MASKING SENSITIVE INFORMATION IN A SCREEN SHARING SESSION

• US 20120036452A1
• Filed: 07/11/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle OTC Subsidiary LLC (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Art Technology Group Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Coleman, Barry Gordon, Speers, Keith
• Granted Patent: US 9,141,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/751
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/032 Protect output to user by software means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1462 with means for detecting differences between the image stored in the host and the images displayed on the remote displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents

Abstract

A system can mask specific components of an application, such as a web page, displayed during a screen sharing session. As the web page is being displayed on a first computer screen (i.e., screen), the system can automatically mask specific components of the web page. Thus, when the first screen is captured, and the capture is transmitted to a second screen, the specific components of the web page that have been masked will not be displayed at the second screen.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to mask components of an application displayed during a screen sharing session, the instructions comprising:

capturing a display of a first screen, which comprises a display of the application;

identifying a component of the application with a masking indication;

masking the component of the application identified with the masking indication, so that the component of the application identified with the masking indication is not visible;

transmitting the captured display to a second screen; and

displaying the captured display at the second screen, wherein the component of the application identified with the masking indication is not visible in the captured display displayed at the second screen.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the identifying the component with the masking indication further comprises setting a border of the component to a masking color.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the setting the border further comprises determining the border, and wherein the determining the border further comprises:

locating a first visible corner of the border of the component that is set to a masking color;

tracing the border in a horizontal or vertical direction extending from the first visible corner until a color change is detected at the display;

when the location of the color change is at a second visible corner of the border, tracing the border in a new horizontal or vertical direction extending from the second visible corner; and

when the location of the color change is not at a second visible corner of the border, inserting a corner at the location of the color change and tracing a new masking border by inserting a masking border in a horizontal direction or vertical direction extending from the inserted corner.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the application comprises a web page;

wherein the identifying further comprises;

analyzing a document object model of the web page and determining whether each component of the web page should be displayed or masked during a screen sharing session; and

dynamically modifying a style sheet of the web page to identify the component to be masked during the screen sharing session with the masking indication.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the application comprises a software application;

wherein the identifying further comprises;

analyzing source code of the software application and determining whether each component of the software application should be displayed or masked during a screen sharing session; and

dynamically modifying one or more attributes of the software application to identify the component to be masked during the screen sharing session with a masking indication.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the masking is performed at a computer operatively coupled to the first screen, and wherein the masking is performed before the capturing and the transmitting.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the masking is performed at a computer operatively coupled to the second screen, and wherein the masking is performed after the capturing and the transmitting.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the transmitting further comprises transmitting the captured display to the second screen over a direct connection.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the transmitting further comprises:

transmitting the captured display to an intermediary server; and

transmitting, by the intermediary server, the captured display to the second screen.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the masking is performed at the intermediary server, and wherein the masking is performed before the capturing and the transmitting the captured display to the intermediate server but before the transmitting the captured display to the second screen.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising identifying a component of the application with a visible indication;

wherein the component of the application identifying with the visible indication is visible in the captured display displayed at the second screen.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the identifying the component with the visible indication further comprises setting a border of the component to a visible color.

13. A computer-implemented method for masking components of an application displayed during a screen sharing session, the method comprising:

capturing a display of a first screen, which comprises a display of the application;

identifying a component of the application with a masking indication;

masking the component of the application identified with the masking indication, so that the component of the application identified with the masking indication is not visible;

transmitting the captured display to a second screen; and

displaying the captured display at the second screen, wherein the component of the application identified with the masking indication is not visible in the captured display displayed at the second screen.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the identifying the component with the masking indication further comprises setting a border of the component to a masking color.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the setting the border further comprises determining the border, and wherein the determining the border further comprises:

locating a first visible corner of the border of the component that is set to a masking color;

tracing the border in a horizontal or vertical direction until a color change is detected at the display;

when the location of the color change is at a second visible corner of the border, tracing the border in a new horizontal or vertical direction based on the second visible corner; and

when the location of the color change is not at a second visible corner of the border, inserting a corner at the location of the color change.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the application comprises a web page;

wherein the identifying further comprises;

analyzing a document object model of the web page and determining whether each component of the web page should be displayed or masked during a screen sharing session; and

dynamically modifying a style sheet of the web page to identify the component to be masked during the screen sharing session with the masking indication.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the application comprises a software application;

wherein the identifying further comprises;

analyzing source code of the software application and determining whether each component of the software application should be displayed or masked during a screen sharing session; and

dynamically modifying one or more attributes of the software application to identify the component to be masked during the screen sharing session with a masking indication.

18. A system comprising:

a screen capturer that captures a display of a first screen, which comprises a display of the application;

an application component identifier that identifies a component of the application with a masking indication, wherein the application is displayed at a first screen;

an application component masker that masks the component of the application identified with the masking indication, so that the component of the application identified with the masking indication is not visible;

a transmitter that transmits the captured display to a second screen; and

a display that displays the captured display at the second screen, wherein the component of the application identified with the masking indication is not visible in the captured display displayed at the second screen.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the application component identifier sets a border of the component to a masking color.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein application component identifier:

locates a first visible corner of the border of the component that is set to a masking color;

traces the border in a horizontal or vertical direction extending from the first visible corner until a color change is detected at the display;

traces the border in a new horizontal or vertical direction extending from the second visible corner, when the location of the color change is at a second visible corner of the border; and

inserts a corner at the location of the color change and traces a new masking border by inserting a masking border in a horizontal direction or vertical direction extending from the inserted corner, when the location of the color change is not at a second visible corner of the border.