SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ACCESS TO INTERNET SITES

• US 20140019618A1
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Published: 01/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Forcepoint LLC
• Original Assignee: Forcepoint LLC
• Inventors: Hegli, Ronald, Carrington, John, Oei, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,565,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and system for providing flexible access to Internet sites is described. In one aspect, a method includes receiving, via a computing device, a request to access content associated with the URL. The method further includes transmitting a response to the request, the response indicating that access to the URL is restricted, receiving a second request to access the content associated with the URL, the second request acknowledging that access to the URL is restricted, logging the second request; and transmitting a second response to the second request, the second response allowing access to the requested content associated with the URL.

Claims

1. A method of managing access to an Internet content identified by a uniform resource locator (URL), comprising:

receiving, via a computing device, a request to access content associated with the URL;

transmitting a response to the request, the response indicating that access to the URL is restricted;

receiving a second request to access the content associated with the URL, the second request acknowledging that access to the URL is restricted;

logging the second request; and

transmitting a second response to the second request, the second response allowing access to the requested content associated with the URL.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the response indicates that further access to the URL will be recorded.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein logging the second request includes storing a user name and date.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the response indicates that access to the URL is blocked.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a warning page, the warning page including the response.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is received from a user, and wherein the response indicates that access to the URL will be reported to a supervisor of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, via a computing device, a category of the URL; and

determining, via a computing device, a policy to apply to the request;

determining access to the URL is restricted based on at least the determined category and the determined policy.

8. A method of accessing a URL, comprising:

transmitting, via a computing device, a request to access content associated with the URL;

receiving a response to the request, the response indicating that access to the URL is restricted;

transmitting a second request to access the content associated with the URL, the second request acknowledging that access to the URL is restricted; and

receiving a second response to the second request, the second response comprising the requested content.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the response indicates that further access to the URL will be recorded.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the response indicates that access to the URL is blocked.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the response is a warning page.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s credentials;

authenticating the user based at least partially on the user'"'"'s credentials, wherein the response indicates that further access to the URL will be reported to a supervisor of the user.

13. A system for managing access to content associated with a uniform resource locator (URL), comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memories, each memory coupled to at least one of the one or more processors, and collectively configured to store instructions that when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform a method of;

receiving, via a computing device, a request to access content associated with the URL;

transmitting a response to the request, the response indicating that access to the requested content is restricted;

receiving a second request to access the requested content, the second request acknowledging that access to the requested content is restricted;

logging the second request; and

transmitting a second response to the second request, the second response allowing access to the requested content associated with the URL.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the response indicates that further access to the requested content associated with the URL will be recorded.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein logging the second request includes storing a user name and date.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the response indicates that access to the URL is blocked.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising generating a warning page, the warning page including the response.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the request is received from a user, and the method further comprises generating the response to indicate that access to the requested content will be reported to a supervisor of the user.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, via a computing device, a category of the URL;

determining, via a computing device, a policy to apply to the request; and

determining access to the requested content is restricted based on the determined category and the determined policy.

20. The system of claim 13, further comprising a site management module, the site management module being configured to receive the request.