CA2363629A1 - Safe net - Google Patents

Description

Safe Net BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The current state the Internet can be characterized as chaotic, uncontrolled and insecure. Internet users can "cloak" their identity, surf the net through anonymous proxy servers, easily distribute viruses and other damaging micro programs, and perform credit card fraud and highly damaging hacking activities. This is mainly due to the fact that the Internet is a public network and is very difficult to impose control over.
There are three general categories of computer networks with respect to their utilization.
1. Private networks 2. Public networks.

3. Virtual private networks Private networks are usually encountered in business enterprises or various organizations. In these networks the network administrators strictly control both access to the network resources and the content traffic between the network members.
In private networks, the operating hardware, computer protocols and the network configuration are strictly controlled and in most cases involve customized hardware and/or software. When the private network is constrained to one office, such networks are usually referred to as Local Area Networks (LANs). Wide Area Networks (WAN) utilize leased communication lines to create a private network over longer distances. However, the leased lines required are often expensive.
Public networks are generally classified as networks where a broad-based participation of users is allowed and encouraged. The Internet and the World Wide Web that it supports is one such system. However, such networks are inappropriate for corporate communications since there are not limits on who can access the network.
Virtual Private Networks (VPN) are used by distributed enterprises that desire the convenience and security of a private network despite remote physical locations of the enterprise components, yet do not want to incur the extra expense of leased lines to implement a WAN.
A VPN operates on top of an existing public network, yet provides the security features normally associated with a private network.
The following U.S. patents disclose methods for creation of VPNs over a public network: US
Pat. No. 6,061,796 "Mufti access virtual private network" by James F. Chen et al., US Pat. No.
6,078,586 "ATM Virtual Private Networks" by Andrew J. Dugan et al., US Pat.
No. 6,105,132 "Computer network graded authentication system and method" by Daniel Gene Fritch et al., US
Pat. No. 6,178,505 "secure delivery of information in a network" by David S.
Schneider., US
Pat. No. 6,205,488 "Internet protocol virtual private network realization using mufti-protocol label switching tunnels" by Liam M. Casey et al., US Pat. No. 6,226,748 "Architecture for virtual private networks" by Henk J. Bots et al., US Pat. No. 6,295,556 "Method and system for configuring computers to connect to networks using network connection objects"
by Stephen R.
Falcon et al., and US Pat. No. 6,055,575 "Virtual private network system and method" by Gaige B. Paulsen et al..
Most private computer networks and VPNs are also connected to the Internet to provide access to the Internet for their members.
In computer networks, the security of the data and the communication channel are a concern to varying degrees. The embodiment disclosed relates to data and communication safety/security over public networks such as the Internet rather than private networks.
The general principle that is applied by the prior art to data/communication security over the Internet is shown in Figure A.

If the "user 1" is attempting to communicate with "user 2" over the Internet then the User 1's computer system or network gateway, through the use of appropriate hardware or software combination, attempts to find answers to the following questions:
1. Did I establish a connection with "User 2"?
2. Is the "User 2" really who it claims to be?
3. How do I prevent third parties from eavesdropping while the message goes through the Internet?
There is a wide body of prior art available describing unique methods that generally try to establish unique and innovative answers to one or more of the questions listed above, for example smart cards and their variants, and biometric technologies. Figure B
shows a more general case of a user within a LAN interacting with another user within a WAN
through the Internet.
In Figure B, the user 1 is protected from the Internet by the use of a Firewall, which is shown as Gateway 1. A firewall is a barrier between a LAN, a WAN or a standalone client and the Internet. Firewalls and gateways consist of software and hardware components, which act as an access filter. Many such filtering schemes exit. The filter checks requests that arnve from the Internet for a resource that is within the LAN or the WAN. The filter sends the request to the internal network if and only if the request is coming from an identifiable source with the right to access the information. If this check fails then the request is discarded.
The firewall filter attempts to answer the question of whether the user 2 is who it claims to be by the use of a process called authentication. This is generally achieved through the use of tokens. A
token is a small piece of code that contains information about the user, their machine, the operating system identification, the Internet Protocol (IP) address and domain names among others.

