SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DYNAMIC VENDOR AND VENDOR OUTLET CLASSIFICATION

• US 20080235103A1
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sophos Limited (Sophos Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sophos Plc (Sophos Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: McCourt, William James, Baccas, Paul Oliver
• Granted Patent: US 9,779,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1483 service impersonation, e.g. phishing, pharming or web spoofing detection of rogue wireless access points H04W12/12

Abstract

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems for dynamic classification of electronic vendors. Certain embodiments provide a method for dynamic vendor classification. The method includes analyzing a vendor based on a comparison of vendor features; categorizing the vendor based on the analysis; and permitting access to the vendor according to the categorization of the vendor. The categorization may include trusted, not trusted, or unsure, for example. Analysis may include comparing a first outlet of the vendor with a second outlet of the vendor, for example. Analysis may include comparing an outlet of the vendor with an outlet of a second vendor, for example. A vendor may be defined as a particular outlet for a vendor and/or all outlets associated with a vendor (a vendor entity).

Claims

1. A method for dynamic vendor classification, said method comprising:

receiving information regarding features of at least one vendor outlet;

analyzing a vendor based on said features of at least one vendor outlet; and

categorizing said vendor based on said analysis.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said vendor comprises at least one of an outlet associated with said vendor and all outlets associated with said vendor and wherein said categorizing step further comprises categorizing at least one of an outlet associated with said vendor and all outlets associated with said vendor based on said analysis.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said categorizing further comprises associating a category of trusted, not trusted, or unsure with said vendor.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising permitting access to said vendor according to said categorizing of said vendor.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said permitting step further comprises allowing access to said vendor if said vendor is trusted, denying access to said vendor if said vendor is not trusted and restricting access to said vendor if said vendor is unsure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said analyzing step further comprises comparing a first outlet of said vendor with a second outlet of said vendor.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising normalizing said first outlet and said second outlet for comparison.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said categorizing step further comprises categorizing said vendor based on a first set of rules if said first outlet and said second outlet are congruent and categorizing said vendor based on a second set of rules if said first outlet and said second outlet are similar.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said analyzing step further comprises comparing an outlet of said vendor with an outlet of a second vendor.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising normalizing said outlet of said vendor and said outlet of said second vendor for comparison.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising categorizing said vendor based on a first set of rules if said outlet of said vendor and said outlet of said second vendor are congruent and categorizing said vendor based on a second set of rules if said outlet of said vendor and said outlet of said second vendor are similar.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said categorizing step further comprises categorizing and controlling access to all outlets associated with said vendor based on an analysis of a particular outlet of said vendor.

13. A dynamic vendor classification system, said system comprising:

a content retriever retrieving electronic vendor data related to a vendor outlet;

a content analyzer analyzing said electronic vendor data from said content retriever; and

a content classifier classifying said vendor based on analysis from said content analyzer.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a network including a plurality of dynamic vendor classification systems.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising an external system providing information to said content analyzer for analysis of said electronic vendor data.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising a library storing rules and data for analysis of said electronic vendor data by said content analyzer.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein classification of said vendor comprises trusted, not trusted, or unsure.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a monitor for monitoring said vendor if said classification is unsure.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein said content retriever allows access to said vendor if said vendor is trusted, denies access to said vendor is said vendor is not trusted and restricts access to said vendor if said vendor is classified as unsure.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein said content analyzer analyzes said vendor by comparing a first outlet of said vendor with a second outlet of said vendor.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said content classifier determines a level of trust for said vendor based on a first set of rules if said first outlet and said second outlet are same and determining a level of trust for said vendor based on a second set of rules if said first outlet and said second outlet are similar.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein said content analyzer analyzes said vendor by comparing an outlet of said vendor with an outlet of a second vendor.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said content classifier classifies said vendor based on a first set of rules if said outlet of said vendor and said outlet of said second vendor are same and classifies said vendor based on a second set of rules if said outlet of said vendor and said outlet of said second vendor are similar.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein said vendor comprises at least one of a vendor entity and one or more outlets associated with said vendor entity and wherein said content classifier classifies at least one of said vendor entity and one or more of said outlets associated with said vendor entity based on analysis from said content analyzer.

25. The system of claim 13, wherein said content classifier classifies all outlets associated with said vendor based on an analysis of a particular outlet of said vendor.

26. A computer readable medium having a set of instructions for execution on a computer, said set of instructions comprising:

a content retrieval routine retrieving electronic vendor data related to a vendor outlet;

a content analysis routine analyzing said electronic vendor data from said content retrieval routine; and

a classification routine classifying at least said vendor outlet based on analysis from said content analysis routine.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein said classification routine classifies a plurality of outlets associated with said vendor based on analysis from said content analysis routine.