Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of network devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for automatically configuring and managing network devices such as broadband routers and virtual private networks.
Many systems and methods have been created to provide communication between individual computers of a centralized, single site organization through a private network. Computers may be interconnected through telephone lines, coaxial cables, optical fibers, radio or microwave communication links, earth-orbiting satellites, or other means. Such communications can include electronic mail, file sharing and transferring, and database sharing.
The most commonly used network is the local area network (“LAN”). LANs consist of interconnected computers that provide different functions such as a host or server. A host computer sends and receives information of the network in forms of packets of data. A server distributes the data to network users along with the host computer. These computers are interconnected through the use of bridges, switches, routers, and gateways. A bridge is a device that is connected to at least two LANs and transmits data between the LANs. A router provides similar services, but also determines the optimum path for the data by using network identifiers. LANs provide a high level of security when they are properly managed and configured since all information transfer occurs within a single site.
Other systems have been created to provide communication between several single site organizations. For example, this may be performed using a wide area network (“WAN”). WANs interconnect offices or various organizational sites via private communication connections such as leased lines. WANs are virtually identically to LANs with the exception of the spatially extended interconnections. Although these systems can be expensive due to the lease cost of the leased lines and the additional administrative cost of managing a network encompassing a large geographic area, they also provide an adequate amount of security when they are properly managed.
In recent years, technical advancement and declining prices have made it commonplace for workplaces to provide Internet access via a local Internet Service Provider (“ISP”) to some or all of their employees. Besides providing a vast amount of informational resources, the Internet provides electronic communication to any computer also connected to the Internet. This innovation provides a relatively easy method for members of an organization to communicate with members of their organization who are traveling, working from home, or are located at other geographic locations. However, a large disadvantage of using the Internet for communications is accessibility of the Internet to the general public. Since the exact route of the data is indeterminable, an Internet user risks eavesdropping and information theft. An even greater risks is that communications can be intercepted and altered before reaching there intended recipient. Due to these risks, many organizations are unwilling to expose their associates' and employees' communications to public network space such as the Internet.
With these security issues in mind, many systems and methods have been created to provide more secure communication between private computer networks over a public network such as institutional intranets and the Internet. One of the first systems to arise was the VPN. A VPN has the characteristics of a private network but provides connectivity via a shared public network infrastructure. VPNs include intranet VPNs, remote access VPNs, and extranet VPNs. A VPN incorporates access control, encryption technologies, and tunneling to achieve the security inherent in private networks while taking advantage of the infrastructure, economies of scale, and established management resources of public networks. However, a downfall of VPNs exists in large organizations in which the size of the VPN may cause maintenance of the VPN to become an increasingly complex task often causing extended time periods to perform necessary updates.
To alleviate the expense of maintaining a VPN, many third party service providers such as ISPs offer managed VPNs to organizations desiring complex VPNs having increased levels of communication security. Typically, the service provider has a network operations center that controls and maintains the VPN remotely and locally based on the requirements provided by the organization.
Increased levels of security may be obtained using a variety of methods. For example, cryptography systems may be employed to minimize theft of data by an unauthorized third party. Such systems encrypt transmitted data such that only the intended recipient's system can interpret the encryption. With these systems, unintended parties may receive the data, however, they are unable to interpret the encrypted data with their system.
Once such commonly employed cryptography system is public key cryptography. In public key cryptography, also known as asymmetric encryption, a public and a private key exist for each user in the communication network. The encryption key is a code or number that can only be read by its respective encryption algorithm. Two users communicate data only by knowing each other's public code. One user's public key, which is known to all users of the network and is generally accessible from one location, is decoded by the other user's private key, which is only known by the owner of the key. Since only the intended recipient has the private key, only that user can decode and access the data. In addition to the relationship defined by the users' keys, the sender encodes the data with its private key to indicate to the user that the sender is authentic.
Typically, the user's keys are generated and maintained by a certification authority. The user's private key is delivered to the user via electronic mail, regular mail, or a data storage device such as a compact disc (“CD”). The user's private keys are stored only (i.e., they cannot be downloaded), while the user's public keys can be downloaded from the certification authority when needed by another sender. The certification authority generates “certificates” or signed messages that specify the name of the user as well as the user's public key to verify the user's identity.
Secure Sockets Layer (“SSL”) is a commonly employed security protocol that may be implemented in conjunction with a cryptography system such as public key cryptography. This protocol is widely used for transmission of sensitive data via the Internet, such as credit card data, to a vendor's Internet web site. When an SSL session is initiated, the web site's server sends a digital certificate to the user's Internet browser (e.g., Internet Explorer®). The browser receives the digital certificate, which is used to authenticate the web site accessed by the user. The browser maintains an inventory of the certificates issued by public certificate authorities and is able to contact the respective authority to ensure that the received digital certificate has not been revoked. After verification that the digital certificate is valid, the user's browser uses the public key received from the web site to encrypt a random number, which it transmits to the Web site. This random number may be used as sent or may be modified to create a secret session key for subsequent exchange of private information between the user's system and the web site.
Another commonly used security protocol is IP Security Protocol (“IPsec”). IPsec was created by the Internet Engineering Task Force to provide authentication and encryption for data transmitted via the Internet. An advantage of IPsec in comparison to SSL is that IPsec provides services at layer three and secures all applications in the network unlike SSL, which provides services at layer four and only secures two applications. IPsec can access both Internet and non-Internet applications. Although IPsec provides a higher level of security, IPsec requires more maintenance. For example, IPsec requires an installation at the client (e.g., a user's personal computer) whereas SSL is typically a component of a standard web browser.