There are many different kinds of tokens, filters and other schemes (token-less identification, biometrics etc.) that serve to answer the same authentication question. There is a rich source of published material on this subject. Some of the more popular references are:
Firewalls and Internet security by S. Bellovin and W. Cheswick, Addison Wesley, Reading, Mass., 1994, Building Internet Firewalls by E. D. Zicky et al., O'Riley & Associates, 2000 and Computer Forensics by W. G. Kruse II and J.G. Heiser, Addison-Wesley Pub. Co. 2001.
In credit card related transactions, the system functions on the principle that the cardholder is the gatekeeper and controls and polices the use of that particular card and hence his credit card number. Though this particular transaction system works reasonably well in society where physical goods and credit are exchanged on the spot it is not very effective when it is applied to the financial transactions on the Internet. Because the credit card number is transmitted through a highly insecure environment and goods and credit information is not exchanged on a one-to-one basis, the overall transaction is open to fraud and abuse.
Another problem with the use of credit cards on the Internet stems from the purchaser's inability to verify the legitimacy of the seller. In a real market place, generally the existence, size and quality of the physical establishment serves as a relative assurance to the purchaser of the legitimacy of the seller. On the Internet the apparent size and quality of a web site has no correlation to the legitimacy of the seller.
It suffices to say that our physical marketplace based credit card system is not well suited for financial transactions on the Internet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to describe a parallel Internet where user safety and data security is guaranteed to a very high degree.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a completely different approach to Internet security as compared to the prior art. The underlying premise in all prior art is that the

-4-Internet is chaotic, uncontrolled and insecure. They devise ways and means to operate securely within this insecure environment through the use of firewalls, gateways, and encryption schemes etc.
The present invention attempts to eliminate the premise that the prior art is built on, namely that the Internet is chaotic, uncontrolled and insecure, by devising a method to bring law and order to the Internet. A much simpler method of user accountability and traceability is provided as the prime source for Internet security. With the present method, the Internet is relatively orderly and secure and therefore the need for firewalls and other methods is diminished and could potentially be eliminated in proportion to the general security provided by this method.
The current state of security on the Internet is very similar to the social structure that existed in the Middle Ages where city-states were surrounded by moats and high walls to protect the citizens from the outside chaos. Most trade and physical communication between these cities were considered insecure and when an absolute security was required a group of soldiers were sent along with the messenger.
If we overlay this social structure from the Middle Ages onto today's Internet then it becomes apparent that the city walls and moats are no more then firewalls, gateways and filters of the Internet. As well, the various encryption methods are mere protection schemes for the message that is being transmitted between the city-states (i.e. LANs, WANs or other Internet users).
In modern societies we no longer need city walls, guards and messenger parties. General law and order eliminated the need for such devices.
In its most fundamental form, this invention attempts to move the Middle Age like structure of the Internet to the modern era.
The approach to network security that is prescribed in this application differs radically from the prior art. A simple analogy is people driving on highways without a driver's license in heavily -S-armed convoys and tanks (current Internet security approach) versus licensed drivers driving cars (the proposed approach).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features of the preferred embodiments of the invention will become more apparent in the following detailed description in which reference is made to the appended drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a communication system.
Figures 2 through 5 are schematic representations of data structures used in the communication system of Figure 1.
Figures 7 through 10 are schematic representations of methods performed by the correspondents of Figure 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
1 S The visible Internet chaos stems from the difficulty in identifying hosts that are on the Internet at a given time.
The Internet Protocol (IP), the transport program (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) are designed and used to transmit messages between different computer networks.
Each Internet interface is identified by a 32-bit Internet address. When the Internet protocol (IP) was standardized in 1981, these addresses were identified as two part objects: a network identifier and a host number within that network. The Internet numbering authorities designate the network numbers, which are unique worldwide. The network manager assigns the host numbers within their network. In 1984 a third hierarchical level called a subnet was added to the structure. A
subnet is a division of the addressing space reserved for a network.
Though the uniqueness of host numbers, within one network, combined with worldwide uniqueness of the network numbers creates an impression of an ability to uniquely identify hosts that are on the network, generally this is not the case since Internet addresses do not designate hosts. They are identifiers of network interfaces. A host with several interfaces will have many addresses. Furthermore, the network topology can dynamically change over time.
Customers may change providers, company backbones may be reorganized, and providers may merge or split. If the topology changes with time and if the addresses must somehow reflect the topology, then addresses will have to change from time to time. Therefore IP addresses do have lifetimes.
An address whose lifetime has expired becomes invalid.
The IP is a highly effective protocol for providing connectivity between various computer networks, but it is extremely ineffective for determining who injected a virus onto a network or who was hacking into a network. The underlying reason for this is that the Internet was built as a network of computers, not people.
The proposed Safe Net will overcome these shortcomings of the Internet without affecting the richness and diversity of the Internet. There are two key founding principles for the Safe Net:
accountability and traceability.
We utilize three key components to reduce to practice these principles.
1. Personal user number:
Members of every society need a passport number to enjoy the privileges of citizenship associated with that society all over the world. We need a health insurance card number to be able to access the health care system. We need a driver's license number to have access to the privilege of private transportation. All modern societies are built on the concept of licensing individuals for a privilege of access to a service or a right, and in turn demand accountability for individual action. Every time the society grants a privilege to one of its members it also provides an ID number, which acts as the linkage between that privilege and the accountability that necessarily follows it.
If we need to get a license to fish or own a dog, then why should we not need a license to have the privilege of access to the information highway?

