Tcp/ip-based communication system and associated methodology providing an enhanced transport layer protocol

Abstract

A more secure TCP/IP protocol stack is provided having an enhanced transport layer. Encryption and decryption logic is arranged on the transmission side and on the reception side for processing a payload of a transport layer protocol, such as TCP or UDP. By employing this enhanced transport layer, a cryptograph process communication can be realized by dissolving various kinds of restrictions which a conventional IPsec or SSL possesses without affecting upper layer processing, and, at the same time, maintaining compatibility with the IP layer.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A computing device that communicates with another computing device, comprising:
 an electronic memory including at least
 a standard protocol provided in a transport layer of a communication protocol stack, and 
 an additional protocol provided in the transport layer to add predetermined functions to the standard protocol; and 
   an emulator provided in the transport layer to select, in response to a connection between the computing device and the other computing device, a protocol to be used from the standard protocol and the additional protocol in order to maintain compatibility between the standard protocol and the additional protocol in other layers of the communication protocol stack,   wherein in a connection sequence with the other computing device using the standard protocol, the emulator selects the additional protocol when a packet received from the other computing device includes information indicating that the additional protocol is provided on the other computing device, and the computing device and the other computing device communicate using the protocol selected by the emulator.   
     
     
         3 . The computing device according to  claim 2 , wherein, when the packet from the other computing device indicates that the additional protocol is not provided in the other computing device, the emulator selects the standard protocol to process transport layer payload packets to be transmitted to the other computing device and to process transport layer payload packets received from the other computing device. 
     
     
         4 . The computing device according to  claim 3 , wherein the packet from the other computing device is a synchronization packet. 
     
     
         5 . The computing device according to  claim 3 , wherein the packet from the other computing device is an acknowledgement packet. 
     
     
         6 . The computing device according to  claim 4 , wherein support for transport layer encryption is indicated in option bits of the synchronization packet. 
     
     
         7 . The computing device according to  claim 5 , wherein support for transport layer encryption is indicated in option bits of the acknowledgement packet. 
     
     
         8 . The computing device according to  claim 6 , wherein the synchronization packet includes encrypted data identifying the other computing device as an authenticated peer. 
     
     
         9 . The computing device according to  claim 2 , wherein the emulator analyzes the packet received from the other computing device to determine whether the packet is part of a denial of service attack, the packet being deleted upon determination that the packet is part of a denial of service attack. 
     
     
         10 . The computing device according to  claim 2 , wherein the standard protocol is TCP and the additional protocol is TCPsec, TCPsec providing encryption of at least a payload of a transmitted transport layer payload packet. 
     
     
         11 . The computing device according to  claim 2 , wherein the standard protocol is UDP and the additional protocol is UDPsec, UDPsec providing encryption of at least a payload of a transmitted transport layer payload packet. 
     
     
         12 . The computing device according to  claim 2 , wherein the computing device and the other computing device communicate via a wireless TCP/IP network. 
     
     
         13 . A computing device to communicate packet data to another computing device in a TCP/IP network, the computing device comprising:
 an emulator disposed in a transport layer of a TCP/IP stack and configured to transmit a transport layer payload packet using one of a secure transport layer protocol and an open transport layer protocol, based on an initial packet received from the other computing device,   wherein, when the initial packet received from the other computing device identifies support for transport layer encryption, the emulator uses the secure transport layer protocol to encrypt at least a payload of transport layer payload packets to be transmitted to the other computing device, and uses the secure transport layer protocol to decrypt at least a payload of transport layer payload packets received from the other computing device,   when the initial packet from the other computing device indicates no support for transport layer encryption, the emulator uses the open transport layer protocol to process transport layer payload packets to be transmitted to the other computing device and to process transport layer payload packets received from the other computing device,   support for transport layer encryption is indicated in option bits of the initial packet,   the initial packet includes encrypted data identifying the other computing device as an authenticated peer, and   the encrypted data includes an encrypted serial number, an encrypted version number and an encrypted release number.   
     
     
         14 . A computing device that communicates with another computing device, comprising:
 an electronic memory including at least
 a standard protocol provided in a transport layer of a communication protocol stack, and 
 an additional protocol provided in the transport layer to add predetermined functions to the standard protocol; and 
   an emulator disposed in the transport layer to select, based on a port number used to establish a connection between the computing device and the other computing device, a protocol to be used from the standard protocol and the additional protocol in order to maintain compatibility between the standard protocol and the additional protocol in other layers of the communication protocol stack,   wherein when the port number indicates that the additional protocol is provided on the other computing device, the emulator selects the additional protocol, and the computing device and the other computing device communicate using the protocol selected by the emulator.   
     
     
         15 . The computing device according to  claim 14 , wherein when the port number indicates that the additional protocol is not provided on the other computing device, the emulator selects the standard protocol to process transport layer packets to be transmitted to the other computing device and to process transport layer packets received from the other computing device. 
     
     
         16 . The computing device according to  claim 14 , wherein the connection between the computing device and the other computing device is established over wireless TCP/IP.