Two new patents related to firewall security

GraphOn Corporation has been issued two new patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

U.S. Patent 7,380,273, issued May 27, 2008 describes a method for authenticating a user access request over an initial communication medium to a device protected by a firewall system. The method involves communicating a password that is required to complete the authentication back to the user after receiving a valid user name from the user. The password is communicated back to the user on a communication medium other than the initial communication medium. This process is commonly referred to as two-factor authentication.

U.S. Patent 7,383,573, issued June 3, 2008 describes a method for managing traffic outbound from a private network to a public network. The method involves a firewall system determining whether a user is authorized to access the public network. If the user is authorized, the firewall will then form a connection between the private and public networks on behalf of the user.