Every user of the Safe Net will be fully registered and will be given a user ID, also known as a registration number or a personal user number, for use of the Safe Net. A
unique registration number will be necessary for individuals to roam on the Safe Net.
This registration number will be keyed to an existing credit card system so that a physical person can be traced in relation to an )D number.
Therefore the first underlying principle of the Safe Net, i.e. accountability, is established through the use of personal user numbers.
2. The TAG system:
Every user of the Safe Net will be fully registered and will have a user ID.
The host software for the Safe Net will also carry a unique number (product ID). Every single file that is attempted to be transmitted across the Safe Net will be given a unique file ID.
The host software will TAG all files with all three ID numbers, namely user ID, file ID, and product ID, as well as date and time. This TAG will not be destroyable even if the original file is deleted.
Every time a file is received via the Safe Net, it is checked for the presence of a TAG. A file without a TAG will preferably not be processed or alternatively the user will be positively informed about the file's suspect status. TAGless files are also forwarded to the Safe Net security system.
If the received file contains a valid TAG then its TAG will be modified immediately by adding the various ID numbers of the receiving person and the computer. The TAGS record an event history of every file that is created and are thus completely traceable.
3. Central TAG archive As soon as a user starts the Safe Net software it will send the user's TAG to a central archive.
From this point on every activity of the user on the Safe Net will be logged on the Archive _g_ via modified TAGS. The Central Tag Archive consist of a set of servers located on the Internet for the purpose of monitoring TAG activity of all of Safe Net members.
The TAG system and the Archive jointly provide full traceability of the activities of all users of the net.
Refernng to Figure 1, a schematic representation of a network is shown generally by the numeral 10. A plurality of users, shown as a first user (User 1) 12 and a second user (User 2) 14, for the sake of example, each have a respective User 117 16, 17 and a Safe Net Application (SNAP) 18, 19. The users are both connected to the Internet 30 for communications. Also connected to the Internet 30 is a TAG Archive 20, a Safe Net Security Service 22, and a Safe Net Credit Company 24. The users 12, 14 communicate with each other over the Internet 30 by using the TAG Archive 20. The TAG Archive comprises a plurality of Safe Net servers. The Safe Net Security Service monitors communications 1 S through the Internet 30 using the TAG Archive 20. The Safe Net Credit Company 24 provides payment services to the users.
Refernng to Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, exemplary TAGS for use with the TAG
Archive are shown generally by the numerals 40, 40a, 40b, and 40c. Each TAG comprises a USER 117 50, SOa, SOb, SOc, a SNAP ID 51, Sla, Slb, Slc, and a Time Stamp 60, 60a, 60b, 60c. A permit request TAG is shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 3, an activity TAG 40a further comprises a Pass 52a, an Activity Number 53a, and a URL 54a. As shown in Figure 4, a check and verify TAG 40b further comprises a Pass 52b, an Activity Number 53b, another USER ID 54b, another SNAP ID SSb, and another Pass 56b. As shown in Figure S, an email TAG 40c further comprises a Pass 52c, an Activity Number 53c, and an Email Address 54c.
Referring to Figure 6, a method of logging on to the Safe Net is shown generally by the numeral 100. The first user 12 wishes to log onto the Safe Net. It is assumed that the first user has already registered with the Safe Net, and thereby obtained its User ID 16. The SNAP
18 sends 102 a permit request TAG to the TAG Archive 20. The Archive verifies 104 that the first user 12 is registered. If the first user 12 is registered, then the Archive sends 106 a permit to the first user 12. Then the first user 12 uses 108 the Safe Net. If and when the permit expires and the first user 12 is still on the Safe Net, then step 102 is repeated 110 to obtain a fresh permit.
Refernng to Figure 7, a method of downloading a file through the Safe Net is shown generally by the numeral 200. The first user 12 wishes to download a file or web page from the second user 14. The first SNAP 18 makes 202 an activity TAG. The first SNAP sends 204 the activity TAG to the TAG Archive 20. The first SNAP 18 then sends 206 the activity TAG to the second user 14. The TAG Archive 20 stores 208 the activity TAG.
When the web site receives 210 the activity TAG, it creates 212 a check and verify TAG. The web site sends 214 the check and verify TAG to the TAG Archive 20. The TAG Archive 20 verifies 216 the first user, and sends 218 the verification to the second user 14. The second user 14 then sends 220 the file to the first user 12. The user then views 220 the received file.
Refernng to Figure 8, a method of modifying a file obtained from the Safe Net is shown generally by the numeral 300. The first user obtains 302 a file through the Safe Net. The SNAP 18 then adds 304 a file number to the file. The file is then saved 306 to the user's storage means, preferably a hard drive. When an application opens 308 or modifies the file, the SNAP 18 modifies 310 the file ID in a predetermined manner to indicate the activity performed on the file.
Refernng to Figure 9, a method of emailing a file through the Safe Net is shown generally by the numeral 400. The SNAP 18 generates 402 an email TAG. The SNAP 18 then sends 404 the email TAG to the TAG Archive 20. The SNAP 18 also sends 406 the email TAG
to the second user 14. The second user 14 creates 406 a check and verify TAG and sends 410 the check and verify TAG to the TAG Archive 20. The TAG Archive 20 verifies 412 that the first user 12 is registered with the Safe Net and sends 414 the verification to the second user 14. The second user then views 416 the email.

