Personal firewall with location detection
View Patent ↗A computer device which can be connected to a home network and to a foreign network is provided with a local security mechanism, called a personal firewall, for protecting the computer device from attacks from the foreign network, in addition to or instead of a firewall in the internal network which protects the computer when connected to the internal network. The personal firewall is arranged to detect its current location, i.e. to determine the network to which it is connected at each particular moment, and to control its operation accordingly. The current location of the computer device is first determined on the basis of a currently used IP address of the computer device. Then this location determined on the basis of the current IP address of the computer device is verified by carrying out an additional location verification procedure with a predetermined network element.
1. A method of detecting location for a personal firewall of a client computer, said method comprising
determining the current location of said personal firewall based on an Internet Protocol (IP) address currently used by said client computer,
verifying the current location determined on the basis of the current IP address of said client computer by carrying out a location verification procedure with a predetermined network element,
sending log files to a centralized log server from said personal firewall when the current location of said client computer is in said home network, said log files containing information on communication transactions in said client computer,
collecting log files locally at said personal firewall when the current location of said client computer is not in said home network,
transferring said locally collected log files from said personal firewall to said centralized log server when said client computer is connected to said home network.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of determining comprises
storing in said personal firewall a list of IP addresses of a home network,
comparing the current IP address of said client computer with said list of IP addresses, and
if the current IP address of said client computer matches one of said addresses on said list, determining said personal firewall to be located in said home network.
3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said step of determining comprises
storing in said client computer an IP address space of a home network,
comparing the current IP address of said client computer with said IP address space, and
if the current IP address of said client computer matches said IP address space, determining said personal firewall to be located in said home network.
4. A method according to claim 1 , 2 or 3 , wherein said step of verifying comprises
checking availability of said predetermined network element related to the current IP address, said predetermined network element responding only if said personal firewall is located in the network in which it is assumed to be on the basis of the current IP address,
verifying the current location determined based on said current IP address if said predetermined network element responds with a specific identity data.
5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein said specific identity data is a Media Access Control (MAC) address of said predetermined network element.
6. A method according to claim 4 , wherein said predetermined network clement is a firewall in said home network.
7. A method according to claim 1 , comprising
using said determined and verified location for selecting security rules for controlling said personal firewall in a location-dependent way.
8. A method according to claim 1 , comprising
using said determined and verified location for enabling a periodical security rule update enquiry from said personal firewall to the central management, when said personal firewall is in said home network, and for disabling said periodical enquiry, when said personal firewall is outside said home network.
9. A computer terminal, comprising
a personal firewall having a mechanism monitoring the current location of said personal firewall based on a Internet Protocol (IP) address currently used by said computer terminal,
said personal firewall having a mechanism verifying the current location determined on the basis of the current IP address of said client computer by carrying out a location verification procedure with a predetermined network element,
said personal firewall having a mechanism sending log files to a centralized log server from said personal firewall when the current location of said client computer is in said home network, said log files containing information on communication transactions in said client computer,
said personal firewall having a mechanism collecting log files locally at said personal firewall when the current location of said client computer is not in said home network, and
said personal firewall having a mechanism transferring said locally collected log files from said personal firewall to said centralized log server when said client computer is connected to said home network.
10. A computer-readable medium, containing a computer software which, when executed in a computer device, causes the computer device to provide a personal firewall routine comprising
determining the current location of said personal firewall based on an Internet Protocol (IP) address currently used by said client computer,
verifying the current location determined on the basis of the current IP address of said client computer by carrying out a location verification procedure with a predetermined network element,
sending log files to a centralized log server from said personal firewall when the current location of said client computer is in said home network, said log files containing information on communication transactions in said client computer,
collecting log files locally at said personal firewall when the current location of said client computer is not in said home network, and
transferring said locally collected log files from said personal firewall to said centralized log server when said client computer is connected to said home network.