Cloud based logging service

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9049173-B2
Application number	US-201313910968-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2013
Priority date	Jun 5, 2013
Publication date	Jun 2, 2015
Grant date	Jun 2, 2015

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for providing access to a cloud-based logging service to a user without requiring user registration. Methods and systems are also provided for providing cloud-based logging service to users by integrating the cloud-based logging service within a network security gateway appliance, thereby enabling the users to use the cloud-based logging service by accessing the gateway appliance. The cloud-based logging service can be accessed via an Application Programming Interface (API) without requiring user registration and allows easy and efficient access to log files, viewing of log files, and data security to stored log files and generated reports. Methods and systems of the present invention can also be used for multiple other purposes apart from using the cloud-based logging service without registration including, but not limited to, reducing the complexity of a network architecture, providing better and more effective GUI representation and minimizing distribution of data over a controlled network, among other such purposes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for managing access to a cloud-based logging service through a network security gateway appliance comprising:
one or more processors;
a communication interface device;
one or more internal data storage devices operatively coupled to the one or more processors and storing:
a cloud-based logging service settings module configured to make the cloud-based logging service accessible to an administrator of the network security gateway appliance via an interface of the network security gateway appliance by integrating and customizing the cloud-based logging service within the network security gateway appliance, the integrating and customizing including creating an account within the cloud-based logging service by registering the network security gateway appliance itself as a user of the cloud-based logging service in order to allow the network security gateway appliance access to the cloud-based logging service;
a cloud-based logging service access module configured to receive, via the interface, a request to access the cloud-based logging service from the administrator, wherein the cloud-based logging service access module is further configured to analyze the request and retrieve logs from the cloud-based logging service for processing, wherein registration of the network security gateway appliance with the cloud-based logging service allows the administrator to access the cloud-based logging service via the interface without separately registering with the cloud-based logging service; and
an output module configured to receive processed logs at the network security gateway appliance and output the processed logs to the administrator.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cloud-based logging service is invoked by the network security gateway appliance through an application programming interface (API) of the cloud-based logging service, wherein the API is implemented within the network security gateway appliance.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network security gateway appliance is configured to provide and measure an extent of security of a network against network threats, content threats and application-level threats.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the network security gateway appliance comprises one or more of a gateway, a network security appliance, an application-level threat detector, a firewall, an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), an application control, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) appliance, and a web content filtering appliance.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cloud-based logging service settings module is configured to disable access to the cloud-based logging service by default.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cloud-based logging service settings module is configured to enable access to the cloud-based logging service by default.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processed logs comprise one or more reports, wherein the one or more reports are stored and presented to the administrator via the interface of the network security gateway appliance.

8. A method comprising:
integrating access to a cloud-based logging service within a network security gateway appliance by automatically configuring access settings for the cloud-based logging service and creating an account within the cloud-based logging service by registering the network security gateway appliance itself as a user of the cloud-based logging service in order to allow the network security gateway appliance access to the cloud-based logging service;
transparently creating within the cloud logging service, by the network security gateway appliance, a traffic log or an event log for a network in which the network security gateway appliance resides by making use of the automatically configured access settings and the account;
receiving, by the network security gateway appliance, a request from an administrator to access data associated with the traffic log or the event log;
responsive to the request and without requiring separate registration of the administrator with the cloud-based logging service, transparently retrieving, by the network security gateway appliance, the data from the account of the cloud-based logging service and presenting the data to the administrator via a log or report page of a graphical user interface (GUI) of the network security gateway appliance.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the cloud-based logging service is invoked by the network security gateway appliance via an application programming interface (API) of the cloud-based logging service, wherein the API is implemented within the network security gateway appliance.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the network security gateway appliance is configured to provide and measure an extent of security of the network against network threats, content threats and application-level threats.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the network security gateway appliance comprises one or more of a gateway, a network security appliance, an application-level threat detector, a firewall, an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), an application control, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) appliance and a web content filtering appliance.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising when the network security device does not have a local hard disk, enabling the cloud-based logging service for storage of the traffic log or the event log by default within a log settings page of the GUI.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising when the cloud-based logging service is enabled by default, prompting the administrator to register with the cloud-based logging service to obtain enhanced services.

14. The method claim 8 , further comprising when the network security device includes a local hard disk, disabling the cloud-based logging service for storage of the traffic log or the event log by default within a log setting page of the GUI.

15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the cloud-based logging service can be directly accessed by the administrator without going through the network security gateway appliance, wherein the direct access requires registration by the administrator with the cloud-based logging service to obtain separate account for the administrator within the cloud-based logging service.

Assignees

• Fortinet Inc

Inventors

• Yin Jun

Classifications

• G06F21/62

  Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules · CPC title

• G06F11/3476

  Data logging (G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06F11/1471

  involving logging of persistent data for recovery · CPC title

• H04L63/0281 Primary

  Proxies · CPC title

• H04L63/1408 Primary

  by monitoring network traffic (monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00) · CPC title