Refernng to Figure 10, a method of processing a credit card payment through the Safe Net is shown generally by the numeral 500. A seller sends 502 its seller ID and a product ID to a buyer. The buyer sends its buyer ID, seller ID, the product ID, and a price to the Safe Net Credit Company 24. The Safe Net Credit Company 24 sends 506 the bill to the buyer and sends 508 the payment to the seller. Upon receiving the payment, the seller sends 510 the goods to the buyer.
The following example will illustrate some of the characteristics of the TAG
system, the Tag Archive and the communication protocol involved.
In this example, User 1 (U1) and User 2 (U2) are both registered members of the Safe Net and U1 downloads a file from U2's site, modifies this file and e-mails it back to U2.
U1 logs on to the Safe Net by initiating the Safe Net APplication (SNAP) on a local computer.
1. SNAP 1 sends the following TAG to the Archive User ID 1 SNAP ID Time stamp 2. The Archive verifies that the U1 is a registered user and sends back a live permit. This permit allows the user to operate on the Safe Net. It is called live since these permits are created with a definite expiry duration that might vary from an order of minutes to hours or days depending upon the characteristics of the user. Upon expiry of the permit, if the user is still on the Safe Net and remains so, then SNAP automatically asks for and receives another permit from the Archive.
3. Upon receipt of the permit from the Archive SNAP 1 makes a new TAG
User ID 1 I SNAP ID1 Pass for U1 Activity # URL Time stamp This TAG is sent by SNAP 1, both to the Archive and to the site that U1 wants to view.
In this case the Activity number will correspond to "viewing a web site."
S 4. TAG Archive stores the activity under the User ID 1 database entry.

