Cisco Technology, Inc.

W Scott Wainner

James Neil Guichard

Brian Eliot Weis

David A McGrew

Daniel C Tappan

Earl Hardin Booth, Iii

Christopher Metz

W Mark Townsley

Wojciech Dec

Mohammed Azhar Sayeed

Bertrand Duvivier

Saul Adler

Mohamed Khalid

Luca Martini

Khalil A Jabr

Robert Hanzl

John Mullooly

Venkateswara Rao Yarlagadda

S Scott Van De Houten

A method comprises, in a network comprising VPN gateway devices configured only for plaintext data communication, configuring a policy server with a security policy including DO NOT ENCRYPT statements temporarily overriding PERMIT statements defining which packets should be encrypted; selecting one sub-group of the VPN gateway devices in which tunnel-less encryption is not configured; configuring of the VPN gateway devices in the sub-group for tunnel-less encryption by: configuring each device in a passive mode of operation in which the device is configured to receive either encrypted packets or plaintext packets matching encryption policy; configuring local DO NOT ENCRYPT statements matching traffic that is currently being converted to ciphertext; removing, from the access control list of the policy server, DO NOT ENCRYPT statements referring to protected LAN CIDR blocks behind the VPN gateway devices in the selected sub-group; configuring the sub-group to send encrypted packets by removing, from each of the VPN gateway devices in the selected sub-group, the local DO NOT ENCRYPT statements for the CIDR blocks currently being converted and protected by the selected sub-group; repeating the configuring each of the VPN gateway devices in the selected sub-group for tunnel-less encryption, and the configuring the sub-group to send encrypted packets, for each other one of the sub-groups; and removing the passive mode on each of the VPN gateway devices.

Migrating a network to tunnel-less encryption

Techniques for secure communication in a tunnel-less VPN are provided. A key server generates and provides, to each VPN gateway, different, yet mathematically-related keying material. A VPN gateway receives distinct keying material for each designated address block (e.g., subnet) behind the VPN gateway. In response to receiving a packet from one a source host whose address falls within one of the designated address blocks, the VPN gateway identifies the appropriate keying material. The VPN gateway determines an identifier for the address block that includes the destination address. The identifier and the identified keying material are used to generate a key. The VPN gateway encrypts the packet with the key and forwards the encrypted packet to the destination host.

Enforcing the principle of least privilege for large tunnel-less VPNs

A method, apparatus and computer program product for routing data within a packet-switched network using a PW wherein the PW is terminated directly on the layer-3 routing device such that certain services and applications can be utilized is presented. The method, apparatus and computer program product receives an encapsulated layer-2 Protocol Data Unit (PDU) from a pseudowire emulating a service. The encapsulation is removed from the encapsulated layer-2 PDU and a layer-2 circuit associated with the pseudowire is terminated. The circuit is treated as an interface and the PDU is forwarded based on upper layer protocol information within the PDU.

Psuedowire termination directly on a router

A system allows a device to communicate using a virtual network the method by assigning a network address to the device. The network address is selected from a plurality of network addresses that can be assigned to any of a plurality of virtual networks. The system receives a request to authenticate the device, and then determines a virtual network on which to assign the device. The virtual network is selected from the plurality of virtual networks. The system identifies the device as authenticated based on the assigning of the network address and the virtual network.

Methods and apparatus for connecting to virtual networks using non supplicant authentication

A method, apparatus and computer program product for providing secure multipoint Internet Protocol Virtual Private Networks (IPVPNs) is presented. A packet lookup is performed in order to determine a next hop. A VPN label is pushed on the packet, as is an IP tunnel header. Group encryption through the use of DGVPN is further utilized. In such a manner secure connectivity and network partitioning are provided in a single solution.

Secure multipoint internet protocol virtual private networks

In a host within a group, a method for ensuring secure communications is provided. The method involves (a) determining if a group security policy is in place for secure communication between hosts within the group, (b) if the group security policy is in place, advertising routing information to another host within the group, and (c) if the group security policy is not in place, refraining from advertising routing information to the other host. Corresponding apparatus and computer program product embodiments are also provided.

