ENHANCED BROWSER SECURITY

• US 20070199073A1
• Filed: 10/16/2006
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Support.com Incorporated (Greenidge Generation Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Softwareonline LLC
• Inventors: Plummer, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,020,190 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A machine-executable method implementable in a system operable to execute a browser application having at least one security-context zone and operable to apply at least one security policy to interaction between the system and web sites corresponding to domain identifiers populating the at least one security-context zone includes comparing a first set of domain identifiers populating a first security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone with a second set of domain identifiers. The method further includes populating the first security-context zone with at least one second-set identifier not included in the first set of domain identifiers.

Claims

1. A method of transferring a computer program product from at least one first computer to at least one second computer connected to the at least one first computer through a communication medium, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) accessing, on the at least one first computer, computer-executable instructions that, when executed in a system operable to execute a browser application having at least one security-context zone and operable to apply at least one security policy to interaction between the system and web sites corresponding to domain identifiers populating the at least one security-context zone, perform at least the steps of;

(1) comparing a first set of domain identifiers populating a first security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone with a second set of domain identifiers; and

(2) populating the first security-context zone with at least one second-set identifier not included in the first set of domain identifiers; and

(b) transferring the computer-executable instructions from the at least one first computer to the at least one second computer through the communications medium.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first security-context zone, with respect to a second security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone, is associated with a more-restrictive security policy.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first security-context zone, with respect to a second security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone, is associated with a less-restrictive security policy.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-executable instructions further perform the steps of:

comparing a third set of domain identifiers populating a second security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone with a fourth set of domain identifiers; and

populating the second security-context zone with at least one fourth-set domain identifier not included in the third set of domain identifiers.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transferring the second set of domain identifiers from the at least one first computer to the at least one second computer through the communications medium.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-executable instructions further perform the step of restricting the number of domain identifiers that can populate the first security-context zone.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-executable instructions further perform the step of enabling a user to customize the security policy associated with the first security-context zone.

8. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components implementable in a system operable to execute a browser application having at least one security-context zone and operable to apply at least one security policy to interaction between the system and web sites corresponding to domain identifiers populating the at least one security-context zone, the components comprising:

a first domain-identifier file; and

a populating component operable to;

(1) compare a first set of domain identifiers populating a first security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone with a second set of domain identifiers populating the first file; and

(2) populate the first security-context zone with at least one second-set identifier not included in the first set of domain identifiers.

9. The medium of claim 8 wherein the first security-context zone, with respect to a second security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone, is associated with a more-restrictive security policy.

10. The medium of claim 8 wherein the first security-context zone, with respect to a second security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone, is associated with a less-restrictive security policy.

11. The medium of claim 8 wherein the populating component is further operable to:

compare a third set of domain identifiers populating a second security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone with a fourth set of domain identifiers; and

populate the second security-context zone with at least one fourth-set domain identifier not included in the third set of domain identifiers.

12. The medium of claim 8 wherein the first domain-identifier file is supplanted by a second domain-identifier file received by the system from a remote device.

13. The medium of claim 8 wherein the populating component is further operable to restrict the number of domain identifiers that can populate the first security-context zone.

14. The medium of claim 8 wherein the components further comprise a user interface enabling a user to customize the security policy associated with the first security-context zone.

15. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed in a system operable to execute a browser application having at least one security-context zone and operable to apply at least one security policy to interaction between the system and web sites corresponding to domain identifiers populating the at least one security-context zone, perform at least the steps of:

comparing a first set of domain identifiers populating a first security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone with a second set of domain identifiers; and

populating the first security-context zone with at least one second-set identifier not included in the first set of domain identifiers.

16. The medium of claim 15 wherein the first security-context zone, with respect to a second security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone, is associated with a more-restrictive security policy.

17. The medium of claim 15 wherein the first security-context zone, with respect to a second security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone, is associated with a less-restrictive security policy.

18. The medium of claim 15 wherein the computer-executable instructions further perform the steps of:

comparing a third set of domain identifiers populating a second security-context zone of the at least one security-context zone with a fourth set of domain identifiers; and

populating the second security-context zone with at least one fourth-set domain identifier not included in the third set of domain identifiers.

19. The medium of claim 15 wherein the computer-executable instructions further perform the step of restricting the number of domain identifiers that can populate the first security-context zone.

20. The medium of claim 15 wherein the computer-executable instructions further perform the step of enabling a user to customize the security policy associated with the first security-context zone.

21. A method, comprising:

reviewing a set of web sites including at least one web site having at least one characteristic associated therewith;

categorizing into a first category at least one said web site based on the at least one said web site having a first characteristic; and

providing to an electronic device a set of domain identifiers corresponding to the first-category web sites, wherein the domain-identifier set enables the electronic device to inform a user that the first-category web sites have the first characteristic.