Incremental Browser-Based Device Fingerprinting

• US 20140025791A1
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adstra Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bluecava Incorporated
• Inventors: Johannsen, Eric A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,954,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles

Abstract

A method for incrementally fingerprinting a computing device includes steps for executing device-identification code programmed to retrieve a complete set of device configuration metrics from a web browser of the computing device, interrupting execution of the device-identification code after retrieval of a first subset of the device configuration metrics, generating a partial device fingerprint from the first subset, generating a temporary device identifier from the partial device fingerprint, and generating a subset indicator identifying the device configuration metrics that compose the first subset. Additional steps include writing the temporary device identifier and the subset indicator to browser-based storage of the computing device, resuming execution of the device-identification code, querying the browser-based storage for presence of the temporary device identifier, and retrieving, responsive to detecting the temporary device identifier, a second subset of the device configuration metrics, the second subset comprising device configuration metrics not identified by the subset indicator.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A method for incrementally fingerprinting a computing device, comprising:

(a) executing from a website, responsive to the website receiving a resource request through a web browser of a computing device, device-identification code for identifying the computing device, the device-identification code programmed to retrieve a complete set of device configuration metrics from the web browser;

(b) interrupting execution of the device-identification code after retrieval of a first subset of the device configuration metrics;

(c) generating a partial device fingerprint from the first subset of device configuration metrics;

(d) generating a temporary device identifier from the partial device fingerprint;

(e) generating a subset indicator identifying the device configuration metrics that compose the first subset;

(f) writing the temporary device identifier and the subset indicator to browser-based storage of the computing device;

(g) resuming execution of the device-identification code;

(h) querying the browser-based storage for presence of the temporary device identifier; and

(i) retrieving, responsive to detecting the temporary device identifier, a second subset of the device configuration metrics, the second subset comprising device configuration metrics not identified by the subset indicator.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising storing the partial device fingerprint and the subset indicator in a fingerprint database.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising updating the partial device fingerprint responsive to retrieving the second subset of the device configuration metrics.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the interrupting of execution of the device-identification code occurs as a result of one of (i) the web browser exiting the web page, (ii) the first subset satisfying a predetermined fingerprinting criteria, and (iii) expiration of an allotted execution time.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the resuming of execution of the device-identification code occurs as a result of one of (i) the web browser revisiting the web page, (ii) the web page fulfilling the resource request, and (iii) the web page reaching a predetermined stage in its rendering sequence.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising, upon resuming execution of the device-identification code,

(a) querying the browser-based storage for the subset indicator, and if the subset indicator indicates that all device configuration metrics in the set have been retrieved:

(b) omitting further retrieving steps; and

(c) promoting the temporary device identifier to a permanent device identifier by (i) marking the subset indicator as permanent in the browser-based storage, and (ii) writing the temporary device identifier to device-based storage on the computing device.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein device-based storage comprises storage reserved for a Flash cookie.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein browser-based storage comprises one of DOM storage and HTML 5 storage.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the partial device fingerprint is generated by a hashing algorithm operating on data that represents a combination of the retrieved device configuration metrics.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the first subset consists of device configuration metrics from the complete set of device configuration metrics that:

(a) are retrievable from the web browser within a time period specified by the website; and

(b) provide highest probability among all subsets satisfying condition (i) of uniquely identifying the computing device.