Conditional BGP advertising for dynamic group VPN (DGVPN) clients

A routing mechanism provides network segmentation preservation by route distribution with segment identification, policy distribution for a given VPN segment, and encapsulation/decapsulation for each segment using an Ethernet VLAN_ID, indicative of the VPN segment (subnetwork). Encapsulated segmentation information in a message packet identifies which routing and forwarding table is employed for the next hop. A common routing instance receives the message packets from the common interface, and indexes a corresponding VRF table from the VLAN ID, or segment identifier, indicative of the subnetwork (e.g. segment). In this manner, the routing instance receives the incoming message packet, decapsulates the VLAN ID in the incoming message packet, and indexes the corresponding VRF and policy ID from the VLAN ID, therefore employing a common routing instance over a common subinterface for a plurality of segments (subnetworks) coupled to a particular forwarding device (e.g. VPN router).

System and methods for network segmentation

A method and apparatus for providing routing protocol support for distributing encryption information is presented. Subnet prefixes reachable on a first customer site in an encrypted manner are identified, as are security groups the subnet prefixes belong to. An advertisement is received at a first Customer Edge (CE) device in the first customer site, the advertisement originating from a Customer (C) device in the first customer site. The advertisement indicates links, subnets to be encrypted, and security group identifiers. The prefixes and the security group identifiers are then propagated across a service provider network to a second CE device located in a second customer site. In such a manner, encryption and authentication is expanded further into a customer site, as customer devices are able to indicate to a service provider network infrastructure and other customer devices in other customer sites which local destinations require encryption/authentication.

Internal routing protocol support for distributing encryption information

A system provides a request for a policy from a policy server, and receives the policy from the policy server. The policy indicates processing to be applied to a traffic partition passing through the device. The system configures the policy within a routing structure associated with the traffic partition for the policy in the device, and routes a stream of traffic for the routing structure in accordance with the policy for that routing structure.

Methods and apparatus for providing multiple policies for a virtual private network

A method and apparatus for performing Layer 2 (L2) interworking is presented. A L2 Protocol Data Unit (PDU) is received at an L2 Switching Entity (SE). The L2 PDU is converted to a normalized Pseudowire (PW) PDU. The normalized PW PDU is then forwarded to a Layer 3 (L3) Routing Entity (RE). The normalized PDU may be in the form of a predetermined L2 protocol or a L2 agnostic protocol.

Layer-two interworking applied to L2-L3 pseudowires

Pseudowire termination directly on a router

Conventional mechanisms exist for denoting such a communications group (group) and for establishing point-to-point, or unicast, secure connections between members of the communications group. In a particular arrangement, group members employ a group key operable for multicast security for unicast communication, thus avoiding establishing additional unicast keys for each communication between group members. Since the recipient of such a unicast message may not know the source, however, the use of the group key assures the recipient that the sender is a member of the same group. Accordingly, a system which enumerates a set of subranges (subnets) included in a particular group, such as a VPN, and establishing a group key corresponding to the group applies the group key to communications from the group members in the subnet. The group key is associated with the group ID by enumerating the address prefixes corresponding to each of the subnets in the group, and examining outgoing transmissions for destination addresses matching one of the address prefixes corresponding to the group.

System and method for dynamic secured group communication

A first node generates and transmits a notification message including routing policy attributes such as network address information and a corresponding gateway identifier. The gateway identifier identifies a gateway in a physical network through which future generated data messages shall be forwarded to at least one host computer (e.g., any computer having an associated network address) as indicated by the network address information. A second node receiving the notification message utilizes the routing policy attributes to dynamically update its database identifying how to forward data packets. In this way, nodes (e.g., CE routers) of a network can be dynamically configured to support routing of messages based on the network address information and gateway identifier disseminated along with the notification message.

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Potomac Falls, VA, United States of America

W Scott Wainner