5. The site of U2 that is being visited by U1 picks up the TAG from U1 and creates the followin TAG
UID 2 SNAP ID 2 Pass for U2 Activity # UlD 1 SNAP ID 1 Pass for U1 Time stamp And sends this TAG to the Archive. In this instance the Activity Number corresponds to "check and verify user".

6. The Archive checks this information against its database on U1 and verifies its authenticity. It then sends verification to the SNAP 2 of the user 2's site.

7. The specific resource that was requested by the user 1 is then displayed on U1's computer screen.

8. If U1 chooses to save this specific file on its hard drive then a file number is added by SNAP 1 to that specific file that is being created. This number can be generated locally by the SNAP by various means ranging from a high value random number to a time stamp based number. When combined with the U)D and SNAP ID the joint number becomes unique for identification of this specific file.

9. If any application on U1's computer opens and modifies the file that was downloaded then the file >D number is modified in a predetermined manner by SNAP 1 to indicate this particular activity on the file. File ID numbers will remain with all of the files that are created or moved through the Safe Net.

10. The U1 now wants to send this file back to U2 through the use of e-mail.
In this case SNAP 1 will generate the following TAG:
User ID 1 SNAP ID1 Pass for U1 Activity # e-mail address Time stamp

11. The process as shown on steps 3 - 7 will be repeated in a similar manner to ensure authenticity of both the user and its activities on the Safe Net.
Like all licensed activities in our society, Safe Net traffic will also be open to a certain amount of abuse and lawlessness. But over time, organizations and societies develop ways and means to minimize such activities.
It is important to note that the existence of Safe Net will detract absolutely nothing from the Internet, as we now know it. A user will be able to use the Internet and the Safe Net simultaneously through the same browser. The SNAP software will fimction as a plug-in to all available browsers. It will also be available a standalone program. The users of the Safe Net will be able to send and receive data from other users who are not Safe Net members, but these files will be clearly identified for the user's benefit. It is expected that, over time, financial transactions, official company business, and all other correspondence that necessitates a more secure environment will move through Safe Net. The Internet and the Safe Net will exist concurrently.
The Safe Net will feature two internal organizations:
1. Safety Net Security Service This organization will function in a similar way to the police in our society.
It will investigate all Network Security related issues. Any security infringement on the Safe Net that is traced and documented by the Security Service will be turned over to local authorities along with the evidence for the purpose of prosecution of the invaders. The Security Service will be bound by the same set of rules that the police operate under.
2. Safe Net Credit System The purpose of this organization is to establish and maintain a secure and reliable financial transaction service within the Safe Net.
The Safe Net Credit System differs from existing systems in a fundamental manner and follows a different credit flow pathway. Figure 10 shows this alternative transaction method.
Within the Safe Net Credit System, the "credit card number" of the purchaser is never released to the seller thereby completely eliminating the possibility of fraud. Furthermore each purchase is also correlated with a User ID and a SNAP ID. The Archive also tracks the interaction between the buyer and the seller prior to the finalization of the transaction.
With these safety characteristics, the Safe Net Credit system will be the transaction of choice for purchases over the Internet.
Although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in the claims appended hereto.

Claims