Client-side extensions for use in connection with HTTP proxy policy enforcement

• US 20070220599A1
• Filed: 03/15/2006
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Blue Coat Systems Incorporated (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Moen, Doug, Campbell, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 8,826,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A Web browser is configured to participate with a proxy server in enforcing traffic policies within a computer network. This may include modifying the Web browser to report contextual information regarding requests for Web documents to the proxy server and/or causing the Web browser to report information concerning Web documents requested through the proxy server to the proxy server.

Claims

1. A method, comprising downloading, from a proxy server to a client application, a set of computer-readable instructions which when executed by the client application cause the client application to perform one or more activities associated with network traffic policy enforcement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client application comprises a Web browser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions are embodied as a plug-in application for the client application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions are embodied as executable JavaSrcipt included within a Web document requested by the client application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions are embodied as executable Active-X controls included within a Web document requested by the client application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions are embodied as executable Java instructions included within a Web document requested by the client application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions are embodied as executable instructions included within a Web document requested by the client application.

8. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to report, to the proxy server, information regarding requests made by the client application.

9. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to report, to the proxy server, information about a current state of the client application.

10. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to report, to the proxy server, contextual information regarding requests for Web documents made by the Web browser.

11. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to report, to the proxy server, an indication of a source of a uniform resource locator (URL) to which one or more requests made by the client application are directed.

12. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to report, to the proxy server, information identifying an object referenced by a uniform resource locator (URL) to which one or more requests by the client application are directed.

13. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to report, to the proxy server, information about (i) a current state of the client application, and (ii) a context in which a request by the client application is being made.

14. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to take one or more actions to enforce the network traffic policy locally.

15. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to report information concerning one or more Web documents downloaded to the client application through the proxy server.

16. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to report, to the proxy server, information identifying an object referenced by a uniform resource locator (URL) to which one or more requests by the client application are directed, the URL indicating an embedded image in a Web document.

17. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to report, to the proxy server, information identifying an object referenced by a uniform resource locator (URL) to which one or more requests by the client application are directed, the URL indicating an embedded object in a Web document.

18. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to report, to the proxy server, information identifying an object referenced by a uniform resource locator (URL) to which one or more requests by the client application are directed, the URL naming a script.

19. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to report, to the proxy server, information identifying an object referenced by a uniform resource locator (URL) to which one or more requests by the client application are directed, the URL identifying a style sheet.

20. A method as in any one of claims 1-7, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed said instructions cause the client application to report, to the proxy server, information identifying an object referenced by a uniform resource locator (URL) to which one or more requests by the client application are directed, the URL referenced by a <

frame>

or <

iframe>

tag.

21. A method, comprising configuring a client application for participating with a proxy server in enforcing traffic policies within a computer network.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein configuring the client application comprises modifying the client application to report contextual information regarding requests for Web documents to the proxy server.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein configuring the client application comprises causing the Web browser to report information concerning Web documents requested through the proxy server to the proxy server.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the client application is caused to report information according to computer-readable instructions inserted in the Web documents by the proxy server.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein configuring the client application comprises installing a plug-in application for use in connection with the Web browser.