-state monitor. The authentication server then negotiates an agreed authentication method with the supplicant, using a preferred order resulting from the scores. The authentication server receives forwarded credentials for the agreed authentication method from the supplicant and instructs the authenticator to give the supplicant access to the port, if the authentication server can verify the credentials against a credential store or a credential cache.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Pok Wong