Secure network privacy system
The invention provides a method and system of receiving communications from a network device in a network to a source of network data and establishing a secure and/or authenticated network connection between the network device and the source that appears to the network device as a direct connection to the source of network data. Broadly conceptualized, the method and system may also include a parsing module that modifies the network data passing back and forth between the network device and the source of network data.
1. A proxy server in a network, comprising:
an interceptor module configured to intercept a request from a network device to access network data, the request comprising an identifier associated with the network device connected to the network;
the proxy server configured to
send a spoofed certificate to the network device, the spoofed certificate being used to establish a SSL connection between the proxy server and the network device,
open a SSL connection with a source of the network data,
form a message requesting access to the network data, wherein the message has another identifier associated with the proxy server in place of the identifier associated with the network device,
receive a real certificate from the source of the network data,
establish a SSL connection with the source of the network data, and
wherein the proxy server further comprises a parsing module configured to
remove or replace identifying information from packets passing through the proxy server from and/or to the source of the network data,
remove or replace referrer or other identifying headers from the request,
remove or replace cookies from the request or response headers,
remove or replace identifying information from web form submissions, and
remove or replace sensitive information including e-mail addresses or credit card numbers with either false information or alternative information specific to the source of the network data.
2. The proxy server of claim 1 , wherein the other identifier associated with the proxy server is a secure identifier.
3. The proxy server of claim 2 , wherein the network connection established by the proxy server to the network device is a secure network connection.
4. The proxy server of claim 1 , wherein the other identifier associated with the proxy server is an authenticating identifier.
5. The proxy server of claim 4 , wherein the network connection established by the proxy server to the network device is an authenticated network connection.
6. The proxy server of claim 1 , wherein the message formed by the proxy server requesting access to network data is transmitted in response to a message requesting authentication of the network device.
7. The proxy server of claim 6 , wherein the network connection established by the proxy server to the network device is a secure network connection.
8. The proxy server of claim 6 , wherein the network connection established by the proxy server to the network device is an authenticated network connection.
9. The proxy server of claim 6 , wherein the network connection established by the proxy server to a source of network data is a secure network connection.
10. The proxy server of claim 6 , wherein the network connection established by the proxy server to a source of network data is an authenticated network connection.
11. The proxy server of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of modules in signal communication with the proxy server, with at least one of the modules having access to network data.
12. The proxy server of claim 11 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of modules is capable of changing network data.
13. The proxy server of claim 12 , further comprising a log module in signal communication with the proxy server, capable of monitoring network data.
14. The proxy server of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of requests to access network data that contain identifiers associated with a plurality of network devices connected to the network; and
a plurality of messages formed by the proxy server requesting access to network data that have other identifiers associated with the proxy server in place of each of the identifiers associated with each of the network devices.
15. The proxy server of claim 14 , further comprising storage configured to store a plurality of other identifiers for association with the proxy server in place of an identifier associated with a Particular network device.
16. The proxy server of claim 1 , further comprising:
a key module configured to generate SSL certificates by attempting to retrieve pre-generated SSL certificates from a table stored in cache, and
when an appropriate pre-generated SSL certificate is not found, generating a new SSL certificate dynamically using a universal site certificate and secret key.
17. The proxy server of claim 1 , further comprising:
a log module in communication with the parsing module via a communication path, the log module configured to accumulate and store privacy statistics for use in automated site threat analysis and rating, activity logging, performance monitoring, and/or billing.