US Patent 7039721 System and method for protecting internet protocol addresses

A method for protecting a host located within a computer network. The method includes mapping a public host address for a public host to a secret host address for a secret host containing data accessible over the computer network. The public host address is available from a domain name system server. The method further includes receiving a request for communication with the secret host at the public host and forwarding the request from the public host to the secret host. The request is processed at the secret host which communicates over the network and the communication appears to be sent from the public host.