US 12,452,209 B2
Verifying data sources using attestation based methods
Priyanka Bansal, Bangalore (IN); and Eric Voit, Bethesda, MD (US)
Assigned to Cisco Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Cisco Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/511,415.
Prior Publication US 2023/0126851 A1, Apr. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. H04L 29/06 (2006.01); H04L 9/40 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 63/0236 (2013.01) [H04L 63/126 (2013.01); H04L 63/0272 (2013.01); H04L 63/0428 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method performed at least partly by a network device that monitors network traffic through a network, the method comprising:
receiving the network traffic that is flowing through the network;
generating one or more packets that include metadata representing a monitored characteristic of the network traffic;
generating, by a secure hardware chip of a plurality of secure hardware chips embedded in the network device and using a private key, a signature comprising (i) a unique identifier stored within the secure hardware chip that indicates the metadata was generated by the secure hardware chip of the plurality of secure hardware chips on the network device, (ii) a time at which the metadata was generated at the network device, and (iii) a number of resets of the network device, wherein individual secure hardware chips of the plurality of secure hardware chips store individual unique identifiers;
populating the one or more packets with the signature indicating the metadata was generated at the network device and the time at which the metadata was generated at the network device; and
sending the one or more packets to a collection system associated with a network monitoring system.